Warneford Meadow

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Two wooden posts in Warneford Meadow.

Warneford Meadow is an area of 20 acres of natural grassland immediately south-east of the Warneford Hospital, in Headington, East Oxford, England. The Warneford Meadow is one of the few remaining wild spaces within urban Oxford, and is appreciated by the local community for its biodiversity and tranquillity. The area has been used by local residents as a public space for recreation for over 50 years ^[1].

1 History
2 Geography
3 Biodiversity
4 Proposed Development
5 Gallery
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

Warneford Meadow was purchased in 1918 by the Warneford Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, following the sale of the adjacent Southfield Farm ^[2] ^[3]. The purchase was funded by public subscription, with the aim of providing natural green space for the psychological benefit of patients and the local community. Archaeological trenching performed in 2006 suggested a Roman or pre-roman settlement, or area of pottery production, in the area of the present Meadow ^[4].

[edit] Geography

Warneford Meadow in summer.

Access to the Meadow is gained from either a lane off Hill Top Road, beside the Southfield Park Golf Club, or Roosevelt Drive opposite the 'Little Oxford' housing development (beside the Headington Care Home). The Meadow slopes gradually down from the Hill Top Road end, towards the Boundary Brook, which runs between the Meadow and the Churchill Hospital to the East. Several public paths run across the Meadow. South of the Meadow is the Southfield Park Golf Club and the Meadow is bounded to the west by homes on Hill Top Road. Warneford Meadow also includes an orchard, on the northern border of the Meadow with the Warneford Hospital.

[edit] Biodiversity

The Meadow contains many species of butterfly, some rare invertebrates, and birds including skylarks and kingfishers. The Meadow forms part of the 'green corridor' which links South Park to the Thames via Boundary Brook ^[5].The Meadow's border hedges are an excellent source for blackberry picking in autumn. The Warneford Orchard on the northern edge of the Meadow is over 50 years old and has rare varieties of apple including the Russian 'Emperor Alexander'. Owls, bats and badgers are also found in the orchard.

[edit] Proposed Development

Sunrise over the Warneford Meadow in winter.

Development of the Meadow is permitted under the present Oxford Local Plan. The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Healthcare Trust (OBMH) put in two outline planning applications in July 2006, regarding the Meadow. The primary reason for the development, stated by the OBMH management, is the desire to generate revenue for the Trust, with which they intend to upgrade patient facilities. In answer to a parliamentary question about the assets of the United Kingdom's NHS as a whole Liam Byrne, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health, revealed that the 'surplus' land at the Warneford Hospital was worth £30,900,000, making it their sixth most valuable immovable fixed asset ^[6] (this figure may include the additional surplus land of the nearby Warneford sports field and the Park Hospital Site). Present OBMH plans include the use of around 50% of the Meadow for the construction of either (i) 685 student accommodation units (originally 1,950) or 300 residential units for Key workers (application 06/01559/OUT ENV RRW) or (ii) Healthcare, research or administration buildings not exceeding 24,500sq.m of floor space (application 06/01560/OUT ENV RRW)^[7].

The plans for development have met with substantial opposition from local residents, led by nearby Residents Associations and the action group 'Friends of Warneford Meadow'. Their concerns include:

Loss of the Meadow's biodiversity and its benefit to the local community as a natural space.
The high risk of damage to the remaining Meadow in the event of only 50% development.
Lack of road infrastructure to safely or efficiently deal with increased traffic volume.
Increased risk of flooding in local areas (e.g. Cowley Road) following development.
The failure of the OBMH to adequately consult, or take into account, the views of local residents.
The damage done to the nearby Boundary Brook nature corridor by development at the adjacent Churchill hospital.
The lack of a legally binding agreement to ensure revenue from any sale would return to fund local mental health care provision.
Whether it is appropriate to build on a 'green field' site when other local 'brown field' sites are available and often unused.
Whether the levels of new student accommodation proposed are actually required by local academic institutions (e.g. Oxford Brookes University).

An application to have the land registered as a Town or Village Green (under section 22 of the Commons Registration Act 1965, as amended by section 98 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) ^[8] was launched in December 2006^[1]. Recognition as a Town Green would protect the land from development.