Hope for boat owners as city boatyard plans revived

Posted at BBC on March 22, 2026 , writer Victoria Walton

For the first time in more than 20 years, people who live on the waterways around Oxford will have a place to fix their boats in the city.

At a meeting of Oxford City Council on Wednesday, the Jericho Wharf site was approved for a compulsory purchase order, if a developer can't be found to take forward plans for a DIY boatyard, community centre and riverside housing.

It comes after the original planning approval for the site lapsed, following a series of delays to the development.

For Bruce Heagerty, who has lived on the river for 25 years, the new facility can't come soon enough, with the prospect of a four hour journey upstream to Eynsham when running repairs are needed.

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