A MASTERPLAN that will have a major impact on the future of the Jericho boatyard was approved by senior city councillors last night.

Oxford City Council’s executive board gave the go-ahead to the planning document, which will restrict what developers can put on the derelict site at the bottom of Cardigan Street.

The document says any new development must include a new community centre, a public square, homes and a new boatyard.

There have been numerous failed attempts to develop the Castle Mill boatyard since it stopped operating in 1992.

At the same time, the nearby Radcliffe Observatory Quarter development has seen the construction in recent years of the Jericho Health Centre and the Mathematical Institute.

Community group, the Jericho Wharf Trust, which was set up to attempt to purchase and develop the site, has welcomed the document.

It says it will give more certainty over what can go there and mean it can be developed sooner.

At the meeting last night, city council leader Bob Price said: “You couldn’t get a more important site for the development of Jericho when you think about what is happening at the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. “This adds a key piece to that jigsaw, so it is vital to get it right.”

Changes have been made to the document since it went out for consultation earlier this year, particularly relating to the size and position of the community centre.

  • The city executive board also approved the council’s budget for the next financial year. This means it will now go out for public consultation before being finally approved.