Crime & Safety
Bertie Park: Oxford development planning battle continues
Oxford City Council is proposing to build 31 affordable homes, with a multi-use games area and children’s play area on New Hinksey Playground in Bertie Place, known locally as Bertie Park.
The authority first made its intentions known in 2019, and the proposals have been subject to a high level of objection since a planning application was submitted in May 2023.
Campaign group Save Bertie Park has been fighting the plans, locals have submitted planning objections, and Thames Valley Police (TVP) has “repeatedly” weighed in with concerns.
Thames Valley Police has expressed fears over the potenital creation of “a hotspot for unauthorised parking” at the park.
The force said this “will be a constant battle for the local authority” if plans are approved.
This comes as New Hinksey was named as one of the areas in Oxford with the least access to green space.
A survey, by MG Timber and Online Marketing Surgery, has ranked the number of postcodes within 900m of a public park, garden or playing fields for different Oxford locations.
North Central Oxford, Churchill, Grandpont, Marston and Iffley Park all joined New Hinksey with the fewest postcodes with close access – each area had just over 100 postcodes near green spaces.
Oxford Central tops the list with 380 postcodes.
There is a city council planning committee meeting on May 26 but the park development is not due to be discussed, and sits as the second-longest-running application on a list of proposals “currently expected to be considered by the committee at future meetings”.
The proposal was made as part of the city council’s aim to build the homes that “local people need”.
The most recent document added to the planning portal for the proposal is a response from TVP, with a back-and-forth of criticism between the force and the planning applicant.
In March, Arcadis Consulting had prepared comments on behalf of Oxford City Council’s housing company, Ox Place, responding to objections to the plans in a report.
It said: “In their response dated December 8, 2025 the Thames Valley Police raised a number of objections to the proposed scheme. It is disappointing that these objections are being made at this stage given that the application has been with the council since May 2023.”
TVP replied that the force “has been liaising with the council and applicants since 2021, and we have repeatedly raised the same concerns”.
This included fears about a new games area, planned within the development.
Police had shared concerns about “a risk of noise having a negative impact on residents, neighbour disturbances and community tension”.
It added: “This space is a very challenging location for development, with no clear solution. ”
A consultee for Thames Valley Police said they understood the wish to retain a youth recreation facility, but that there was no appropriate location to do so if houses were to be built.
The city report responded, saying it had addressed this by proposing the space be “sunk down” from street level and with fencing.
The police consultee came back stating their concerns about “potential for crime and antisocial behaviour, particularly in the evenings and at night” were maintained.
They offered a “possible solution” to add higher fencing to close the facility outside of “legitimate hours of usage”.
Councillor Andrea Powell, who represents Benson and Crowmarsh, was elected to the role on May 14 and will serve for the next 12 months.
She takes over from Katharine Keats-Rohan, having previously served as her vice chair.
Councillor Powell said: “I’m honoured that my peers at South Oxfordshire District Council have elected me as the new Chair.
“I’m really looking forward to the next twelve months, meeting as many residents and community groups as possible, not just the groups that I’m a part of.
“I want to celebrate the remarkable generosity and dedication of our communities and volunteers here in South Oxfordshire.
“I’d also like to say a huge thank you to our latest Chair, Councillor Katharine Keats-Rohan, for her excellent term.
“It was a privilege to serve under her as the Vice Chair.”
Councillor Powell has served as a district councillor since 2019 and has held roles as a cabinet member and Green group leader.
As part of her new role, she has chosen two charities to support during her term: Style Acre, which helps people with learning disabilities and autism, and Cycling Without Age Oxfordshire, which offers free trishaw rides to elderly and vulnerable adults.
To support the charities, she plans to take part in a 66-mile cycle event on Dartmouth on June 20.
The council website offers more information on the duties of the chair.
From Friday, May 22, through Sunday, May 24, the centre will welcome both existing and new visitors by offering a range of free activities, such as gym taster sessions, group exercise classes, and pickleball.
The centre, first opened in 1976, has continued to evolve over the decades to meet the needs of the growing town and its surrounding areas.
Wantage Leisure Centre now covers a variety of activities, from swimming lessons to fitness memberships.
Vale of White Horse District Council announced a £982,000 investment to further improve facilities.
Twenty-eight new employers have committed to paying the 2026/27 Oxford Living Wage rate of £14.06 an hour, which is set to benefit 1,298 additional workers.
Since the wage was announced in November and took effect in April, the total number of accredited employers has risen to 193.
This means more than 32,000 local people will be paid at least £14.06 an hour.
The Oxford Living Wage is set at 95 per cent of the London Living Wage, reflecting the high cost of living in the city.
The new employers who have committed to the Oxford Living Wage are Active Oxfordshire, African Families in the UK (AFiUK), Agile Collective Ltd, ASA Landscape Architects Ltd, Cinderella’s Cleaning Services (Oxford) Limited, Cyclox, Damascus Rose Kitchen, ExamSure, IRL Oxford, Kelpie Coffee, Makespace Oxford, Mortimer Hall Management Committee, Natural Bread Company, OCCA House LTD, Oxford Biomedica UK Limited, Oxford Hospitals Charity, Oxford North, Oxford Professional Education Group, OXPIP, Purcell Architecture Ltd, Refeyn Ltd, Stella’s Cleaning Services Ltd, Sustainable Asset Maintenance Services, Systematic Review Consultants LTD, The Mint House, The Missing Bean Ltd, The Project PT Limited, and Versantus IT Services Limited.
Oxford City Council has encouraged any business based or operating in the city that pays £14.06 or more to all staff to seek accreditation.
An Oxford Living Wage accreditation indicates an employer’s commitment to fair pay, supports recruitment and retention, and can contribute towards environmental, social and governance (ESG), as well as corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives.
The Oxford Living Wage was introduced in 2018 to address Oxford’s long-standing status as one of the UK’s most unaffordable cities.
It is determined annually by Oxford City Council based on the Living Wage Foundation and Resolution Foundation’s research into actual living costs, such as housing, food, and transport.
Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council, said: “Every single Oxford Living Wage employer – new or reaccrediting, big or small – is directly helping to build a fairer city.
“I am delighted that so many have joined the community in the last few months and I hope it inspires others to consider it.
“Together, we’re creating a fairer Oxford, supporting local families and helping boost our local economy.”
Olly Wilkins, marketing director at Missing Bean, added: “We hire people who care: about the coffee, about the customers, and about the community around them.
“We give them the space to make the Cafe their own, and by paying everyone Oxford Living Wage and above, means they have the opportunity to live amongst their communities and be as enthusiastic as we are to keep serving the good stuff, day-in, day-out.”
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