I am a resident of Oxford concerned about the lack of play areas for children in our city centre. Our wonderful city, bustling with culture and history, sadly does not cater enough to families wanting to spend quality time in the heart of Oxford. The absence of playgrounds means that children do not have a safe and engaging space to play, which is a barrier to families spending time in the city centre. 

There is not only a community impetus to do this, while Oxford is outperforming the national average, nationally the retail sector is struggling with footfall to city centres nationally falling in favour of online shopping *. Providing a city centre play space would make it easier for young families to shop, dine and visit city centre attractions.

Other cities with similar heritage status have achieved this. Paris has a municipal playground at the foot of the Sacre Coeur, and playspaces small and large scattered across the city centre. Oslo has a play space outside the central station, Svendborg has turned their city square into a play space for children and families. In the UK, new retail developments like Westfield and Battersea have playspaces baked in to their design, usable by small and big kids. 

The closest play areas to the city centre are Friars Wharf and Jericho, which are too far to be viable for a city centre trip.

To address this, we are asking Oxford City Council to consider establishing a children's playground  or series of small playspaces in the city centre. This initiative will not only make Oxford even more welcoming for families but also promote a more vibrant, inclusive, and diverse city centre.

Join us now to make our city a better place for everyone. Sign this petition and call on both Oxford's City Council to establish a children's playground in the city centre and also Oxfordshire County Council to provide some road space to enable this to happen.