Just over a year ago, a campaign was launched by the Jericho Wharf Trust for Oxford City Council to acquire the Jericho Wharf site in Oxford – by agreement or compulsorily – and bring an end to 25 years of dereliction. Since then, the Jericho Wharf Trust has been busy and with many positive results.
The Jericho Wharf Trust is responsible for all aspects of the campaign to develop the Jericho Wharf canalside site in Oxford on behalf of the community.
It has been a year since they launched their campaign advocating for a Compulsory Purchase Order for the Jericho Wharf site. The trusts’ goal is to end 25 years of dereliction and finally provide Jericho with long-promised community facilities, including a working boatyard, and new housing.
Its a disgrace that a city like Oxford, which has a long tradition of canal use and a large boating community has no boat yard, the nearest boatyard on the canal being in Banbury. The journey from Oxford to Banbury on a canal boat typically takes about 14 hours, covering a distance of 42 miles and passing through 25 locks. Although this route is ideal for a leisurely trip through the picturesque countryside. It is not ideal when you need to get maintenance carried out on a canal boat.
To help them achieve their aim and to bring a working boatyard back to Oxford and create a space for boaters and residents and to end the dereliction of a valuable site, which has sat going to ruin over the last 25 years, please sign their petition here.
You can find out more out the campaign and the history of the site here at the Jericho Wharf Trust website, which has heaps of useful information.
An Oxford Mail article with regard to the problems with no boatyard in Oxford on the canal, can be found here.