*** A Year of the Save Port Meadow Campaign: Still Here! *** Here’s a summary of what we’ve achieved together in the last year. Thanks for all you’ve done One year ago an article in the Oxford Times about the University’s new accommodation blocks on the edge of Port Meadow provoked a petition, and the Save Port Meadow Campaign was born. Over 3,000 people signed that petition, and a small group came together to see what could be done. The Campaign has now over 1,000 signed-up supporters, Thanks to you, a lot HAS been done. The Port Meadow blocks are complete and about to be occupied, but the Campaign has achieved more in the last year than anyone thought possible. The Save Port Meadow Campaign is still here, still putting the pressure on, still holding the Council and University to account when they expected us simply to go away. And that has only been possible because of You. Over the last year, hundreds of you have written emails to the Council and University, Hundreds of you have turned up at public meetings and demonstrations. Hundreds of you have made donations to the Campaign Appeal. You helped the Port Meadow blocks win Carbuncle Cup Runner-up. You leafleted. You baked cakes. You probably bought the beer. You’ve done a great job so far. Pat yourself on the back for being a Friend of Port Meadow! Our goal remains the same – Undoing the harm to Port Meadow. Since the University and City Council have done nothing yet to put their mistake right, getting the planning permission declared unlawful through Judicial Review is the route we have had to pursue. Below are some highlights of the Campaign so far. It’s a privilege to be involved with you all. Keep it up. Save Port Meadow Campaign Highlights: • Discovered through Freedom of Information Requests o the Council ignored its own Heritage Officer’s warning: “there is no justification for this harm”, and its Archaeology Officer’s advice that English Heritage be consulted. o the Council knew the visual impact on Port Meadow would be worse than they had understood from earlier plans, but did nothing meaningful to intervene. o the University declared on its Planning Application there was no contamination, when they knew there was. The Council didn’t challenge this, knowing there had been contamination on the neighbouring development. • Established that the University and Council had not carried out proper community consultation, by going ourselves to everyone they claimed to have consulted, to check. • Established that the Council failed to enforce conditions placed on the University to carry out a full contamination assessment and remedial work, for 15 months after construction started, when it should have all been done before. • Kept in constant and constructive dialogue with City Councillors, made various representations to the University, Council, and met with Nicola Blackwood MP and Planning Minister Nick Boles. • Launched an application for Judicial Review of the planning decision (done by CPRE Oxfordshire), and won a High Court Oral Hearing set for 23 October • Won an Independent Inquiry into the City Council’s Planning Approval Process for the Port Meadow blocks, with a seat on the Working Group that will receive the report. • Raised the profile of the campaign through local media, social media and the sale of Save Port Meadow beer; and secured embarrassing national media coverage for the University and Council by promoting the Carbuncle Cup competition, in which Port Meadow blocks came second. • £30,000 raised in five months (including Gift Aid) for legal costs. Thanks again for making all that possible. Make a donation: justgiving/portmeadow/
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 08:58:24 +0000