Sarge
God like member
- Joined
- 6 Dec 2017
- Messages
- 54,404
what he said ^^But there's little point in actually engaging with them. You could build a stadium out of timber that's fuelled by renewable energy and teleports fans from their home to the stadium with no carbon footprint and they still wouldn't be happy. Basically they want no human development there. They'd be content if you astronturfed it and removed any ecological value as long as it wasn't houses or the stadium. It would still be a literal 'green' belt to them.
Arguing with them is a waste of time and highlighting their 'concerns' to us is meaningless too. Their minds won't be changed and neither will ours (since we're all keen to move anyway). Nor do I think they're convincing others either since the have so few followers across their social media. The one or two likes they get are from the same faces. As said before, Twitter is a microcosm of the debate. They're very small fry as it is.
We don't have to convince everybody on this - just enough so that there isn't a series of gruelling legal challenges that would slow the process up. I don't expect 100% support for a new stadium. If I lived in Kidlington with no affinity to football or OUFC, I'd be concerned about parking, traffic, noise and litter and they have every right to be. Those who are presently silent and could jump either way on this issue are the people we need to convince and not some mumpsimus running a niche Twitter account on the web.
I went with a friend, who has an Old English Sheepdog Cross -and maybe house-sitting for a family friend in Kidlington area for 3 or 4 weeks early this Autumn, to scope out SB nature reserve* as a suitable option to take the dog for 2 walks a day. The dog stayed at home in OX3 for the reccy mission- I tagged along basically to have a look at the SB sports ground area -
* on a couple of websites about the nature reserve its stated there's a clearly signposted circular walk around the Nature Reserve. WE drove there, parked in the small car park for the sport pitches. There was NO 'signpost' anywhere in /near the carpark area currently ( that either of us noticed) .... walked to the far right hand corner, discovered a tiny wooden sign proclaiming it was a natutue reserve- there was only the option to turn left ( it seems its not a circular walk then?), followed the path for nearly a mile, past wetlands on the right- with a wetland viewing bench on a mound, then continued on to where there seemed to be a T junction to the path- NO signpost there, turned right walked for about another 3/4 mile - still no visible circular walk signposting anywhere? -we decided to turn round and go back at that point. Certain pressure groups insist its used by dog walkers and people who like walking in country type green areas, in the 2 hours we were there the only other person we saw was a fella unloading a car and taking presumably stocks of snacks into the sport area club house. No signposting or lack of visible circular walk sign posting, contrary to website claims, suggests those responsible for 'managing' the nature reserve, are somewhat lacking in maintaining Nature Reserve areas that members of the public can use. Maybe Kidlington residents are already familiar with the circular (?) walk? , with 4000 + new residents incoming soonish to the area, that wont be the case anymore. It was quite a decent walk in the nature reserve, however lack of visible signposting meant we didn't risk continuing to see whether the circular walk was or wasn't circular, as the entry point from the sports ground only had a left turn option with nothing obvious anywhere to the right. Apparently there are 5 ways to enter the Natuture reserve, we only worked out two of them- and didn't go as far as the canal bridge that sort of exits somewhere near the Turnpike pub , Yarnton? - I assume the other entrances to the Nature Reserve are in Kidlington- hostile bandit country to an OUFC supporting 'outsider' .... if the pressure groups are to believed. That said, from first hand experience ,(albeit a one off one), the hordes of dog walkers, joggers, walkers and ramblers who, as KDW, HRRA and Green Party councillors in the area claim, regularly use the Nature Reserve, were not anywhere to be seen- not one. To me that kind of says the aforementioned opponents tell whopping great porkies - in a manner that our smouldering underpants sporting PM would be proud of!
Conclusion of the actual reason for the visit to SB nature reserve was that it was potentially a suitable walk on which to take the dog, IF the mysterious ( to outsiders) entrances from Kidlington could be used .
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