THE FORCED closure of a Cowley Road churchyard plagued by drug dealers and antisocial behaviour will finally be lifted.

Padlocked gates have remained solemnly undisturbed for almost eight months in a bid to cut down on criminal activity blighting the grounds of St Mary and St John’s Church.

‘Brazen’ drug dealers, often on bicycles, had become a rising problem for the church grounds due to its multiple exits making it more difficult to police.

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The problem prompted local police to ask the church if they could padlock the three gates on Cowley Road, Magdalen Road, and Leopold Street.

Parish administrator at the church Matthew Hiscock said: “It was not great for us as we would prefer to be an open space for all the community – it is demoralising.

“But we understand the difficulty police have got especially with plenty of other things they have to worry about.

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“It has been depressing to shut off a space that we would love to have used by everybody, but it now feels tremendous to reopen.”

Parishioners have used the closure period to create a ‘green oasis’ in the churchyard and hope, in turn, to deter people from using it for criminal activity.

Volunteers have been busying away to ready the churchyard for reopening tomorrow, helping to clear areas, planting hedges, and creating a mini nature reserve.

The improvements aim to create a community space for everyone to use, while it is hoped the closure will have disrupted the regular drug dealing and anti social behaviour that had become a problem.

Father Phil Ritchie said: “We’ve used the time to make significant improvements to the environment and develop exciting plans for the future.

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“An amazing group of volunteers from the church and wider community have done a huge amount of work over recent weeks, and we want everyone to see what they’ve achieved in making it a space we can all enjoy together, to rest or play, to enjoy peace, sunshine and wildlife.”

The church will reopen its grounds tomorrow with a special service to coincide with Whit Sunday and the end of this year's Oxford Festival of Nature.

As the first phase of reopening the churchyard, the Magdalen Road and Cowley Road gates will be unlocked between 9am and 6pm.

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The church then hopes to reopen all its entrances after gaining planning permission to create three ‘zoned’ areas including a mini nature reserve at the back of the site.

Father Phil added: “We are creating an area which will support and encourage biodiversity, and another that will allow people to move through the churchyard from Magdalen Road to Leopold Street.

“The third zone will be the area between the church and the Cowley Road.”

Tomorrow’s service will include a 10am procession from the convent garden of All Saints Sister of the Poor, Magdalen Road, to the church for a service before a churchyard party.

To find out more about the church and its plans go to ssmjchurchyard.org.uk