Oxford council planning changes to byelaws in parks

The suggested modifications include revoking older byelaws relating to ball games, climbing, and wild swimming, which are now deemed as outdated or unsuitable.

The council says these restrictions are in conflict with the "pressing need to encourage more active lifestyles".

The city council is also keen to amend byelaws to better reflect the modern usage of Oxford’s parks.

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The city council wants the public's opinion on abolishing the blanket bicycle riding ban, to allow considerate cycling in parks, in light of the cycling lanes present in Cowley Marsh Recreation Ground and Donnington Playing Fields.

The city council holds several byelaws for parks, conservation areas, and play facilities, which dictate the basic use of these public areas.

These regulations work toward the safeguarding of habitats, wildlife, and the broader environment.

For more than 25 years, the city council has not altered its byelaws for parks and open spaces.

New byelaws will be introduced to take care of newer challenges that have cropped up over the past two and a half decades concerning changing priorities, such as sky lanterns and drones, and the usage of e-scooters.

These proposed alterations would be for the same parks and open spaces as are currently covered, ensuring consistency and clarity across the city that.

It will include new play spaces that have been built since the byelaws were last modified.

Locations where poorly positioned play areas have been replaced, such as the one at The Slade and Girdlestone Road's corner, are also added.

While the council can enforce these byelaws through council officers or the police, thy say their main aim is to deal with any violations informally by talking to people.

The public consultation process will be held from February 12 to April 8.

To ensure a comprehensive and inclusive consultation process, the council plans to directly engage with key community stakeholders to receive their feedback regarding the proposals.

Chewe Munkonge said the changes are long-overdue (Image: Oxford City Council)

Councillor Chewe Munkonge, cabinet member for leisure and parks, said: "At Oxford City Council, we want everyone to be able to enjoy Oxford’s parks and open spaces.

"To ensure that people can do this safely, we sometimes have to proactively tackle anti-social and nuisance behaviours that negatively impact users of our 130 green spaces.

"The proposed changes are a long-overdue positive step towards creating a more accessible, pragmatic and sensible framework for users, to ensure a cleaner, safer environment within our city's green spaces."

Oxford residents can voice their opinions by visiting the council’s consultation portal.