Oxford councillors have reaffirmed approval for a development of 31 affordable homes at Bertie Park, despite continuing objections over the loss of recreation space and concerns about the safety and quality of the replacement facilities.
The scheme, which has a reported value of £9 million and is being brought forward by the council’s housing company Ox Place, was considered by an Oxford City Council committee on 09 September after 12 councillors called in the planning decision for further debate.
The committee ultimately backed the existing approval.
The development is planned for Bertie Place Recreation Ground, a site that has been allocated for housing.
The council said the scheme would provide 31 affordable homes, including 22 for social rent, alongside a replacement multi-use games area, a children’s play area, new public open space, an accessible footbridge and landscaping and biodiversity improvements.
The decision has, however, renewed opposition from the Save Bertie Park campaign, which has challenged the proposals since 2019.
Campaigners argue that the development would result in a substantial reduction in the existing recreation ground and have raised concerns about the adequacy and safety of the replacement space.
During the committee meeting, Green councillor Max Morris highlighted planning guidance concerning the replacement of play space. He said there was a tension between the need to provide affordable social housing and the requirement to ensure that people living in new developments have appropriate recreational provision.
He also raised concerns about equality, arguing that residents of affordable housing should not receive a lower standard of recreational provision.
Kaddy Beck, a spokesperson for Save Bertie Park, said campaign members were “angry” following the meeting.
She said the group believed the council had not given sufficient weight to the importance of safe recreational spaces, particularly for women and unaccompanied children.
Campaigners have also raised concerns about the proposed three-minute walking route behind Wytham Street and what they say would be the loss of much of the existing park.
Beck said the group was consulting lawyers about a possible judicial review, in an attempt to challenge the inclusion of the park in the local plan.
Oxford City Council said it recognised the strength of local feeling and the importance residents placed on safe and accessible public spaces.
A council spokesperson said the committee had considered concerns about the recreation ground, accessibility and safety alongside the wider benefits of the development.
The planning application, they said, had been assessed against Oxford’s Local Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework, including its updated policies, and relevant evidence, including the views of Thames Valley Police.
Council officers had acknowledged the loss of the existing recreation ground but concluded that it was outweighed by the benefits of providing 31 affordable homes on a site already allocated for housing.
The authority said 22 of the homes would be for social rent, which it described as the tenure most urgently needed in Oxford.
The council also pointed to the city’s housing waiting list, which it said currently stood at around 4,000 households.
The authority said the scheme would retain recreational provision through a replacement multi-use games area and children’s play area, while creating new public open space and improving accessibility, landscaping and biodiversity.
The committee’s decision leaves the proposed development in place while the Save Bertie Park campaign considers its next steps.
The dispute reflects a wider challenge facing Oxford as the city seeks to increase the supply of genuinely affordable housing while protecting the public open spaces and recreational facilities used by existing communities.
Reporting contribution by Isabella Harris, Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Oxfordshire, covering local politics, council meetings and planning decisions across six councils in the county.
