CELEBRATIONS were in order after a seven-year battle to illuminate a Marston park finally came to an end.

Independent city councillor for Marston Mick Haines said lights for a cycle path in Croft Road recreation ground were installed last week.

He said his fight began in 2007 after plans between Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council to revamp the community area.

He added: “This has been the icing on the cake. It’s been a hard struggle, seven years of a hard struggle.

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“It’s been very difficult. I have had to push and push and push and keep on about it.

“I’m very pleased for the residents that at last we have got them.

“But we deserved them, we seem to be behind in Marston with getting stuff done.

“It just proves that if you keep on fighting with something for such a long time, you will at the end come out a champion.”

Mr Haines said his campaign for the new lights began after concerns about resident safety.

In September 2010, he delivered a petition to Downing Street signed by more than 1,200 residents to raise awareness of the issue.

He added: “It’s the safety aspect.

“It’s dark through there. People want to go to work safely and they want to come home safely.”

In August the Oxford Mail reported the city council expected the lights to go up by the end of September but they were only put up last week, according to Mr Haines. He said he believed there had been delays with supplying the lights.

A council spokesman said: “Installation of the lights commenced on November 5 and they should be operational this week. We experienced a delay in the delivery of the light fittings which the manufacturer was unable to supply until late October.”

 

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