Council discusses event changes after park damage

The council received complaints from local residents about the state of South Park after the fireworks display in 2023

A council has discussed proposals to improve a firework display after a previous event damaged a public park.

In an Oxford City Council meeting green councillor Alex Powell asked what was planned to ensure "more effective vehicle management" during any future Oxford Round Table fireworks displays at South Park in Oxford.

This follows residential complaints lodged with the council that said the grass had been left "rutted and churned" after last year's event on 5 November.

Labour cabinet member for business, culture and an inclusive economy Alex Hollingsworth said the organisers had come forward with improvement proposals.

Councillor Alex Powell asked what plans there were to ensure "more effective vehicle management" during future fireworks events

The annual event saw its 55th edition in 2023, when more than 25,000 tickets sold.

Oxford Round Table said since 1967 it had raised and donated more than £1m external to local charities.

But Mr Hollingsworth said the damage caused to South Park "was unacceptable and cannot be repeated”.

“For any future events in South Park, the council, working with Oxford Preservation Trust and Friends of South Park, will require a clear cancellation protocol to be in place,” he said.

Mr Powell, who represents the St Clement’s ward, asked what plans there were to ensure "more effective vehicle management during any subsequent firework displays".

"There are proposals which are coming forward from the Round Table which will do two things," Mr Hollingsworth said.

"First it will significantly reduce the area in which vehicles operate, and second, they will use aluminium tank tracks to protect the ground."

He added it was his intention "to achieve a fireworks display that people can enjoy without damage to the park".

"I do not think that those two things are mutually incompatible," he concluded.

Chairman of Oxford Round Table Neil Holdstock previously said that his team, was "doing everything we can" to "get the park back to its original state".