‘Catastrophic' – New 16,000-seater Championship stadium delayed by ‘ancient woodland' amid warnings over club's future
The Championship side are hoping to build a
Advertisement
3
Oxford are planning to build a 16,000-seater stadium
Credit: Oxford United
3
The new ground would be a huge community asset
Credit: https://www.oufc.co.uk/
Plans were first
Cherwell District Council had been scheduled to come to a decision at a planning committee on July 31.
Remarkably, this meeting has been delayed by two weeks to August 14 following a ruling by Natural England.
Oxford's proposed Triangle site borders the Stratfield Brake woodland.
Advertisement
READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
The woodland area was recently handed "ancient" status - sparking fresh concerns over whether this could affect the council's decision on Oxford's proposed new stadium.
Upon the delay, U's development director Jonathon Clarke said: "It's frustrating that this delay has been caused by a last-minute submission from a statutory consultee, particularly given they had previously raised no objections to the application.
'However, we have provided comprehensive evidence addressing the points raised. This is an incredibly detailed, robust application.
'We will continue our work towards a positive recommendation as we await a new committee date.'
Advertisement
Most read in Football
Latest
Exclusive
Breaking
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
Natural England claim that Oxford's plans "have the potential to adversely affect" the woodland.
But the organisation does not oppose the stadium build.
Championship club could be left without a stadium as EFL deadline looms
Oxford play at the Kassam Stadium, having moved there since 2001.
Advertisement
In May the second-tier side extended their lease at the Kassam to 2027, with an option for a further year.
The site is still owned by Oxford's former owner Firoz Kassam, and Oxford City Council plans could see the Kassam Stadium torn down and replaced by as many as 150 homes in future.
Oxford's proposed new Triangle home would boast plenty of community facilities in addition to the stadium, including a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference centre and community plaza.
'CATASTROPHIC'
Labour MP for Oxford East Anneliese Dodds has stressed the importance of the U's receiving planning permission.
Advertisement
She wrote on X: "I'm disappointed by the delay in deciding on @OUFCOfficial's new stadium.
"OUFC, its fans, and Oxfordshire need this stadium for the benefits it will bring.
"A positive decision is crucial, as more delays could have a catastrophic impact on the club."
Oxford are currently preparing for their second season back in the Championship following their promotion in 2023-24.
Advertisement
Gary Rowett's side finished 17th last term, four points clear of the drop zone.
3
Anneliese Dodds has offered a stark warning
Credit: AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
40 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Clifford proves impossible task for Donegal as Kerry coast to All-Ireland No 39
Kerry 1-26 Donegal 0-19 Not the vintage final to round out a memorable football Championship, but plenty of landmarks all the same. There may not have been any ebb and flow as Kerry took the lead after 11 seconds and, bar a period of a minute or so after Donegal equalised, never relinquished it before going on to win handsomely in the end, but the new rules meant that there was still plenty to savour from it, if not from a Donegal perspective. Kerry's winning tally of 1-26 was the biggest posted in an All-Ireland ever. Donegal's total of 0-19 has only been matched twice (Mayo's 1-16 in 2017 and Galway's 2-13, over 80 minutes, in 1973) by a losing team in a final and never bettered. With that, it's hardly a surprise that this was the highest-scoring ever All-Ireland final with an aggregate of 48 points, three more than that 1973 final in which Cork beat Galway, the only one that comes close. It was 21 points more than what was scored in last year's Armagh-Galway final, a turgid affair that was low on entertainment despite it being a far closer game than this one. Admittedly, the closing stages of this Championship have been disappointing in that the final and both semi-finals were rather one-sided but, at this remove, you could argue that there is more to be said for a runaway victory under the new rules than a closely-fought game under the old. Much of the pre-game debate surrounded David Clifford and whether Donegal could limit his influence to manageable proportions. Ultimately, they couldn't and, indeed, the damage was effectively done by the 17th minute, by which time Clifford had already scored 0-5 (including two two-pointers) and been fouled by Brendan McCole, his marker, for a converted two-point free. Donegal simply couldn't recover from that eight-minute window that saw Kerry's lead swell from one point to nine. They were always toiling to keep pace with Kerry who, it must be said, won their 39th All-Ireland in something of a canter in the end with four successive wins over Ulster opposition in Cavan (nine points), Armagh (eight points) and Tyrone (six points), followed by most comprehensive dismissal of the provincial champions. And it came just six weeks after Meath, whom Donegal had 20 points to spare on in the semi-final, had beaten them by nine. A fifth All-Ireland title for Jack O'Connor puts him one clear of Seán Boylan's tally with Meath and behind only Mick O'Dwyer (eight) and Jim Gavin (six). Remarkably, each of those five were prefaced by a League title earlier in the season. Broadly speaking, there was a school of thought that this would be a close final that Donegal would edge, but there seemed to be something a bit too cosy about that group think given Kerry's pedigree, and so it proved. Michael Langan, Conor O'Donnell and Michael Murphy had their moments for Donegal, but the outstanding performers were all in blue, a colour that Kerry won the All-Ireland in for first time since 1970, against Meath. Brendan McCole stuck to his task with Clifford but it was largely an impossible one. He kicked his first two-pointer from the smallest of openings in the eighth minute and if it was going to require a group effort to keep tabs on him, then that was fatally undermined by Caolán McColgan spilling possession leading to his second a minute later. In the 15th minute, McColgan bundled Clifford over and was fortunate to avoid a booking as Sean O'Shea slotted the resulting two-point free. It was so early in the game and Clifford was already well in credit. There was a white flag after O'Shea's fee and a critical two-pointer on the stroke of half-time that pushed Kerry's lead out to 0-17 to 0-10 after Donegal had worked hard to narrow the deficit. There were another couple of Clifford singles in the second half but he fell just short of perfection for the fact that he was turned over in the first half, leading to a Murphy point, while his goal late effort was taken off the line by O'Donnell. Simple arithmetic points to him being directly involved in 0-11 in a game that Kerry won by 10 - but there were others to rival his display, not least his brother Paudie, who ran the game, with Donegal unable to get a handle on him at all. Arguably highest among his many key contributions was a foul drawn from Peadar Mogan, allowing O'Shea to kick another two-point free to make it 0-25 to 0-18 in 59th minute, effectively killing Donegal off. Captain Gavin White was magnificent too, putting Donegal on the back foot literally from the throw-in and finishing with 0-3, and was roughly on a par with the Clifford brothers, though that triumvirate was backed by a star cast, not least Joe O'Connor who capped another fine display by firing in the game's only goal late on. Kerry's Joe O'Connor celebrates scoring a goal (Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) Donegal boss Jim McGuinness said recently how the 2014 final loss to Kerry pained him on a daily basis until he came back to the job almost two years ago. Given how so many of his players failed to perform to a reasonable standard, this one will ache for some time yet. KERRY: Shane RYAN; Paul MURPHY, Jason FOLEY, Dylan CASEY; Brian Ó BEAGLAOICH, Mike BREEN, Gavin WHITE (0-3); Seán O'BRIEN (0-2), Mark O'SHEA; Joe O'CONNOR (1-0), Seán O'SHEA (0-6, 0-1f, 2tpf), Graham O'SULLIVAN; David CLIFFORD (0-9, 3tp), Paudie CLIFFORD (0-3), Dylan GEANEY (0-3). Subs: Diarmuid O'Connor for O'Brien (50), Killian Spillane for Geaney (54), Evan Looney for Ó Beaglaoich (63), Tadhg Morley for Breen (65), Micheál Burns for O'Sullivan (69). DONEGAL: Shaun PATTON; Caolán McCOLGAN, Peadar MOGAN, Brendan McCOLE; Eoghan Ban GALLAGHER, Finnbarr ROARTY, Ryan McHUGH; Caolán McGONAGLE (0-1), Michael LANGAN; Ciarán Moore, Ciarán THOMPSON, Shane O'DONNELL (0-2); Conor O'DONNELL (0-4), Michael MURPHY (0-8, 0-6f), Oisín GALLEN (0-3). Subs: Dara Ó Baoill (0-1) for Thompson (23), Hugh McFadden for McColgan (HT), Jason McGee for McHugh (41), Paddy McBrearty for Conor O'Donnell (50), Jamie Brennan for Gallagher (59). REFEREE: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘Unbelievably poignant' Katie Taylor message strengthened Lions' will to win
Jack Conan's seasonal finale has delivered in spades. After captaining Leinster to the United Rugby Championship title, the Lions ever-present from four years ago was in ebullient form after Saturday's 29-26 win sealed a series triumph that he will remember forever. The result was all that mattered as Conan reflected on an imperfect training week and what he felt was a far-from-perfect display by himself and the Lions, but one that had additional meaning for the man from Bray. 'We were not at our best by any measure, but physically the lads dug in unbelievably well,' said Conan, who turns 33 on Tuesday. He revealed: 'We had a video from Katie Taylor earlier in the week and it was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but be ready to win by will. 'I think that was something that summed up today massively because we were not at our best at all. Pretty disappointing how we played, but we played for 80 minutes. READ MORE 'Barry ( Hugo Keenan ) getting over the line last minute was just unbelievable. I think the celebrations and the crack and changing room, if we went out and we won by 20, it wouldn't be the same,' he admitted. 'Everyone's just over the moon. To be part of a Lions winning series team is just incredibly special. I feel incredibly humbled and honoured to be part of it all. Not my best game, but a lot of us weren't at the races at all, but we stuck in there. You can't fault the effort. I thought the defensive sets we put in, just whacking people and just staying in there, was unbelievable. I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy — Jack Conan 'It's something that will go down in history,' he continued, random thoughts pouring out amid the immediate euphoria of reaching one of the true highs of his rugby career. 'They weren't writing the history books about how s**t we were, but they'll say that we won and that's all that matters. Just so special to be part of it.' Jack Conan (left) and Tadhg Furlong celebrate the Lions' victory over Australia in Saturday's second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photograph: Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images Taylor's message was particularly poignant for Conan given they both hail from Bray. 'Massively. Huge. Someone to come from the town I'm from, I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world and to be such a superstar and be just incredibly humble and driven and knock it out of herself is something that we kind of leant on as well. We knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it today in spades. 'They were unbelievable, they really were, but we just stuck in it for 80 minutes and [I'm] just incredibly proud of the effort from the lads. I know things didn't click and we weren't flowing properly, but we were getting off the line, trying to hit people, trying to make it count every chance we got. And I think we did that and that's why we got the result in the end.' [ Australia head coach Joe Schmidt unhappy at match officials over Jac Morgan clearout Opens in new window ] It transpired that the Irish performance coach Gary Keegan, who is also part of the extensive Lions backroom team, was the key figure in asking Taylor to provide a motivational video. 'Gary Keegan would have been very close with her and helped her through her amateur career into professional career; he's the link there. It meant a lot to me being from the same place and seeing her on the world stage, but I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy. It resonated with everyone. 'It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us, it was brilliant.' Conan was one of a record nine Irish players in the starting line-up who contributed to this series-clinching second Test win, as well as Rónan Kelleher and James Ryan off the bench, with three of them among the Lions try scorers. In another ever-lasting image, Keenan was the match-winner. Putting down one of the two cans of Guinness he had been holding in each hand, Conan said of Keenan: 'Delighted for him, because he had a bit of a rocky start to the campaign with the sickness that derailed him for a while and it's a testament to his professionalism and staying in it. I was delighted for him. Jack Conan came close to scoring a try in the series-clinching victory against Australia. Photograph:'Now in saying that, I would have liked it more if he gave me the ball on the edge and I scored the try,' joked Conan, who helped give Keenan the space to beat Len Ikitau on his outside shoulder by holding his depth. 'No, delighted for Barry, I probably would have dropped it like the other one,' added Conan, in reference to the moment early on when James Slipper's tackle dislodged the ball from his grasp as he was diving over the line. 'No, it was knocked out of my hands lads. 'I was shouting for it, but Barry goes and scores a try. I've no complaints. If he bottled it there in that moment, I would have killed him and kicked the arse off him afterwards, but that was great.' Leinster being the bulk suppliers had generated quite a bit of debate, but Farrell's selections had been vindicated. 'As a Leinster man you're normally on the other end of it where you don't win them, so it was nice to be on the other side of it for once,' admitted Conan with a smile. 'Yeah it's class, just the feeling afterwards, the celebrations. Big Tadge (Tadhg Furlong) was giving it 90 on the sideline which was class and it was just unreal, part of a Lions winning series is just so special, to have played two 80 minutes. I'm not sure if I'll be playing next week after my performance but we'll see what happens, but yeah, absolutely class. 'You can't take these things away from people; [they] go down in history. I know people don't have the best things to say about Australia but I thought they were class today, they were unbelievable, they played above themselves. 'We saw Valetini and big Willie Skelton come back into the side, they were unbelievable. They made a huge difference and we struggled with it at times. A little bit high in the contacts, a little bit soaking, whatever else. But it doesn't matter, we got there in the end, didn't we. 'The win's a win. Series win; Lions series winner. You can't take that away from us, so I'm delighted for everyone. Delighted for the coaching staff, delighted for the lads who played, the lads who didn't play because everyone's played their part. Roll on the celebrations, roll on next week and one more 80 minutes to go and then a bit of well-earned time off.'
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Jonathan Keane becomes first Lahinch local to win South of Ireland in 57 years
Jonathan Keane became the first Lahinch local to win the Pierse Motors South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship since 1968 on Sunday. The 25-year-old claimed a 1 up victory over Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty, the 2018 champion before emotional scenes in front of hundreds of spectators surrounding the 18th green in Lahinch. Keane was embraced by family and friends as well as JD Smyth, who won this tournament 57 years ago. Jonathan Keane celebrates after winning the South of Ireland with the last local winner JD Smyth. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'Absolutely delighted, this has been my dream since I joined this golf club and for it to come true it's absolutely unbelievable. Just thrilled,' said Keane. READ MORE 'I felt good over it [the putt on 18] because I have had that putt loads of times before, that back left pin. Just knew what to do. I wasn't feeling any nerves or anything, just feeling 100 per cent confident. 'It was just shock for about five seconds.' Rafferty had all of the experience coming into the final but it was Keane who took the early advantage winning the third and fourth holes. They traded holes before the end of the front nine and Keane took a 2up lead into the turn. The crowd continued to swell as the afternoon wore on and the tension grew in an enthralling contest. Rafferty got one back on 11 but the Kilfenora man bounced right back on 12. When Rafferty won 15 and 16 it looked as though he would push on but Keane held his nerve on 17 to sink an eight-foot putt. His brilliance on 18 left him with six feet for the win and he duly obliged before massive celebrations. Keane spoke about spending almost three years out of the game with herniated discs, from too much gym work and trying to drive the ball an absolute mile, the 'Bryson DeChambeau effect', he said. 'Some nights you'd be waking up with pain, couldn't fall asleep. So it's just unbelievable now that I've come back from that and managed to win the competition I've always dreamt of.'
