JERICHO ECHO ARTICLE
December 1999
At a packed meeting in the Community Centre café on November 8th, architect Stephanie Brooks and developer Martin Hay of Metropolitan and County presented preliminary drawings. The new vision is for a public square around the Church, with access to the canal, and a cycle and pedestrian bridge that arches over towards the station. The scheme includes some private and student housing, a land-based restaurant for Rosamund the Fair, workshops, a boatyard, and a new Community Centre.
Those present expressed some concern about the housing behind St. Barnabas Street, though of course this had also been part of other developers' schemes for this site. Ted Harris of Combe Road was also worried about the height of the buildings. However, people were generally in favour of what was considered a sensitive scheme rather than a crowded commercial development and recorded a vote of confidence. Fundraising is going to be critical so it was good to have help offered at the meeting. But we still need many more volunteers, young or old, particularly those with skills (fundraising, accounts, youth work) that can take us through the transition from this Centre to the next.
Fortunately British Waterways (BW) is sympathetic to community needs. "The Community Centre is one of the main reasons why we agreed to allow Metropolitan and County the first opportunity to look at the site ahead of the open market," said Stuart Mills, BW's Regional Commercial Manager. The scheme also has strong political support. Labour and Liberal Democrat City Councillors have praised it and local MP Dr. Evan Harris has visited the site and has said that this is "an imaginative scheme which has united St. Barnabas Church, the City Council, local businesses and the Jericho Community Association in a positive vision for the future of the waterside in Jericho."
There are still many hurdles ahead. We have to find the necessary funding and also secure the whole of the site, as well as satisfying BW and local planners. But if we succeed we will get a far better Community Centre - one with a room large enough for community meetings and social events, including wedding receptions. It might also have a dedicated youth club with its own entrance. Groups intending to use the Centre will have the chance to put in their own comments and suggestions.
The Community Association would like the new building to be self supporting. It is therefore planning to build a gym on the site in conjunction with a fitness company with which it will share the profits. Having a gym in use all day would also contribute to the creation of a bustling square. Talks are already underway with Oxford University Press, some of whose staff may be offered membership.
How will all this be paid for? While we hope for lottery money and other external sources, the best prospects are nearer to home: the Church, which owns the existing centre; the City Council, which has already promised some funding; and the developer. We are making great demands on them. But it is in a good cause - a real millennium project for Jericho that will change the urban landscape for the better.
This is a complex development that is aiming to create a public space in an area where land prices are high. The commercial part of the development has to pay for the rest of it and there are pressures to include as many houses as possible. It is vital to get the balance right.
We're grateful to BW for their patience, and to Martin Hay, for his sensitivity and willingness to consult. The plans have now being modified and were presented to the canalside development group on December 15. If BW approves the scheme, fuller public consultation will take place early in the new year.
Author: George Taylor