In a heady cocktail of sheer stupidity and egregious incompetence, Oxford City Council and Oxford University managed to blot the Oxford landscape by building six five storey blocks on the edge of Port Meadow.
Unfortunately for functionaries at both organisations, people at The Save Port Meadow Campaign and the CPRE managed to raise enough cash to force a retrospective environmental impact assessment – that was released in October 2014 and includes the following:
“It is considered that the high adverse impact on the high veritage value sites can only be reduced to medium adverse by the reduction in height of all the buildings under the option three mitigation measures.”
The four landscapes in question are Port Meadow itself, St Barnabas Church, the view of the famous “screaming spires” of the university and the River Thames and towpath.
The three options for mitigation are (1) use brick cladding and trees – cost £6 million; (2) flatten the roofs with cladding and trees – £11 million; and (3) remove a floor off each of the buildings – cost £12 million.
The campaign says that both the university and the council are being skinflints and want the cheapest option. As the campaigners say: “They want to minimise the embarrassment of their negligence in building the Port Meadow blocks, and also the cost and incnvenience.”
In 2011 the University said: “It has been concluded that the development will not be visible from the majority of Port Meadow.” A Mr Murray Hancock, a planning functionary at the Council, said: “It gives rise to some impacts but these are not significant.”
The campaign says there are various things people can do:
(1) Write to your city councillor.
(2) Email the City Council consultation at planning@oxford.gov.uk by the 19th December using the ref 11/02881/FUL telling them why option 3 is acceptable.
(3) Go to the meeting held at 7:30PM on the 4th of December 2014 at St Barnabas Church, Cardigan Street, Jericho
You can also donate by going to www.justgiving.com/portmeadow ♣
hI bACK AT uNiVERSiTY OF Minnesota, TAKING English gRAMMARnext. Spring ’15. WaPo: Drashek _PowerGod and look what happens. Racquetball Fall’15, got B and started in English prisons 1800. Bannana plant overwhelmed. Ban.Nana.
Theatre Arts, Too Sp’15. Hi Ho…… Jihad is same as Judishhad iThinks.
Dats All for now,Folks….
just in case my other comment from the past doesn’t come up in your inbox I’m about to leave you a holiday gift – a little something down your favourite watering hole something that you and charlie and fuad will happily drink down and i really sorry that I didn’t get you this back in early december but – life!
Oh, I didn’t know you knew Charlie and Fudo :)
sorry turned up late around 11pm
its been a while since i saw them but what’s time
left them my present for you all behind the bar
sorry it was rather late – but I guess its the thought that counts
hope you all love it – oherwise I try and think of something better to give next time
big hugs
Kate
PS You and Glyn pick the nicest pubs – must swing by again sometime
I am wondering should one be arrogant and take a risk or should one be frightened of pride before the fall, I think the former, but its important to recognise that the fall always hurts both you and those who trust you!
Opinions?
soory
Kate
It’s always cool to take a risk. Risk it for a frisket! Package received and transmitted…
thanks – just worried if data is bad although based on current news would suggest that the proposed new top end is actually a dual processor pack of existing top end mobile – it fits with bandwidth and power consumption.
FIGHT thePOWER. Cities All over cut building down to remove elavators. Down to 3 stories.
FIGHT thePOWER, squeak,squeak….
‘Lil ‘ol DRASHEK….