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Greens support boatyard protest |
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GREENS SUPPORT JERICHO BOATYARD PROTESTORS
City and County councillors from the Green Party came out in support of the
protestors occupying the Jericho boatyard today. The boatyard site, which has
been occupied since the weekend, is considered to be vital for the maintenance
of Oxford's boating community - both by the City Council and the local
community, and has attracted the support of famous Oxford residents, such as
the author Philip Pullman.
Cllr Sushila Dhall, who represents the area of West Central Oxford on the
County Council, commented: "The boatyard is crucial for the boating community
and levels of affordable housing within Oxford. Instead of waiting for the
outcome of the Public Inquiry into the site, British Waterways have decided
to run roughshod over the wishes of the local community by evicting the
previous tenant of the site. The Green Party applauds those members of the
boating community who have decided to resist this decision by occupying the
site."
Cllr Matt Sellwood, a Green Party city councillor who sits on the central
planning committee that refused the plans to develop the site, added: "The
City Council has been very clear that we want the boatyard to be preserved.
We need more local facilities and moorings for the boating community, not less,
and these protestors are taking the only route open to them. British Waterways
and Bellway Homes should accept the democratic decision of the City Council
and keep the boatyard open." (1).
NOTES FOR EDITORS
(1) Cllr Sellwood has already visited the occupied site in order to show Green
Party support for the protestors, and has promised to continue to extend
support for their attempts to maintain the site as a boating facility.
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