Quarry has potential as community space

From the archive, first published Saturday 30th Oct 2004.

A disused quarry in Oxford which has been plagued by antisocial behaviour could be transformed into a community space with dedicated key-holders.

Magdalen Quarry, off Gladstone Road, in Headington Quarry, is now a nature reserve owned by Oxford City Council and was last used for quarrying in 1949.

Dee Sinclair, the council's member for the Quarry ward, said the area had since become a breeding ground for antisocial behaviour - including drug-taking, arson and vandalism.

She told the council's north east area committee at Sandhills Primary School, in Terrett Avenue, last week: "This area could be protected in some way by making it more secure."

Mrs Sinclair said residents could become key holders to help protect it.

Tracy Roper, of Gladstone Road, said: "There has been an awful lot of trouble there with drug abuse.

"I think residents around there would encourage any work done on that. Having key-holders is a brilliant idea."

The MP for Oxford East, Andrew Smith, has also backed the campaign.

Maureen Christian, the council's member for Headington Hill and Northway, said the project would depend on active community participation.

She said: "There is a very good nature reserve at Milham Ford School which has worked well. It depends entirely on a local community effort.

"We need a group of dedicated people to carry this forward."

Paul Phipps, a parish councillor for Risinghurst and Sandhills, backed the idea but offered a note of caution.

"Our experience is that padlocked gates get cut or glued shut, people who shouldn't have keys get hold of them and official key-holders often lose them," he said.

Councillors backed the idea for key-holders.

They asked the council's leisure and parks department to look into the legal and financial implications.

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