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FOUL
Survey of Residents in the Area around Minchery Farm
Executive Summary |
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Background |
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Survey method |
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Survey results |
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Concluding remarks |
Survey of Residents in the Area around Minchery Farm
The new owner of Oxford United, Mr Firoz Kassam, wishes to facilitate the building of leisure facilities, to include a multiplex cinema, as part of the Minchery Farm development to incorporate the new Oxford United stadium. Oxford City Council has undertaken a city-wide sample survey of residents which has established broad support for the proposed allocation of land to Mr Kassam to enable the development to take place, in return for which the Council would take a 20% share in the stadium company. Public support for this plan has been further confirmed at two public meetings held in Littlemore and Blackbird Leys recently.
FOUL (Fighting for Oxford United's Life) is a group of Oxford United supporters set up to promote the survival of Oxford United as a professional football club. FOUL was interested in consulting residents in the area immediately around Minchery Farm to establish their views about such a development near their homes. We felt that a door-to-door survey would provide residents, particularly those who might be reluctant to express their views at a public meeting, with an opportunity to voice any concerns. Essentially our attention was focused on local residents' views of the desirability of the larger scale development incorporating the multiplex, compared with the stadium development alone which was originally planned.
A short survey questionnaire was designed (see copy appended) which asked a small number of simple closed-form questions, as well as providing scope for open-ended answers which enabled respondents to express their views in their own words. Teams of FOUL members were recruited as interviewers and given a training session to standardise the administration of the survey. The survey was conducted in Blackbird Leys, Greater Leys and Littlemore on four successive weekday evenings in early April 1999.
Responses were recorded anonymously and identified only by study reference number and street name. In order to protect respondents' anonymity house numbers were not recorded. Interviewers identified themselves as members of FOUL, and made it clear that they were not seeking support for the football club or views about the stadium development. The aims of the survey were described as being to collect residents' views about the proposed leisure development incorporating a multiplex cinema, to discover their level of awareness of the plans, and the likelihood that they would use the development when it was completed. Respondents were shown the survey form on completion and were encouraged to check that their answers had been recorded correctly.
A total of 370 residents were surveyed on the four evenings, located in three areas around Minchery Farm (see Table 1 below).
| Area | Number | Percentage |
| Greater Leys | 161 | 43.5% |
| Blackbird Leys | 59 | 15.9% |
| Littlemore | 150 | 40.5% |
| Total | 370 | 100.0% |
Geographical note: Greater Leys is an area of new housing adjacent to the stadium site, Littlemore is an older village development a little further away, Blackbird Leys is a post-war housing estate nearby.
Residents were first asked whether they were aware of the leisure developments plans incorporating the multiplex. In all 81% (299 respondents) were aware of the plans and 19% (71) were not. We then asked whether the respondents would describe themselves as Oxford United fans. A total of 40% (147) would do so and 60% (223) did not. The Oxford United fans, not surprisingly, were somewhat more likely to be aware of the plans than were the non-fans (92% of the former and 74% of the latter were aware of the plans).
To gauge the potential for cinema attendance should the multiplex be developed, we asked about current cinema attendance. The results are summarised in Table 2 below.
Table 2: How often do you go to the cinema, and where?
| First choice destination | |||||||
How often |
Number | % | Oxford | Wycombe | Other | No reply | |
| Weekly / more often | 10 | 2.7% | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fortnightly | 33 | 8.9% | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | |
| Monthly | 70 | 18.9% | 46 | 24 | 0 | 0 | |
| Less often / not at all | 257 | 69.5% | 138 | 36 | 3 | 80 | |
| Total | 370 | 100.0% | 217 | 68 | 5 | 80 | |
Some 30% of the sample were regular cinema-goers, going once a month or more frequently. Of the 113 respondents who went to the cinema at least once a month, the table shows that 30% (34/113) specified a destination outside Oxford as their first choice, with Wycombe being the almost unanimous non-Oxford destination despite being over 25 miles distant from Minchery Farm. A further 39 people who occasionally went to the cinema chose not to go to Oxford as their first choice. In addition, 33 out of 48 people who gave a second choice destination went outside Oxford (data not shown in table). Taken together, 106 of the total sample specified a non-Oxford location as one of their two choices of cinema destination. All except nine of these people specified Wycombe.
We then asked residents whether they were in favour of the proposed development incorporating the multiplex. Responses were collected on a four-item scale covering strongly in favour, in favour, against and strongly against. The results are given in Table 3.
| Response | Number | Percentage | |
| Strongly in favour | 130 | 35.1% | |
| In favour | 193 | 52.2% | |
| Against | 32 | 8.6% | |
| Strongly against | 15 | 4.1% | |
| Total | 370 | 100.0 |
The broad support evident among the residents was similar in each area surveyed. Figure 1 below shows that opposition to the development comprised 9% of respondents in Greater Leys, 13% in Blackbird Leys, and 16% of respondents in Littlemore. Residents in Greater Leys, who arguably would be the most directly affected, showed the greatest level of support, with 91% in favour.
Figure 1: Percentage breakdown of support for the proposed development, by area
Intention to use the development
Finally we asked the residents how likely they would be to make use of the leisure facilities, including the multiplex, if the development went ahead. Table 4 below summarises the results.
Table 4: How likely are you to use the proposed development?
| Response | Number | Percentage |
| Very likely | 174 | 47.0% |
| Likely | 136 | 36.8% |
| Not very likely | 34 | 9.2% |
| Not at all likely | 26 | 7.0% |
| Total | 370 | 100.0% |
In all 84% of residents were very likely or likely to use the development and only 7% were not at all likely to do so. Figure 2 below shows the variation by area.
Figure 2: Percentage breakdown of intention to use the development, by area
Clearly Greater Leys residents showed overwhelming support for the multiplex and leisure facilities, with the other two areas showing slightly less support. However, in both Blackbird Leys and Littlemore over three-quarters of residents were likely or very likely to use the leisure facilities.
Comments
We also asked residents to tell us why they were in favour or against the proposed development. The comments recorded were categorised by subject matter. In assigning each comment made to a category, we chose categories which were as specific as possible. For example, comments such as 'to give the children something to do' were coded as 'provide facilities for young people', whilst remarks such as 'provide something to do' were coded as 'enhance local facilities'. Table 5 below shows the numbers of comments made under each category by those who were for and against the development.
Table 5: Categorised comments of residents
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| Nature of comment | Number |
| Increase in traffic | 26 |
| Noise/litter/crowds | 25 |
| Wrong location | 17 |
| Dislike of football fans | 7 |
| Reduction of property value | 5 |
| Opposition to council involvement | 5 |
The first part of the table shows large-scale support for the improved local leisure facilities which the development would bring to the area. The number of residents who specifically mentioned the benefits of having facilities for young people was noticeable. This was expressed both in terms of offering children and teenagers something to do, and in terms of getting them off the streets and reducing the likelihood that they would get into trouble. There was a related view that the development would be good for the local community and would offer job opportunities, perhaps for part-time working, for which very few openings existed at present. We were struck in particular by the complete lack of social amenities in the new Greater Leys estate, which goes some way to explain why its residents were so supportive of the proposals. Whilst some mentioned the football club and the importance of completing the stadium, there was a broader view that a range of development on the site would be an extremely posit ve step for the local community.
Those opposing the development were mainly concerned about the implications of increased traffic, noise and people in their neighbourhood, and felt that the location was not the right one. A few were worried about football fans and potential reductions in their property values, and the Council's proposed involvement in the stadium company.
FOUL is aware that this survey may be seen as a public relations exercise. The view may be taken that as a pressure group which exists to promote the interests and continued existence of Oxford United Football Club, we are inevitably biased in favour of any scheme which seems to further those ends. We can only confront that view by stating that we took all reasonable measures to undertake an impartial survey of local residents. Of course, residents were aware of our affiliation, and it is possible that as a result some might have expressed themselves to us as being more favourable to the development than they would have done to others. However, a majority of the residents did not regard themselves as supporters of the football club, even when invited to describe themselves as supporters in as broad a sense as they wished. In conversation with residents we did not detect that they were saying one thing to us in person and another to each other. On our first evening of interviewing we were accompanied by a local radio reporter. The views expressed in the doorstep interviews that she recorded confirmed our survey returns.
The striking result of this survey was the overwhelming support expressed for the leisure development and multiplex. FOUL did not anticipate this. Prior to conducting the survey most of the committee probably felt that though there may be a majority in favour, it would be a modest majority. Concerns about traffic and further local development, it was anticipated, might be more substantial. Clearly these concerns were outweighed by the potential benefits of the development. Time and again we heard from residents that there was very little in the way of local leisure and entertainment facilities. Many respondents mentioned the cost and inconvenience of travelling into Oxford, and the inadequacy of the facilities once there.
The creation of a community focus was also frequently mentioned. Clearly this is something which the new Greater Leys development lacks. Residents with teenage children were particularly positive towards the prospect of a centre which would offer their children entertainment and exercise, within a safe local environment. Some residents welcomed the possibility that the development would present local employment opportunities. The large and growing permanent local population has created a demand for the multiplex and other facilities. This demand is currently being satisfied, only in part, by residents with cars travelling to Wycombe or other distant locations.
There was also the view that leisure facilities in Oxford for the local population were inadequate. This is particularly the case with regard to cinemas. Those in Oxford are all city-centre based and for a city of its size are small and under-developed. The nearest modern multiplex is in Wycombe and the nearest bowling alley is in Aylesbury. Many residents we spoke with travelled on a regular basis to Wycombe to enjoy a modern cinema experience. The ecological argument against out-of-town developments is well-known, but our feeling was that many residents regarded Minchery Farm as a special case; to them, Minchery Farm was 'in town' and they did not naturally identify themselves with central Oxford.
In conclusion, a large majority of local residents were aware of the plans to develop the Minchery Farm site and were supportive of the plans. Less than half of those interviewed were Oxford United supporters, and whether or not particular respondents were football supporters seemed to make little difference to their views. There was a general view that the development would benefit the local community and economy, and almost all respondents, including some who were not strongly in favour, expected that they would make use of the facilities once they were available.
