MY JERICHO


Jericho Community Boatyard

Our dreams for the Jericho Wharf boatyard

This meeting was held on February 13, 2019

Jericho residents talking to Bruce Heagarty, a trustee of the Jericho Wharf Trust and a director of Jericho Community Boatyard, over a wooden model of the proposed development

At the ‘My Jericho’ talk on Feb 13th, Bruce Heagarty recalled with emotion the day in 2005 when he and fellow-boaters took direct action to assert the right to maintain and repair their boats locally. ‘We had been squatting on the site of the old closed-down Jericho boatyard for a year or so. One day, we had 100-strong meeting of our Community Boatyard organisation, and decided to make a last-ditch protest against eviction. We would crane boats out of the canal onto the wharf to show what we were about.

‘It was a really exciting day. This 70-ton crane squeezing into the yard, in the midst of police and officials protesting, noise and uproar, and the tv cameras rolling. We managed to lift eight or nine boats out, then worked on them to show what was involved in maintaining our boats and why we needed a boatyard.’ They were part of a countrywide movement against loss of boatyards and facilities to serve canal boat users and residents. From this stretch of canal, the nearest alternative boatyard was – and is – several miles away at Eynsham, which makes it inaccessible to many locals.

This 2005 protest was covered on all TV channels and made a great impact among the boating community nationwide. Clearly, the elation of the moment also made a lasting impact on Bruce and his fellow-protesters, because 13 years on they are still as strongly united around the need for a community boatyard as ever.

This need was officially endorsed back in 2005 by the Planning Inspector. As a result, the requirement for a Community Boatyard, as well as for a new Community Centre, have been established as integral to any redevelopment of the land previously owned by British Waterways next to St Barnabas Church and along the Canal. These two mandated components have unintentionally become twin thorns in the planning application process, leading to delays, refusals, project plan collapses and postponements in the redevelopment of the site. Developers tend to underestimate the cast-iron commitment of community and Council to them, and overestimate their potential profits as a result.

JCBY directors Ali Bastin and Mark Davies had started the meeting with a broad historical sweep - showing how since the 1790s the canal had been integral to the development of Oxford and had helped shaped local industry, as well as the diversecommunity. Indeed at the time of the boaters’ eye-catching protest other local groups were, from their respective viewpoints, also already pressing for community interests to be served in any major development. And and as time went on these groups joined forces so as to present a common front. In 2012, the Jericho Community Boatyard (JCBY) organisation along with the Jericho Living Heritage Trust, the Church and the Jericho Community Association created the Jericho Wharf Trust. ‘Working alongside others has made all the difference’, according to Heagarty.

Flanked by Alistair Bastin and Steve Watts, both directors of the JCBY, Bruce Heagarty described boaters in general as an unruly lot. The difficulties of negotiation with developers and Council officials require infinite patience and dedication to detail. ‘We could not have gone through all the plans and statistics and understood all the political nuances without the help of Jericho Wharf Trust board members such as Phyllis [Starkey], David [Feeny] and Peter [Stalker], he told ‘My Jericho’ Chairman John Mair and a packed Community Centre audience – including many Wharf trustees.

The plans for the boatyard in the current application – a new application is in the works after a two-year period of silence and stalling by the current owners of the site – will provide two dry docks and one wet dock. This avoids the need for a crane, since boaters can work on their boats’ nether regions in the dry docks. Other facilities include professional management as well as DIY facilities, bunks where boaters using the yard can sleep, and on-site workshops for carpenters and others. ‘This will be like boaters having a garden shed in which to pursue hobbies or spare-time jobs.’

John Mair referred to a recent Oxford Mail story which suggested that work might already be underway by the summer. Cold water was widely poured on this possibility by knowledgeable audience members. Not only is there a planning application process to go through, but many other negotiation and preparatory hoops, even if the application succeeds. Inevitably, discussion began to focus on the feasibility and profitability of the entire enterprise. One of many unanswerables is whether the developer might succeed in reducing the amount of affordable housing he has to provide below the usual 50%, on the basis that he is being obliged to provide two important Community facilities.

Much needs to happen before the green light shines and the construction of any part of the Community Centre or Boatyard can begin. Right now it is still a case of Dream on, or alternatively row, row, row your boat gently down the stream … At the end of a lively debate everyone pored over the wooden model of the last redevelopment proposal, or was it the one before? Meanwhile if anyone wants to lend support by joining the JCBY, please apply, you would be more than welcome.

Further information from:
Jericho Wharf Trust

Report by: Maggie Black

Steve Watts, Bruce Heagarty and Ali Bastin, directors of Jericho Community Boatyard


My Jericho offers a series of independent events organized by Jericho resident John Mair. Many are at at St Barnabas. Others are streamed on YouTube.

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You can book on the My Jericho website

Forthcoming meetings

Date Venue

Previous meetings

21-11-24What is happening in the boatyard
19-10-24Oktoberfest24
28-09-24A philosophical walk in Jericho
26-09-24E-scooters/e-bikes: blessing or curse
16-09-24Coffee with the cops
18-07-24SOMERVILLE COLLEGE PRINCIPAL’S GARDEN PARTY
29-06-24Lazy Saturday
27-06-24General Election Hustings
21-06-24TOUR OF THE RADCLIFFE OBSERVATORY
20-06-24My Faith
13-06-24Worcester College Summer Garden Tour
06-06-24WHY WE NEED SCIENCE
20-05-24The real Keir Starmer
25-04-24Local Elections Question Time
20-04-24Lazy Saturday
12-03-24Iris Murdoch: the latest
07-03-24Being a vicar in a strange world
08-02-24Oxford traffic; dream or nightmare?
06-02-24My favourite Jericho building
18-01-24Will Wyatt
11-01-24Chris Andrews
30-11-23St John’ Oxfords Wealthiest College
23-11-23Why are our railways in such a mess?
26-10-23The Inklings and Greater Jericho
10-10-23Helen Salisbury and Karl Marlow
05-10-23Jan Royall
28-09-23Peter Hitchens and Danny Dorling
19-09-23Irene Tracey
07-09-23Cara Hunter
22-06-23Professor Dame Sue Black
15-06-23Call my uber agent!
08-06-23Chief Superintendant Katy Barrow-Gint
25-05-23Paul Mayhew Archer
14-05-23Community garden party
25-04-23Ted Sandback of the Oxford Cafe
04-04-23Mark Thompson
29-03-23Iris Murdoch walk
04-03-23Morsefest
23-02-23Meet David Isaac
02-02-23Meet the local police
26-01-23St Pauls House virtual tour
05-01-23Meet the City Council Leader
14-12-22Penthouse supper with Bernard Clark
17-11-22Car wars
16-11-22Somerville tour
03-11-22Lucy’s - past present and future
01-11-22 Jericho Oxford Book
20-10-22Remember the Radcliffe Infirmary
06-10-22Shaking Skeletons
05-10-22Autumn Wine and Cheese party.
28-09-22Iris Murdoch Walk
28-09-22Question Time
25-09-22Octoberfest
14-09-22Autumn Worcester College Walk
08-09-22Jesus shows the way
01-09-22PD James Health Walk
31-07-22Lazy Sunday
25-07-22Neighbourhood Watch
20-07-22My Jericho summer garden party.
13-07-22ThirdTour of Worcester College Gardens with Simon Bagnall.
13-07-22Philip Pullman Health Walk with Mark Davies
09-07-22Launch of book Reporting the War in Ukraine,
04-07-22Neighbourhood Watch
30-06-22Worcester College Gardens with Simon Bagnall.
22-06-22Bedford House
22-06-22Morse Health Walk
03-06-22Rona Painting
12-05-22Michael Crick
11-05-22Rona Painting
05-05-22John Simpson
28-04-22Gina Miller
20-04-22Visit to OUP Museum
20-04-22The Lucy Story
13-04-22Question Time
02-03-22Question time
09-02-22Sir Philip Pullman
26-01-22Question time
24-11-21Question Time
10-11-21John Humphreys
21-10-21Layla Moran MP
20-10-21Cara Hunter
13-10-21Morse and Lewis
06-10-21Hannah Yeadon
29-09-21Question time
22-09-21Jericho Book Club
15-09-21Professor Jim Naismith
20-07-21Peter Taylor
30-06-21Lewis Carroll in Oxford
16-06-21Oxford Food Banks and Jericho Parish Larder
09-06-21Meet the New Local Sergeant
26-05-21Wilding Wine Bar
12-05-21Little Clarendon Street
29-04-21Walton Street decision day
28-04-21Hustings for the local elections
14-04-21Prof Danny Dorling. Oxford University
24-03-21’What is happening with the Jericho Boatyard?’ 
17-03-21The low traffic neighbourhood
11-03-21Tribute to Sir Harold Evans
10-03-21Professor Sir Richard Peto
03-03-21Barnabas Church-at the heart of the community.

Visits

Previous events

Speaker meetings

21-11-24What is happening in the boatyard
19-10-24Oktoberfest24
28-09-24A philosophical walk in Jericho
26-09-24E-scooters/e-bikes: blessing or curse
16-09-24Coffee with the cops
18-07-24SOMERVILLE COLLEGE PRINCIPAL’S GARDEN PARTY
29-06-24Lazy Saturday
27-06-24General Election Hustings
21-06-24TOUR OF THE RADCLIFFE OBSERVATORY
20-06-24My Faith
13-06-24Worcester College Summer Garden Tour
06-06-24WHY WE NEED SCIENCE
20-05-24The real Keir Starmer
25-04-24Local Elections Question Time
20-04-24Lazy Saturday
12-03-24Iris Murdoch: the latest
07-03-24Being a vicar in a strange world
08-02-24Oxford traffic; dream or nightmare?
06-02-24My favourite Jericho building
18-01-24Will Wyatt
11-01-24Chris Andrews
30-11-23St John’ Oxfords Wealthiest College
23-11-23Why are our railways in such a mess?
26-10-23The Inklings and Greater Jericho
10-10-23Helen Salisbury and Karl Marlow
05-10-23Jan Royall
28-09-23Peter Hitchens and Danny Dorling
19-09-23Irene Tracey
07-09-23Cara Hunter
22-06-23Professor Dame Sue Black
15-06-23Call my uber agent!
08-06-23Chief Superintendant Katy Barrow-Gint
25-05-23Paul Mayhew Archer
14-05-23Community garden party
25-04-23Ted Sandback of the Oxford Cafe
04-04-23Mark Thompson
29-03-23Iris Murdoch walk
04-03-23Morsefest
23-02-23Meet David Isaac
02-02-23Meet the local police
26-01-23St Pauls House virtual tour
05-01-23Meet the City Council Leader
14-12-22Penthouse supper with Bernard Clark
17-11-22Car wars
16-11-22Somerville tour
03-11-22Lucy’s - past present and future
01-11-22 Jericho Oxford Book
20-10-22Remember the Radcliffe Infirmary
06-10-22Shaking Skeletons
05-10-22Autumn Wine and Cheese party.
28-09-22Iris Murdoch Walk
28-09-22Question Time
25-09-22Octoberfest
14-09-22Autumn Worcester College Walk
08-09-22Jesus shows the way
01-09-22PD James Health Walk
31-07-22Lazy Sunday
25-07-22Neighbourhood Watch
20-07-22My Jericho summer garden party.
13-07-22ThirdTour of Worcester College Gardens with Simon Bagnall.
13-07-22Philip Pullman Health Walk with Mark Davies
09-07-22Launch of book Reporting the War in Ukraine,
04-07-22Neighbourhood Watch
30-06-22Worcester College Gardens with Simon Bagnall.
22-06-22Bedford House
22-06-22Morse Health Walk
03-06-22Rona Painting
12-05-22Michael Crick
11-05-22Rona Painting
05-05-22John Simpson
28-04-22Gina Miller
20-04-22Visit to OUP Museum
20-04-22The Lucy Story
13-04-22Question Time
02-03-22Question time
09-02-22Sir Philip Pullman
26-01-22Question time
24-11-21Question Time
10-11-21John Humphreys
21-10-21Layla Moran MP
20-10-21Cara Hunter
13-10-21Morse and Lewis
06-10-21Hannah Yeadon
29-09-21Question time
22-09-21Jericho Book Club
15-09-21Professor Jim Naismith
20-07-21Peter Taylor
30-06-21Lewis Carroll in Oxford
16-06-21Oxford Food Banks and Jericho Parish Larder
09-06-21Meet the New Local Sergeant
26-05-21Wilding Wine Bar
12-05-21Little Clarendon Street
29-04-21Walton Street decision day
28-04-21Hustings for the local elections
14-04-21Prof Danny Dorling. Oxford University
24-03-21’What is happening with the Jericho Boatyard?’ 
17-03-21The low traffic neighbourhood
11-03-21Tribute to Sir Harold Evans
10-03-21Professor Sir Richard Peto
03-03-21Barnabas Church-at the heart of the community.

Visits