Lost historic charm (From Oxford Mail)

Lost historic charm

7:57pm Tuesday 30th June 2009 in

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IT IS not very many years since the great campaigns to get better accessibility for the disabled won several triumphs – public places (including restaurants, pubs, etc), have now established accessible toilet facilities; lifts, and other aids are much more frequent. Legislation has dictated many of these improvements.

Sadly many of these facilities will be out of bounds for many of our disabled or elderly population if our county council’s plans prevent accessibility by virtually closing off the city centre where there is the greatest concentration of shops, restaurants, our Town Hall and many official establishments. Have the councillors checked the legislation?

Here in Summertown, we have no post office, and few shops for anything except groceries, flowers and chemists’ goods. We need access to the city centre.

With the pedestrianisation of Queen Street, followed in the coming years by other city centre shopping streets, the distances between buses will be greater, increasing immensely the difficulties for elderly or disabled people, and parents with young children.

Councillor Keith Mitchell, the county council leader, has talked about preserving Oxford’s competitive edge and splendid historic charm.

But our main central shopping streets are almost exactly like any in all the towns and cities of England – a repeat of the same stationers, pharmacists, grocers, clothes and banks.

Any historic charm was sadly allowed to disappear behind great glass windows and shopping malls long ago, and there is no proposal to remove them – only the buses to get us to them.

The county council plans propose that, at a later stage, buses will be terminating and turning round in St Giles. Appalling!

To increase transport activity in probably the most graceful and best preserved of our historic streets contradicts the very claims made by Councillor Mitchell – that the council wants to preserve the historic charm of Oxford.

MARGARET STANTON Osberton Road Oxford