Bonding over bees

A packed community meeting at St Barnabas School Hall on September 14 heard how JWT trustee David Edwards, a keen apiarist, and David Isaac, the Provost of Worcester College, had first met while taking care of the College's bees. Over the past 18 months, Edwards had suggested the time was right for Worcester to purchase the land.

More than 250 people crowded into the School Hall to hear Worcester’s plans

The news on 21st July that Worcester had indeed bought the site caused a buzz of excitement in Jericho and beyond. There was also satisfaction at the City Council which, following a vigorous campaign by the Jericho Wharf Trust, had in March 2026 committed to a compulsory purchase order for the site if the Hong Kong-based landowner Cheer Team did not either develop or sell up.

David Isaac said that the threat of a CPO made it easier for Worcester to buy the land for a realistic price. The College would use the site for graduate housing.

The Provost also pointed out an historic connection with the Wharf site, since 150 or so years ago the College had sold land to enable the construction of the Canal. This gave the College a “particular responsibility to think carefully about the site's future.”

Lord Isaac said he wanted the site to be “accessible and welcoming to the wider community”. He recognised the aspirations for a community centre, a boat repair facility, and a public piazza. But he was keen to emphasize Worcester is not a rich college and did not sufficient resources to pay for community facilities that are to be built on the northern third of the site.

These ambitions were detailed in a presentation by David Edwards of the JWT. They included a new community centre, a public square and a working boatyard, with the option for new bridge crossing. He illustrated what might be achieved for a boatyard with a video of the community boatyard in Aylesbury.

However, said Edwards, what is needed now is an extensive community consultation to provide realistic up-to-date evidence on people's views on current needs and how they can best be met. It was hoped to complete this early in 2027. Then when the plans were finalized the JWT would be able to embark on fundraising.

The benchmark for assessing the new community proposals will be the scheme prepared by architects Haworth Tompkins which got planning permission in 2016

In the subsequent discussion, it became clear that overall development of the site would take about five years. In the meantime, could the current canalside eyesore be opened for temporary uses? Isaac said that College had almost finished clearing the site but the best it could offer immediately was a new set of hoardings.

For the longer term Lord Isaac said that the key questions was: “What would make you proud of the site in twenty years time”?

A detailed report on the meeting is available on the Jericho Wharf website.