Future development of the ‘King of Prussia’ site

‘Thank God it’s gone’,

‘It’s certainly a bit better round here
since the pub closed.’

Sadly, these were the most common kinds of comments made about the closure of the ‘King of Prussia’. It appears not to have been frequented by residents living nearest to it. Reports of fights, recently a stabbing, didn’t help to draw in its nearest neighbours. Currently, it is a sorry sight with its doors and windows nailed up tightly with a type of metallic material which at first looked secure. It is rapidly being successfully vandalised which creates a new worry for nearby residents and shops.

‘I hope they get on with it soon.’

local resident.

‘We’re much more vulnerable now, drug dealing goes on behind the pub, it’s scary at night.’

nearby shop employee.

The pub site is surrounded on three sides by residents in flats and houses. One of the most immediate concerns is that the premises are not left for too long in this derelict state. It hasn’t taken long for a derelict location like this to become a centre for drug use and vandalism, and it can’t be contained. The same people who are attracted to the location from outside of the immediate neighbourhood and are involved in these pursuits also walk the nearby streets and worry the local community.

It appears that the Co-op has bought the site and it is assumed that they will relocate to it from their existing nearby premises.

All agreed that they wanted the Co-op to remain in the neighbourhood. Most people would prefer that the site be split between a new but not too large Co-op and some housing development. Why? Because, they say, a big supermarket will encourage a lot of traffic from outside. ‘If people from outside the neighbourhood want to get into the car to go to a supermarket they can just as easily go around the ring road to Sainsburys or Tescos.’ It was agreed that the present Co-op store is a great asset to the community and is used regularly by people who live within walking distance of it.

All agree that there will have to be a car park to go with a new co-op. The small area at the front of the present Co-op, was once used to adequately serve its parking needs before that area was given over to Humphris garage to display cars. This has caused parking chaos around the Co-op with cars frequently parking on footpaths and blocking the entrance to Villiers Lane. Clearly a new car park will need to be actively supervised by the new store and secured at night. ‘People will just park there all day and use it as a free ‘park and ride’ like they do everywhere else around here’. Residents whose houses on Courtland Road and Annesley Road back onto the periphery of the site don’t want a big car park because of car doors banging and cars revving up. Residents living close to the site have expressed concern about possible noise and activity from a large supermarket taking place until late at night. ‘The Co-op used to close at 6.00pm, then it was ‘8 til 8’, then it closed at 9.00 pm and now it’s 10.00 pm’. It is a fact that supermarkets are staying open later and later. Because the new Co-op will be surrounded by residents, the size and opening hours of a new store will need to be in keeping with the rest of the neighbourhood and consider its close neighbours who are in residence. There is no doubt that a large supermarket will attract large numbers of customers from outside the neighbourhood, and quite possibly late into the night.

Some residents in Annesley Road and Courtland Road expressed concern that very mature trees at the rear of the site would be removed with new development. It is hoped that at least the trees at the perimeters of the plot will remain intact to provide some screening for those residents whose properties back on to the site.

Comment from a Westbury Crescent resident:

‘Whatever is built there needs to be in a style which is in keeping with the rest of the parade. The buildings there are special and unique to Oxford. It’s important to keep the character of the parade.’

This is a very good point. New development of this site is an opportunity to have something which genuinely enhances the appearance of the parade.

There was some concern that a large Co-op supermarket on Rose Hill Road would mean that the Co-op at the Rose Hill council estate would close down, leaving people there without the convenience of their own store and a car journey away from shops.

The general consensus was that a modest sized Co-op, with a modest sized car park to match, would serve the community well without bringing a catalogue of fresh problems to the immediate neighbourhood and that the remainder of the land on the pub site should have well designed housing to blend in with the surroundings. Some residents suggested that the required proportion of ‘affordable housing’ should be allocated to key workers in the city such as teachers, nurses, and transport workers because Oxford house prices are prohibitive and forcing key workers out of the city.