12 OXFORD MAIL, Tuesday, January 14, 2014 oxfordmail.co.uk/news Like us at Follow us OurView University Life facebook.com/oxfordmail @theoxfordmail Secrecy over ‘garden city’ A difficult journey to reach simply invites more concern Brookes’ ‘Promised Land’

HE claims by Liberal Democrat president Tim Farron that Tis identified in a Government report as a site for a huge new “garden city” have drawn plenty of interest. Worryingly, there has not been a lot of definitive comment from the Government. Mr Farron’s statement may be wide of the mark, as he has not apparently seen this report, but it will cause considerable concern nonetheless. It would appear logical that if the county had been earmarked for the potential of a new town, it could well be the mooted 25,000-home development near Steventon and that will lead to worry in that part of the county. But that’s sort of the point: nobody really knows. As an Oxfordshire MP and the man at the very top of Government, could end the speculation once and for all and tell us if Mr Farron was correct or, as county council leader Ian Hudspeth said, is just “scare mongering”. But so far, there has been a deafening silence from the Witney MP. His counterpart in , Ed Vaizey, may well be correct that any plan for a garden city would stand as much chance as the derided proposal for an airport at the same site but, by saying nothing substantive, the Government effectively feeds suspicion that there may indeed be a secret plan. Planning to significantly change the face of Oxfordshire will be damaging enough for the Government, but any whiff of secrecy will make it far worse. HISTORY: Hannah Marsh at Oxford Brookes University looking through its archives Picture: OX64199 Damian Halliwell Death of HMV will MOMENTOUS step in supporters was Professor Kenneth Oxford Brookes’s journey HannahMarsh Wheare – Gladstone Professor of A Government at Oxford University – took place just over 50 be big loss for city years ago. What was then the Hannah is a digital journalist curating and who announced a protest meeting at Oxford College of Technology Oxford’s Town Hall. Writing later, he HE closure of HMV will leave a large saw the doors of its new collating material on the history of Oxford remembered supporters spilling out of hole in the centre of Cornmarket the door as they eagerly crammed in TStreet. buildings at Headington officially Brookes and its predecessor institutions to voice their anger. The music chain has been staggering on opened by HRH the Duke of for a dedicated website to mark its “I had been assured of so much like a wounded beast for over a year now, Edinburgh. support for the proposal in circles the victim of several factors including a Finally, after years of being spread 150th anniversary in 2015 outside the city council that I felt the sea change in how people buy their around the city; in damp basements, city council must be wrong; that it music. borrowed laboratories, cramped had misjudged public opinion,” he And while it is no great surprise that it is classrooms and generously lent “Protests come from Town, Gown conditions. And industry is shocked wrote in John Henry Brookes: closing the doors on that big store in spaces, the college was under one and Overall,” the leader writer that the training, which seemed Craftsman, Educator, Administrator. Cornmarket, it has to be a blow to roof. penned furiously. within the reach of its young recruits, “So, to my own surprise, I found Oxford’s retail scene in general. Guiding spirit John Henry Brookes, “The city deplores the dropping of a should be snatched away.” myself proclaiming that a protest of It may open elsewhere – although that who had seen in many changes since scheme which promised to its sons The council’s own finance the citizens would be organised has not been confirmed yet – but still this being appointed principal of the and daughters advanced technical committee had already noted the against the city council’s decision. School of Art in 1928, later leading is one of the anchor stores of our education under the most plans as a long-term investment, “We called a meeting in the Town the combined Schools of Art, shopping high street. advantageous conditions. balancing the substantial cost against Hall and we had so many supporters Its demise cannot be positive. Commerce and Technology, called “The university condemns it as a the desperate need to improve that the council chamber was filled, the Headington site ‘the Promised blow to the sphere of education Oxford’s technical education the main committee room was also Land’. which has attained paramount services. filled and there was an overflow Ourpolicy But it was no easy journey to reach importance under modern economic But one of the college’s strongest it. The opening was the result of a meeting on the staircase.” hard-fought battle that saw what The LEAVES TAKEN AS SOUVENIRS The plans were brought once more The Oxford Mail is independent of political Oxford Times dubbed, ‘Town, Gown in 1952 and voted through without discussion. parties and Government. We aim to and Overall,’ united in fighting for  AS he planted a commemorative tree, the Duke of provide our readers with a fair, accurate Viscount Nuffield – one of the the new buildings. Edinburgh, right, joked that he lacked green fingers. and balanced news and information College’s first students – laid the Although the land was bought and Sure enough, the tree was soon bare – but not service and adhere to the Press Complaints development schemes approved back foundation stone, over copies of the Commission’s code of practice. through any fault of the Duke. Times, the Oxford Times and Oxford in 1949, when the plans came before Eager visitors stripped the tree of its leaves, If you find an error of fact, please write to Mail, the Education Committee’s Oxford County Council’s planning stealing the tokens as souvenirs. the Editor Simon O’Neill or telephone minutes and the order of committee the following year, they  There was one man who missed the royal opening Deputy Editor Sara Taylor on 01865 proceedings, in 1954 and the were turned down. altogether – city architect Edwin Chandler, who 425404. It is our policy to correct mistakes buildings finally opened officially in where appropriate. The decision scandalised many. But planned the buildings. 1963. If you are dissatisfied with our complaints post-war Britain was still reeling from But he had to miss the main event when he slipped service, you can contact the Press the effects on the economy and over and broke his wrist, missing the Duke’s speech  Have you got a story to share? Complaints Commission at Halton House, divided on whether money should be as he was carted off to hospital in an ambulance. We’re interested in memories and 20/23 High Holborn, EC1N 2JD. ploughed into defence, housing or  The new premises meant that the Oxford College personal reflections from staff, The helpline number is 0845 600 2757. education. of Technology impressed enough to make the list of 29 proposed new students and residents. Contact The Oxford Times roundly polytechnics in 1967, becoming Oxford Polytechnic in 1970. It became Oxford [email protected] or The recycled paper content of UK condemned the decision, reflecting Brookes University in 1992. [email protected] if you’d like newspapers in 2010 was 77.4% the thoughts of plenty. to share your story