1. Kidlington Parish Poll on 10th May 2023
On 10th May 2023, a Parish Poll for Kidlington residents will be held. You will be asked to vote on this question:
Should Kidlington Parish Council support the building of a stadium for
Oxford United Football Club in Kidlington?
Vote NO!
This Poll could be your ONLY chance to have your say in a secure way on this important issue, and in a vote soley for Kidlington residents.
Key information:
- Polls are open Wednesday 10th May 2023 between 4pm and 9pm only
- Vote at your usual polling station: Kidlington Baptist Church, Exeter Hall, Kidlington Youth Football Club, Kidlington Methodist Church Hall or The Church of St John The Baptist.
- Open to Kidlington Parish residents only
- There is no postal voting and Poll Cards will not be issued
- Voter ID is not required
2. Can you help deliver flyers?
We’re preparing a flyer to go out next week (Thursday 27th April to Monday 1st May) and a 2nd flyer to go out just before the Parish Poll
(Saturday 6th to Tuesday 9th May).
Can you help on either or both of these dates? Even 1 or 2 roads, would be hugely appreciated. Thank you to everyone who has kindly volunteered so far.
Can you help display posters?
Can you display a ‘Vote NO’ poster from your window or garden? Can you help us put posters up around the village?
Please email info@friendsofstratfieldbrake.org if you want to help get the VOTE NO word out !
3. OUFC's "green barrier" - just like the emperor’s new clothes!
We've watched the recent video from Oxford United’s CEO, Tim Williams. He boldly asserts that all the ‘tough conditions’ set by Oxfordshire County Council in order for the Club to get their
hands on the Triangle site have been met!
Unsurprisingly, he claims that local opinion and the land’s designation as Green Belt are a priority for the club. This is how Williams claims the club will maintain a green barrier between
Kidlington and Oxford.
Key points
1. This isn’t a 'green barrier': it’s a matter of metres and includes part of the roundabout and road!
2. Tim Williams also said that the the Stadium itself will provide "a buffer" between Kidlington and Oxford!
3) Yet worryingly, the Stadium IS NOT between Kidlington and Oxford at all. The whole of the Triangle is within Kidlington. What OUFC want is to create a barrier within Kidlington.
Either they are confused or they want to redraw our boundaries !
What an insult to our local community.
This is just one of the 'Tough Conditions' OUFC claim to have met. We’ll publish a full response soon to fact check their claims which we don't agree with.
This laughable 'Green Barrier' proves that Oxford United don’t really care about environmental factors. The site layout is planned to maximise financial revenue.
Remember: their original proposal in 2021 would’ve seen them take our land on Stratfield Brake managed as a nature reserve by the Woodland Trust!
We aren’t taken in by the ‘green’ football pitch or the ‘green’ area around it either: this will no doubt end up as car parking or commercial development.
OUFC say they will increase biodiversity by new planting on the area at the apex of the Triangle near the Kidlington Roundabout (which already includes trees anyway) and a green roof on part of
the stadium. That cannot possibly compensate (never mind increase) for the biodiverse habitat they would destroy.
FoSB has looked into this further and we now know that the Triangle is a highly valuable habitat. The Triangle is a currently a sustainable willow coppice, harvested in
rotation for fence-making by a local company. It’s rich in wildlife because of the native willow, but also because it is a wetland area supporting a range of species adapted to this
environment. The site also has dark zones which are beneficial to wildlife.
A local Consultant Ecologist says: ‘It is very unlikely that development of this area for a football stadium will be able to compensate for the biodiversity loss incurred.’
4. Apologies if you didn't get our previous mailings
Unfortunately, a technical error prevented some of our newer supporters from receiving our recent mailing. This should be fixed now.
To catch up, you can read about the Kidlington Parish Meeting and Poll HERE and updated background information on FoSB can be viewed HERE.