Latest moves on Port Meadow eyesore

Campaigners against the the Oxford University student buildings that block the historic view of the city from Port Meadow are considering taking the matter to court. The ugly buildings which are four or five storeys high seem to have slipped through the planning process. The University claims to have done nothing wrong. The Campaign to Protect Port Meadow believes that planning permission may have been granted illegally. At the the West Area planning committee on February 7, councillors instructed the Head of City to negotiate with the University of Oxford to voluntarily lower the height of the buildings. The Campaign believes that there is now indisputable evidence that Oxford’s public were not made sufficiently aware of the plans when planning permission was being sought. The consultation process was woefully inadequate for a development of such high impact and in so sensitive a location. Even local Councillors have expressed concern that the plans were misleading. The University has offered to try and hide the buildings from Port Meadow by planting tall trees. This issue will be discussed again at the West Area planning meeting on April 17.