Bikes and boats - the future of Oxford city centre?

Oxford's Worcester Street Car Park is proposed to be converted back to a canal basin – featuring a marina with residential moorings, an upscale retail and leisure area, and a children's playground and splash park.

Worcester Street Car Park was installed as a “temporary car park” in the 1950s on the site of the former Oxford Canal wharves, built within the outworks of Oxford Castle. It was made available by Lord Nuffield in 1938 for an element of his new college, but was never built on. The Clarion understands that the temporary permission has finally expired, forcing the site to revert to its original use.

It is hoped that a residential marina similar to St Katharine Docks in London might alleviate some of the housing crisis Oxford is currently facing. We wrote about Oxford's housing crisis, and the potential for houseboats as a solution in a city defined by watercourses, in a long read last September.

Leisure developments around water such as Gas Street Basin in Birmingham, Camden Market in London and the Oracle in Reading have successfully opened up alternative loci for retail and leisure, expanding the marketable city centre footprint. Funding for this development could be made available as part of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor.

One sticking point is the basin’s location within the expanded Zero Emissions Zone. Most canal boats are diesel-powered and as such would be fined on entry to the ZEZ. To counter this, a horse-drawn towing service is proposed for ‘last mile’ propulsion from Jericho into Worcester Street, providing a more carbon-friendly means of transport.

Ice rink to be converted to a velodrome

Oxford's Ice Rink is set to be converted to a velodrome, according to a series of amended proposals for land close to the Oxpens development submitted to Oxford City Council. Planning documents highlight dramatic increases in energy costs needed to continue running the ice rink as a going concern.

A well-informed source said: “As we understand it, that land is contractually obliged to be a leisure facility. The costs to run it as an ice rink are too high, and conversion to a swimming pool is too expensive. A velodrome seems like a great solution. There are many cyclists in Oxford who would welcome the opportunity to try this.”

Financial forecasts included with the proposals, whilst partially redacted, indicate a significant profit increase from increased footfall (the nearest velodrome is in Reading) and decreased energy and running costs. Conversion of the velodrome is proposed to be funded via a joint venture between the Ineos Oxford Institute and British pro-cycling team Ineos Grenadiers. It is intended as an incubator of future GB Cycling talent, following in the footsteps of UK cycling greats like Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas. Proximity to world-class research facilities including wind tunnels at Oxford University is additional motivation. The velodrome would have both pro cycling and open sessions. It is understood that a further incentive to redevelop the site is a potential alternative use when not being used as a velodrome, as a small 'arena style' live music venue, further improving the financial position of the site.

A cycling infrastructure campaigner contacted by the Clarion sounded a sceptical note, saying “Cyclists who enjoy endlessly going round in circles can already achieve this by responding to Oxfordshire County Council strategy consultations.”