Development Controversy
Fresh hostility has broken out between local residents and St John's college over development in North Oxford's Rawlinson Road.
Earlier this month, the College successfully lifted a vehicle ban on the access road to a property currently under construction, despite safety concerns.
The road, which is flanked by high walls under a preservation order, is thought to offer inadequate visibility, a particular issue given the nine schools in the area.
This was confirmed by an independent survey which concluded that "use of the access lane by motor vehicles at any time should be actively discouraged."
Councillor Maureen Christian will be bringing the issue to a higher forum, the Strategic Development Committee, next Wednesday. She told The OxStu she saw "real grounds for concern".
Residents appear united in their opposition to access road use. Rani Lall, mother of a St. John's alumnus and neighbour to the development, is in the process of organising a petition. She has already collected 200 signatures. Talking to The OxStu, Lall criticised "the relentless property development being undergone by St John's college", which is "defacing the face of North Oxford" and "putting children at risk".
Her response is one of confusion, and she believes that: "[the College's] behavior is not that of an institutional charity with historic links to Oxford, but that of a property development company."
This latest development sees a continuation of the intermittent conflict between St. John's and the locality, which flared up recently over the Norham Gardens Tennis Club and the 'eviction' of Martin Jennings, former resident of the house in question.
In October last year, St. John's President Sir Michael Scholar described complaints as "unfair", citing "substantial financial contributions to local comprehensive schools" as examples of the college's benevolence. However, St. John's declined to comment on this latest incident.
20th May 2004