VISIONS No 131, July 2015 Contents

1-2 Chairman’s commentary 3-4 Oxford Futures 5 Planning 6 Transport update 7 Oxford’s flood risk 8 Museum of Oxford news 9 OxClean 10 -11 Programme 12 OCS people / Contacts The gardens at Haseley Court were much admired by members in June. There’s more to enjoy in our autumn programme – see page 11

The slow march of transport planning By Peter Thompson, Chairman

A look back over 45 years of urban environment is the habitat of transport planning in our city and society, and must have qualities which county shows that we are still Road Plan’, which would have seen are agreeable, not ones which make it grappling with many of the same not just the construction of a road unbearable. Places with charm … form issues. Does it have to be like this? across Christ Church Meadow but also oases of order, decency and continuity the demolition of swathes of St … and they become foci which are Recently the County Council has been Clements, Jericho, Grandpont and recognisable in the bewilderment and consulting the public on its new Local parts of Summertown and Wolvercote, anarchy of a civilisation besotted with Transport Plan (LTP4) for the county to accommodate a motorway-style the motor car”. and the city. Prompted by this, I have ‘spine road’ and its connections. been looking back at some of the docu- Despite the infatuation with cars at the ments the Society has produced in the For ‘The Oxford Road Plan 1970’ read time, there was some discussion of past on Oxford’s transport problems. ‘Oxford Transport Strategy 2015’. public transport. One of the schemes They make for sobering reading and a Many of the same questions are still which we urged should be properly strong sense of déjà vu! being asked: ‘Oxford’s choice – homes considered was the development of the or cars?’; ‘The modal split – or ‘existing Oxford – Bletchley railway line In April 1970, our infant Society pub- schemes for public transport’; ‘How to and the existing Cowley Works branch lished Let’s LIVE in Oxford. The aim of keep communities viable’. line’; it has taken 45 years to make pro- the booklet was to publicise and gress on these ideas. motivate opposition to ‘The Oxford In 1970 the Society asserted that: “An

forming oases of decency, order and The OSP, whose membership includes continuity’ mentioned in our 1970 the County and City Councils, local booklet. medical institutions, Thames Valley Police, the major educational establish- Something that emerges both from ments, Oxford Preservation Trust, and these historic accounts of transport business and voluntary organisations planning and from the current pro- has stated aims: posals, is the fundamental difference in philosophy which prevails in European  to provide a clear and ambitious mainland cities. In places like Freiburg, vision for the future of Oxford, the public transport infrastructure is developing its environmental, eco- described as the ‘skeleton’ of the city. nomic and social life in a positive It is regarded as an integral part of the and sustainable way; habitat and has evolved hand-in-hand with the urban development. It is not a  to improve the quality of life of all series of disjointed piecemeal solutions sections of the community, to applied as ‘sticking plaster’ to never- reduce inequalities, and support the ending crises, but a strategic ap- needs and aspirations of citizens in proach, completely integrated with their local areas; development planning. Likewise in the  to foster and promote closer work- Netherlands, the planning authorities ing between local agencies to deliv- have tamed the traffic by prioritising er responsive and high quality ser- cycling and integrating it with every vices across the city. The cover of our 1970 booklet hints at the new housing development and scale of road-widening and building that we transport interchange design. The similarity of these aims with the might have suffered but for campaigns such objectives of our own Society suggest as ours. We are still battling for a more A key consequence of this difference in a natural synergy and, we hope, the strategic approach to planning however. attitude is the completely different ap- interest of the OSP will provide real proach to investment decision-making. impetus to our call for a more strategic Likewise with buses, the most basic A tram line can transform the character approach to planning. I do hope that scheme proposed adding ‘peripheral of a city in ways which accountants are this marks a real turning point in the routes’ linking Summertown and unable to quantify and which buses planning of Oxford’s future. I‘d like to Sandhills, and Botley to Headington, cannot emulate. New urban areas are believe that our Chair 45 years hence but another proposal added ‘limited- conceived around the public transport will be describing Oxfordshire as a stop express routes’. Have the County’s services, not left to the whims of model of how to manage the challeng- current ‘Bus Rapid Transit’ ideas also private developers and the likelihood of es of the 21st century. been 45 years in gestation? a bus route being profitable. Peter Thompson At a time when more enlightened au- Chairman thorities elsewhere were embarking on There is a fundamental difference in designs for tram systems, the 1970 philosophy which prevails in European mainland cities. Public Oxford Road Plan made no mention of them. Perhaps really surprising, how- transport infrastructure is fully inte- ever, is the total absence of any refer- grated with development planning, ence to the possibilities of encouraging not a series of disjointed piecemeal cycling and walking. Maybe here we solutions applied as ‘sticking have made a little progress, though we plaster’ to never-ending crises. still lag far behind other cities.

Of course, things did get better. Partly at least because of the Society’s cam- Our Oxford Futures report published paigns, the ‘Road Plan’ didn’t get built. last year addressed some of these But Mark Barrington-Ward’s fascinating issues and the URBED Garden City booklet Forty Years of Oxford Planning proposals developed some more of the which we published six years ago fills in ideas (see page 3). The common the detail of how close Oxford came to sense of our suggestions may have Forty years of Oxford planning and city-wide vandalism. been slow in being acknowledged, but Let’s LIVE in Oxford can be download- we were delighted to be asked recently A difference in attitude ed from the publications page on our by the Oxford Strategic Partnership to website: We may have averted that disaster, but collaborate in promoting the principles www.oxcivicsoc.org.uk/index.php/publi we seem to be 40 years behind other at a high-level event at Wolfson Col- cations communities in progressing develop- lege, which took place on 29 June. ment of the kind of ‘places of charm,

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Oxford Futures – moving forward

In March 2014 we published Oxford Futures, our most ambitious attempt yet to influence the development of our city region. The author of the report, Nicholas Falk, reflects on the issues facing Oxford and reports on how the report is shaping opinion. In 2013 the Society and I started a series of events called ‘Oxford Futures’ which involved the Academy of Urban- ism and the Royal Society of Arts, the Smith Institute for Enterprise and the Environment and Oxford Brookes Uni- versity. We brought in outside experts, such as Wulf Daseking, the planner who oversaw the transformation of Freiburg, the historic German university city. The Oxford Futures report was the outcome of these seminars. The report argued the case for a more strategic, coordinated approach to plan- ning in the entire region. The ‘Call for Action’ set out eight proposals, including locating developments where cycling and rapid transit systems can reduce reliance on cars and a Commission to look at how to bring the different stake- holders together. The report attracted much interest in the local press and was even featured on the BBC regional news programme. But did it change anything? Dreaming spires and screaming Four possible transit routes to link existing and potential new developments (shown in blue circles) tyres In addressing the Society’s AGM in nurses and researchers are looking had sought to do at Letchworth and March, I reflected on how the city has elsewhere for jobs, unable to afford Welwyn Garden Cities a century ago. the highest house prices in the UK. changed since I was a student at Uni- A workshop organised through the versity College in the 1960s. Then you A garden city for Oxford? Society suggested support could be could still park in the High Street, the car forged if there were benefits for existing Much to our surprise my URBED industry employed over 20,000 workers residents, such as tackling congestion colleague David Rudlin and I were at Cowley and the city functioned as or flooding, as well as protecting envi- short-listed for the 2014 Wolfson part of the industrial Midlands and a ronmentally sensitive areas. In fact a Economics Prize for our submission tourist destination. number of possible sites had been iden- on how to develop garden cities that tified by Oxford City Council, so our Fortunately Oxford pioneered Park and were ‘visionary, viable and popular’. final submission showed how the ideas Ride and modernised its buses as a To win, we needed to show there was might be applied to Oxford. response to its horrendous traffic potential support for enlargement of a problems. But as the city has grown in historic city through genuinely sustain- We proposed a Foundation to take a popularity as a place to live, and the able urban extensions or satellites ‘small bite out of the Green Belt’ (in fact universities have maintained their ele- (as opposed to conventional thinking only about 7% of it, while increasing vated status, the quality of the public of planting the new city away from protection and introducing new ‘green’ realm has fallen behind competing cit- others). Our business plan was based areas), and then plough the uplift in ies. There is not even the money to fix on taking over land at a little over agri- land values (what Ebenezer Howard the potholes and cycling is precarious. cultural values, so that the uplift could called the ‘unearned increment’) back Low paid staff, such as in the hospitals produce much more sustainable (continues on page 4) and shops, have to spend hours com- developments, as Ebenezer Howard muting to work, while young teachers,

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the challenge and the principles we established are achieving recognition. While some District Councils refuse even to discuss Oxford’s Green Belt, there are signs that some local authori- ties are starting to understand the benefits of concentrating new develop- ment in a few well-located sites rather than spreading it thinly around the county’s villages.

Some of the proposed new housing at Barton Park showing the landscaping. Different types of At Barton Park, some of the principles housing will be built to develop a balanced community . See the Barton Park website for more detail: of ‘smart development’ are being put www.bartonparkoxford.com/vision/design-code.aspx into practice, such as good links by cycle and on foot and low-energy hous- (continued from page 3) housing development. We discussed ing to minimise fuel bills and CO2 ideas such as linking rent levels to emissions. into local infrastructure just as has been local incomes rather than local mar- done on mainland Europe. The Founda- Progress may be slow but it is kets, controlling the costs of land, and tion would then act as steward for the being made. The Oxford Futures building in flexibility over the lifetime of public spaces, much as the Oxford initiative shows the value of having a a new development. Preservation Trust already does. lively civic society, able to keep issues There was also support for dealing in the public eye and to work in Tackling jams with trams with empty properties and providing partnership with academics and practi- tioners in the planning and transport Since winning the Wolfson Prize, we more choice for ’empty-nesters’ and fields. If together we can succeed in have pressed on with further events. older people who may find it difficult to establishing the ideas of ‘smart devel- Workshops on transport options and downsize. Among the participants opment’ in the city region, Oxford could then trams drew on comparisons with were housing associations that are rise to new pre-eminence as both the Oxford’s twin city of Grenoble, France’s keen to put some of the proposals into crossroads of England and as a univer- leading ‘science city’. These tapped effect. sity city spearheading the new indus- ongoing research at University College What has changed? tries of the 21st century. London into new forms of tram. Over a year since the publication of Dr Nicholas Falk, shown left, founded My colleague Reg Harman and I Oxford Futures, the Oxford Strategic URBED as a research and consultancy believe that Oxford could be served by Partnership and the County’s Local group 40 years ago. He is currently a modern tramway system of two or Enterprise Partnership have taken up advising the Grosvenor Group on the three lines on the main radial routes Barton Park development. together with upgraded local rail ser- vices. This network, which we call the See www.oxfordfutures.org for the Oxford Metro, would be complemented Oxford Futures report and accounts of by quality bus services offering rapid the other seminars referred to here. transit between outlying towns. The net- Print copies of Oxford Futures can be work would link places such as Kidling- ordered from Liz Grosvenor, 15 Lime ton, Eynsham, Radley and Cowley with Walk, Oxford OX3 7AB price £6.50 for the city centre and major developments members (£10 non-members) such as the Northern Gateway. including p & p. Cheques should be made payable to Oxford Civic Society. Trams have much to offer and a show of hands at the Society’s AGM suggest- For more on the author’s proposals on ed support in principle. Similar conclu- trams see www.tramnews.net sions were reached at a packed meet- ing at Brookes on the green belt organ- ised by the Royal Town Planning Insti- tute and chaired by Professor Danny Dorling. We are now discussing the conclusions with the Local Enterprise Partnership’s Transport group. Housing solutions Another workshop on affordable hous- ing came up with fresh ideas for ensur- ing local people benefit from any new

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A solution to the housing crisis?

On 10 July George Osborne announced sweeping reforms to the planning laws to accelerate house building. Clive Booth discusses some missed opportunities. Should houses be built on the South- fields Golf Course? South Oxfordshire District Council thinks so, as does CPRE. They also believe that many other sites in Oxford should be devel- oped for housing before Oxford City Council even thinks of trespassing on South Oxfordshire’s sacred turf. The battle between the five district councils in Oxfordshire over how many houses should be built across the county will no doubt rage for some time to come, refereed by the planning inspectorate. So it was cheering to read that the Plan- ning Inspector who approved Cherwell Living over the shops is sometimes an option in the suburbs but rarely planned for in city District Council’s local plan has instruct- centres. Are we missing an opportunity? Photo courtesy of Oxford Mail ed the Council to hold discussions with Oxford City Council on building some of discussing the impact of two huge lived and worked in Spain. He the city’s housing on their patch. Is this changes in the retail landscape that are observed that in Spanish cities retail a glimmer of hope that we’re moving currently in prospect and which could and residential accommodation are towards the joined-up planning we so transform the debate on housing: first- closely integrated. Many people live in urgently need? ly, the impact of the explosive and flats located over shops. As a result, It could have been so different universal growth in internet shopping; there are the environmental benefits of and secondly, and closer to home, the greatly reduced shopping journeys for My first reflection on the bureaucratic effect of the huge new Westgate many people and the social benefits struggle among our district councils was Centre development. that town centres remain alive and to consider how different it would have bustling in the evening. been if the report of the 1969 Redcliffe It is hard to believe that in the long run Maud commission had been implement- internet shopping will not greatly “Why”, I asked the senior planning con- ed. They proposed a system of single- reduce the requirement for shop floor sultant, “do we not have this close tier unitary local authorities across space in our towns and cities. This association of retail and residential England (except for the four major must lead to a decline in the need for usages in British cities like Oxford? metropolitan areas). both shop fronts where people tradi- Would not the reduction in demand for tionally browsed and related storage retail space that I have forecast create Oxfordshire would have been a single space. And a development like the a new source of ‘brown field’ sites for unitary authority, arguably able to take a Westgate Centre is potentially a power- residential use?” “Well”, he replied, “in cross-county view of the best locations ful magnet, drawing business away this country we have commercial prop- for housing. We shall of course never from less attractive shopping areas erty developers and we have residen- know whether the decisions of a single across Oxford. tial property developers. They just tier Oxfordshire on the distribution of don’t think about the possibilities of The argument that Westgate will attract housing would have been better. No integrating the two.” Time to knock greatly increased numbers of shoppers doubt they would still have pitted one heads together perhaps Mr Osborne? community against another. to the benefit of all Oxford’s shops does not convince those of us who Shopping for housing have studied the severe constraints on A different line of thought about solu- public and private transport routes in tions to the housing problem arose in a the city centre to which the transport chance conversation at one of our planners seem to have no answer! events with a senior partner of a large This brought to mind another conversa- private planning consultancy. We were tion with a Society member who had

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Transport – squaring up to the future

Andrew Pritchard updates us on the the possibility of a relief road to help car-dependent, as no plans exist for wide-ranging interests of the carry traffic from the west to the centre public transport to serve the site. Transport Group. of Oxford. Such a road, carried over the river and the railway from Osney On the railways It must seem that 2015 is the year of the Mead to the Oxpens, would help to sloth as far as transport matters are News on the railway front is mixed. We improve access to the new Westgate concerned. Although switching off and were delighted to welcome Graham development and might also serve the removing the traffic lights in Frideswide Cross of Chiltern Railways to the Presi- Seacourt Park and Ride site and the Square initially appeared to ease the dent’s reception, where we learned that various retail outlets off Botley Road. traffic flow, as work got under way to Chiltern are confident that Evergreen 3 reconfigure the square, delays began to With proposals for conversion of part trains will start to run from Oxford build up along the Botley Road and of Broad Street to a ‘piazza’ we felt Parkway to London Marylebone in Beaumont Street. that turning off the traffic lights at October, only a month later than Parks Road and Longwall Street was planned. We are still concerned about The ability of blockages in one place to the poor access to the Water Eaton site overdue. spread congestion throughout Oxford from North Oxford by foot and cycle, was further demonstrated when part of Local transport strategy and from the Northern Gateway site. the Cumnor Hill Bypass subsided and had to be rebuilt in the spring, and after We understand that there are unlikely Network Rail has at last admitted that a major fire at the Randolph Hotel. to be significant changes to the Local electrification of the Great Western Transport Plan before public consulta- main line is far behind schedule. The The situation along the Botley Road has tion. However, there is likely to be no start of all-electric services to Oxford got so bad that the buses are losing guidance about the upgrading of the has been put back from December custom – it is quicker to cycle. The num- A34, the proposed new ring of Park 2016 to May 2017 but there have also ber 4A service has had its frequency and Ride sites, the Science Transit, been ominous suggestions that electrifi- reduced from three to two per hour dur- the possible introduction of trams and cation from Didcot to Oxford and Read- ing the day, removing any suggestion a workplace parking levy. We feel that ing to Newbury may be further delayed that it might be a ‘turn-up-and-go’ ser- insufficient attention has been paid to to allow Network Rail to concentrate on vice. We are about to see what further the potential of the central Oxford re- the main line to Bristol. This might also congestion can be caused when works gion to contribute to the national econ- allow planning for four-tracking from are done on the Wolvercote and omy, which will be hindered by the Oxford to Didcot, a view supported by Cutteslowe roundabouts. extent of commuting: 50% commute the Chair of the Oxford LEP, and which out and 90% of this is by car. would seem an obvious basis for the Of relief roads and piazzas proposed Science Transit. We are also concerned that the phas- Oxford University is proposing to carry ing of development of the Northern Meanwhile Oxford University sought the out major developments at the Osney Gateway site may lead to it becoming Society’s support for a high-quality Mead Estate, which led us to suggest bus-based service between key sites, particularly Harwell, with WiFi installed to help passengers work while they travel. We cautiously supported this, but only as an interim measure. We favour better links with rail services in the longer term. The railway station Discussion with the Director of Network Rail’s Great Western Route, Patrick Hallgate, suggested that the details of Oxford’s new station are far from agreed and that the City’s aspiration for a world-class building was not matched by the necessary funding. In April Mr Hallgate is to move abroad to work, which is not encouraging for continuity.

Work continues on Frideswide Square

Photo courtesy of Oxford Mail

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Seeking solutions to Oxford’s flood risk

Oxford Flood Alliance, formed after the disastrous summer floods of 2007, is a community group that campaigns and works to reduce flooding in the city. The group’s Chair, Dr Peter Rawcliffe, explains their thinking. Oxford sits, unhappily in this context, at the confluence of seven rivers, with a combined catchment of over 2,500 km2. It’s no surprise then that flooding poses a problem for the city already and one which climate change will probably make worse. Every flood brings person- al distress, damage to property, loss of business, disruption of road and rail Botley Road in January 2014. Floods closed the Botley Road and Abingdon Road for transport, public services, hospitals, days leaving the city with severely restricted access Photo courtesy of Jane Buekett universities and schools. The economic and reputational damage to the city is Can we hold back the waters before to the present meadow level, to take considerable. they reach Oxford? Recently we organ- flood waters. Such a channel will look Extreme weather ised a symposium in conjunction with natural, the gentle slopes can be the Environmental Change Institute. grazed and it should enhance, not It is increasingly clear that our climate is The expert view was that upstream diminish, habitat and biodiversity. changing and the scientific consensus measures to retard flood flows could Short sections may be heavily engi- is that extreme weather will become not provide an effective alternative to a neered, for example through a landfill commoner. ‘Flood return periods’ based local scheme. on the historical record have been a site at Redbridge (should that be on convenient way to express the magni- Even in the extreme hypothetical case the route decided on) to avoid contami- tude of a flood: a ‘1 in 100’ flood is one of afforesting the entire Cotswold nation issues. so big that it would only be expected to catchment area, peak flows would be The flood plain will continue to flood occur on average once in 100 years. reduced by only 10-15%. Bulk storage but not so deeply. This may allow The 2007 flood is estimated at around 1 of water upstream would require (as a better use of some existing developed in 50 (years), the 2012 and 2013/14 stand-alone scheme to reduce flood areas, such as Osney Mead, but is floods of the order of 1 in 30 – but Ox- risk usefully) the storage of about 50 unlikely to open up new areas for ford has flooded six times since 2000. million m3 of water – an area the size development. One hopes, incidentally, of Oxford one metre deep. Cost and that planners will take account of prob- This way of expressing the magnitude environmental impact means this able climate change in making deci- of floods may have to be abandoned: would not be a viable stand-alone sions that might affect future flood risk. using DEFRA climate change guide- option. Both upstream storage and/or lines, the rather ominous prediction for slowing flow could however be used in Pushing the risk downstream? Oxford is that a 1 in 1,000 year (sic) the future to complement a flood relief flood in 2014 will become a 1 in 30 channel to counter increasing risk from Some critics have argued that the year event by the 2080s. climate change. flood relief channel will simply dump Oxford’s problem on Abingdon. In our In the face of such challenge should we Channeling the problem view a scheme that makes things muddle on as we are, firefighting every worse for our neighbours is not new flood, or adopt strategies to reduce By the time this article appears there acceptable – and it would not get the problem? If the latter, then there will have been a series of public planning permission in any case. As seems to us to be no alternative to the consultation meetings on OFAS. These the Environment Agency has said multi-partner Oxford Flood Alleviation will have set out the main elements of (January 2015): “In order for the Scheme (OFAS) which would involve the scheme: a two-stage channel run- scheme to obtain planning permission providing a new channel to take excess ning to the west of the city from the from the local planning authority it will water away from built-up areas. Botley Road to Sandford-on-Thames. need to demonstrate, through a Taming the waters upstream? The channel will not be concrete but detailed flood risk assessment, that it will be dug into the soil. Unlike a ditch it does not increase risk to other OFAS is a locally implemented scheme. will have a wide gradual slope, from communities”. People have suggested that measures the permanent stream at the bottom up (continues page 8) taken upstream might be an alternative.

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Looking to the future at the Museum of Oxford

Big plans are in the making at the Originally at the forefront of museum Join the Friends group Museum of Oxford, as Tony Joyce presentation, it was by 2008 showing To support this initiative, the Museum of reports. serious signs of age and it was only by a vigorous protest, spearheaded by Oxford Friends has just been launched. 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the the Society, that its closure was avoid- The aims are to: establishment of the Museum of Oxford ed in the city’s spending cuts at that in the Town Hall. At that time, the move  promote understanding and time. of the city’s Central Library into new appreciation of the Museum premises attached to the Westgate What followed is I hope familiar to  encourage the involvement of Centre provided the space in which a members. The Museum’s function was Friends, volunteers and other indi- museum could be housed, and it redefined with increased emphasis on viduals to use their skills and exper- became the only museum in Oxford to its significance to the Oxford communi- tise to enhance and promote the display the history of the development ty, while a grant from the Heritage Museum within the local community of the city, and indeed of the university. Lottery Fund enabled it to implement and beyond the first taster phase of a revitalised museum. The eventual aim is to pre-  assist in raising funds for special sent the full range of the collection in a projects, such as purchasing arte- way that illustrates more than 1,000 facts for display years of the city’s growth and the de-  support the Museum of Oxford velopment and character of its com- Services in their ‘outreach’ activities munities. The original space has been in the local communities retained, temporarily modified for occasional displays and other events.  develop partnerships with local com- munities and organisations to en- Since 2008 the continuance of the gage their support in helping with Museum’s work has been nurtured by the development of the Museum. a dedicated team of volunteers, includ- ing many members of the Society, and Friends will enjoy a range of benefits for we all owe them much gratitude. a modest subscription. Further infor- mation is available from The Museum now needs to take a [email protected] or major step to complete its transfor- by phone 07955 188279. mation with its new more community- Leader of the City Council, Bob Price, oriented function and presentation. A speaking at the launch of the Friends group new Heritage Lottery Fund grant appli- cation is due to be submitted soon. Photo courtesy of MOOF

(Continued from page 7) The cost of the OFAS scheme is, of While we await detailed hydrological course, immense (in the order of £125 modelling, it is worth saying that the million) but flooding already costs amount of water passing Oxford will not Oxford dear. We can’t afford to do change. The proposed solution would nothing. Oxford will need protection if provide additional capacity to pass flood it is to continue to thrive. We support water through the western floodplain, OFAS in principle because we see no keeping water moving rather than other way to keep Oxford freer of accumulating. floods now and, as far as possible, into the future. Arguably water might arrive earlier downstream but not more overall. Of For more information see oxford- course peaks matter: if there were to be floodalliance.org.uk/ or contact a concrete channel here passing on [email protected], large volumes very fast that would phone 01865 735288 cause problems downstream, but that is not the plan. The OFAS solution is a much more natural scheme, allowing flooding in the floodplain when neces- sary but protecting built-up areas, roads Cartoon courtesy of the author and railway lines.

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OxClean – the work goes on

Now in its ninth year, our OxClean Spring Clean in March brought out the best in local residents, as the OxClean team reports. Over 70 community groups organised two-hour litter picks across the city, rep- resenting residents’ associations, clubs, student groups, cyclists, environmental groups, scouts and many more. A num- ber of individuals joined in to clear up their patch or a grot spot. Almost every state primary and second- ary school also got involved, helping to clear up near the school and taking part in litter-themed work in the classroom. The event was launched at Windmill Primary School where the school’s work impressed us all greatly. In addition to clearing the streets, volun- teers tackled a number of other public places – car parks, stretches of the ring road, recreation grounds, allotments, nature reserves, even roundabouts.

Over seven tonnes of litter, including Pupils from Headington School cleaned up Sandfield and Staunton Roads three tonnes of recyclables was col- Photo courtesy of Tony Turton lected by community groups plus a fur- ther large quantity of scrap and fly tip. We can’t measure the enjoyment that Could you get involved? Over the years we have placed 300 people get from Spring Cleans – we litter pickers with community groups for can only report that we get many com- The success of our work depends on their use. This year an additional 500 ments on these lines, often from having a team of people prepared to litter pickers were in use over the people who thought litter picking might tackle one small bit of the OxClean weekend – often going out more than be a chore and were surprised to find it jigsaw. We need more people to: once over the course of the day! Thank was fun!  register local groups when they you to everyone who supported us. The event certainly did some good for apply to take part in the Spring one boy whose mother emailed us to Clean – January and February only Save the date: report he had achieved his Duke of  inspect school grounds and Spring Clean 2016 will be on Edinburgh award, partly on the basis recommend awards – annual visits 4, 5 and 6 March of his Spring Clean activities! to a few school premises And the rest of the year…  join the campaigners to talk to local councils Does it do any good? OxClean is a year-round activity. We are constantly lobbying local authorities  work directly in schools to get Anecdotally we know we’re making a to make improvements. For example children on side big difference to the city. Volunteers we have persuaded local councils to have cleaned up areas that have been install more bins in lay-bys, to experi-  work with the local press and media neglected for decades – and they have ment with ’smart bins’, to improve the to get the message out – especial- not reverted to their original state. handling of trade waste and encourage ly in the run-up to Spring Cleans. We believe we’re making a difference to street traders to do more, including the You’ll find we’re a friendly lot to work attitudes, starting with children and use of recyclable packaging. with! Do contact us if you’d like to dis- young people who are key to the future. We have no doubt that the Councils‘ cuss the options – phone 075 05 756 We still have a long way to go to get game has improved as a result of our 692 or email [email protected] across the anti-litter message to them, work and are delighted that Oxford City but take the view we have to start Council is very much behind the somewhere. ’Cleaner, Greener Oxford’ campaign.

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Booking form: Autumn ticketed events Programme calendar Closing date for applications: Friday 14 August. Please enclose: ‘cut out and keep’ 1 cheque/s payable to Oxford Civic Society, one for each event September – November 2015 2 one stamped, addressed envelope for all tickets *ticketed events Member’s name .……………………………………………………………………….

BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE Tuesday 1 September * 10.30am 2nd member’s name (if applicable)………………………………………………………………. Weds 16 September * 10.30am Abingdon: a walk through history Address …………………………………………………………………………………………….. with Michael Matthews ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Sunday 6 September * 2.15pm Postcode ……………………...... Oxford’s Central Mosque, a tour and Telephone ……………………………... talk

Email ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. Tuesday 22 September * 1.45pm St Hugh’s College and the China Centre, a tour with Mary Clapinson

Event No. of Amount Sunday 4 October 2pm tickets enclosed Thursday 8 October 2pm For events on more than one date, please delete any dates you can’t do Grandpont, a walk with Liz Woolley and indicate your preferred date/s Thursday 22 October 7.30 for 8pm Abingdon: a walk through history …..@£5 ‘Aesthetic crime’: architectural Tuesday 1 September, 10.30am controversies of 20th century Wednesday 16 September, 10.30am Oxford, a talk by William Whyte at Magdalen College Auditorium Oxford’s Central Mosque: a tour ….@£5 Tuesday 17 November 7.30 for 8pm Sunday 6 September, 2.15pm The Ashmolean past, present and future, a talk by Alexander Sturgis at St Hugh’s College and China Centre tour …..@£8 Magdalen College Auditorium Tuesday 22 September, 1.45pm

Grandpont: a walk …..@£5 Sunday 4 October, 2pm Thursday 8 October, 2pm *Contact for booking/tickets only: Alan Hobbs, 66 Southfield Road Oxford OX4 1PA Tel: 01865 248 105

Note: Tickets are allocated soon after the closing date but if you miss it, it’s always worth asking if there are places left. Cheques are banked three weeks If, at the last moment, you can’t after ticket issue; after that no refunds can be given. attend, please phone Alan Hobbs – someone will be pleased to take Send this completed form to: your place Alan Hobbs 66 Southfield Road Oxford OX4 1PA

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Programme September – November 2015

Open talks – all welcome No pre-booking, free to members. Help us to recruit new members by bringing a guest to one lecture free £4 for other non-members

‘Aesthetic crime’: architectural controversies The Ashmolean past, present and future in 20th century Oxford Tuesday 17 November Thursday 22 October Magdalen College Auditorium, Longwall Street † Magdalen College Auditorium, Longwall Street † Coffee/tea 7.30pm, talk 8pm Coffee/tea 7.30pm, talk 8pm Dr Alexander Sturgis became Director of the Ashmolean Oxford is home to some of Britain’s most loved buildings but Museum in October 2014 having had a distinguished career the 20th century also saw the city gain many that were as Director of the Holburne Museum, Bath, since 2005. much less popular. Some of these have remained disliked, There he oversaw a renovation that included a £13 million others seem to have grown on inhabitants and tourists alike. extension. In this talk he will discuss the recent transfor- This talk by Professor William Whyte will explore the mation of the Ashmolean and its impact on the Museum’s mixed legacy of Oxford’s 20th century architecture, discuss- popularity and collections and the challenges for the future. ing bitter controversies about things built, unbuilt, and – in some cases – now unrecognisable. † Wheelchair - accessible venue

Members-only walks and visits Tickets needed for these events: bookings by 14 August

Abingdon: a walk through 1,300 years of St Hugh’s College and the new China Centre history Tuesday 22 September, 1.45pm for tea/coffee Tuesday 1 September, 10.30am Wednesday 16 September 10.30am Officially opened in 2014, the magnificent China Centre in the grounds of St Hugh’s College is a joint venture between Abingdon, one of the most charming towns in the Thames the College and the University. It will be one of the high- Valley, is also one of the most historic. Though little lights of this tour of the college, introduced by Emeritus survives of the great Abbey Church of St Mary, it has a Fellow Mary Clapinson wealth of medieval and later buildings. This walk, led by assisted by Amanda local historian Michael Matthews, will include visits to St Ingram, the College Helen’s and St Nicholas’s churches, the Long Alley Alms- Archivist. Our tour of houses and Hall (1446) to hear about Christ’s Hospital the college will include (1553), some notable houses in St Helen’s Street, the the hall, library, chapel Unicorn Theatre in the former Checker Hall and much else. and the beautiful The tour will finish with refreshments in the Long Gallery. gardens. Oxford’s Central Mosque Grandpont: of fords, follies and football Sunday 6 September, 2.15pm Sunday 4 October, 2pm Thursday 8 October, 2pm The Mosque, the largest in Oxford, is being opened specially for our visit. We The Victorian suburb of Grandpont gives few clues to the will be shown how various areas of the riches of its history. Located next to the medieval causeway Mosque are used, following which the across the marshes to the south of the city, it became the Imam will give a short address on the home of Oxford’s first railway station, waterworks and foot- Muslim faith. The visit will end with light ball ground. Local historian Liz Woolley will lead this walk, refreshments. Please note there is little taking in the eccentric buildings on Folly Bridge and ending parking in the area, all visitors need to at the Community Centre in Lake Street. remove their shoes on entering and ladies must wear a light hair covering.

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OCS people Contact us/who’s who

An award for Liz Grosvenor Oxford Civic Society 67 Cunliffe Close, OX2 7BJ We were delighted when our Membership Secretary, Liz 075 05 756 692 Grosvenor, was awarded a [email protected] Certificate of Honour by the Lord Mayor in recognition of her work oxcivicsoc.org.uk | oxclean.org.uk | oxstreets.org.uk for the city. Liz, who was nomi- nated by the Society and Head- President: Sir Hugo Brunner ington Action, not only manages Vice-President: Tony Joyce our membership she also plays Chairman: Peter Thompson a key role in the OxClean team. 85 Lonsdale Road, OX2 7ET (558 616) Liz is pictured here with Patrick [email protected] Coulter, the Chair of Headington Action. Congratulations from us Vice-Chairman: Sir Clive Booth all Liz! 43 St John Street, OX1 2LH (557 762) New members meet the President [email protected] On a fine June evening over 60 people enjoyed the convivi- Hon Secretary: Vernon Porter al surroundings of the historic Judge’s Lodging in St Giles, 67 Cunliffe Close, OX2 7BJ (557 660) courtesy of St John’s College . This annual summer event, [email protected] hosted by our President, Sir Hugo Brunner, gives new members an opportunity to meet the President, Committee and working group members. Hon Treasurer: Richard Dodd 81 Five Mile Drive, OX2 8HN (512 607) We also invited councillors, council officers, corporate [email protected] members and others with whom we work. Sir Hugo and our Chairman, Peter Thompson, spoke about our role. Membership Secretary: Liz Grosvenor 15 Lime Walk, OX3 7AB (765 453) [email protected]

Newsletter Editor: Hilary Bradley 24 Beaumont Road, OX3 8JN (762 418) [email protected]

Oxford Streets for People Co-ordinator: Richard Bradley 24 Beaumont Road, OX3 8JN (762 418) [email protected]

Programme Group Convenor: Terry Bremble Chapel House, 11 Cothill, Oxon OX13 6JN (390 489) [email protected]

Transport Group Convenor: Andrew Pritchard 33 Laburnum Road, North Hinksey, OX2 9EL (240 014) [email protected]

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