Post in Broad Street

Apr 21 14:05 UTC

If I were the Council, I would take a long second thought at committing funds
to any near-future project unless it is absolutely necessary.  I am concerned
that with the permanent increase in the price of oil and fossil fuels, the
situation over the foreseeable future will lend itself to steeply escalating
prices.  Any set of contracts entered into today will likely result in huge
cost overruns for multi-year projects, and perhaps even abandonment.  Further,
current pressures towards global recession will significantly impact Council
budgets over that time frame.  As an example, to commit to a huge project like
the Westgate might well not only result in cost overruns, but it would be
developing at a time when the retail sector will be suffering most.  Shops will
go empty for lack of financing, and the customer base will shrink.  In the end
the Council will have to answer the questions "Who is responsible for that very
large white elephant standing over there where County Hall used to be?", and
"Why did we not instead devote that money to the development of a better
bike/bus/trolley transport system, localisation of food production and
distribution, and other much more worthy and critical projects?"

Wherever we can reduce traffic we should.  Wherever we can encourage the use of
Park and Ride, we should.  Wherever and however we can promote and encourage
biking, we should.  Large retail developments will do precisely the opposite,
and likely end up being a tragic waste of money that could have been so much
better spent to place Oxford at the forefront of visionary cities in the UK and
helped immensely to ease the transition to a more energy efficient economy.

I believe we truly need to begin assessing the future of Oxford, not from a
purely commercial perspective by rather from a sustainability one.