Well things have certainly moved along in the past couple of weeks: good news and bad news!
The good news is that COG has now collected more than 4500 signatures people in the area for their petition. The aims of the petition are (1) oppose the selling of the freehold of the Old Gaol by the Vale District Council, (2) preserve free public access to the river-front and gardens, and (3) to secure community use of as much of the building as possible.
Now the bad news. The Vale Council has decided not to make known (including to COG) the names of the developers of the Old Gaol site who are now to proceed to the final stage of bidding (around November). Effectively this will shut COG out of any possibility of making any contribution to the outcome of the selection process until it is too late, and public opinion will have been stifled on this important community matter.
The reason given by the Vale is commercial confidentiality. COG does not agree that this is a reasonable position for the Vale to take. In comparable schemes (eg the Oxford Prison site) the bidders names were available from an early stage. The COG team in any case see themselves as a group well able to understand and work within conditions of commercial confidentiality.
But on a brighter note! On Friday 13 (yes!) July, the date the Vale agreed the short list of developers, COG arranged to present to the Vale their petition signatures to date (more than 4500). This was done in the morning, before the Vale meeting. It was a splendid event, reported on TV in the BBC News. Pupils from Thomas Reade School, Abingdon presented the petition sheets to Council officials in boxes made by themselves in the form of a model of the Old Gaol designed by Pat Bryden. See the photos.
At the Vale meeting, Alison Mummery (COG member) and Lesley Legge (COG member and Town Councillor) gave statements in support of COGs aims and emphasised the need for the local community to be involved at this critical stage of selecting developers.
COG will be continuing to press for inclusion in this process and urging even more people to sign their petition in support.
