The land of the Louie Memorial Playing Fields was given to North Hinksey Parish Council by the Kingerlee family in 1939. The area consists of three main areas: an upper playing field, a lower playing field, and adjacent woodland and fen. The upper and lower fields are divided from each other by Arnold’s Way. 

• Louie Memorial Playing Field Deed

Facilities include Upper Field: the Pavilion and Scout Hut, marked football pitch, Trim Trail exercise equipment, Multi-use Games Area (MUGA) and youth shelter; Lower Field: children’s play park, seating, car park.

• Photo gallery of the fields and facilities

Rejuvenation of Louie Memorial Playing Fields

Throughout 2018 NHPC, supported by planning consultants Nortoft,  undertook master planning for improving the facilities at Louie Memorial Playing Fields.

The first-phase improvements were delivered in January 2019, when new play equipment for older children and teenagers was installed in the upper Louie Memorial Playing Field near the MUGA. Coverage in Oxford Mail article here.

Currently NHPC is seeking planning approval for a new multi-use community building to replace the outdated Pavilion and Scout Hut. The plans were developed in collaboration with community stakeholders and in response to a public consultation held in April 2018. NHPC will consider the full planning application for a multi-use Louie Memorial Pavilion to replace the current pavilion and scout hut buildings at a special meeting on Thursday 14th March.

The planning application documents are here:

Existing plans:

• Site plan – existing, 1 to 1000
• Block plan – existing buildings, 1 to 250
• Existing buildings plan, 1 to 50
• Elevations, existing buildings, 1 to 50
• Roof plans, existing buildings, 1 to 50

Proposed plans:

• Building & surroundings plan as proposed
• Block plan – proposed, 1 to 250
• Unfolded elevations as proposed
• True elevations as proposed
• Roof plan as proposed, 1 to 100
• Indicative sections
• Hard & soft landscaping plans
• Hard & soft landscaping notes
• Vehicle Tracking Plans

Planning documents:

• Full planning application form
• Planning application cover letter
• Site validation checklist
• Design & Access Statement
• Drawings schedule

Documents from previous phases of the planning process are here:

• Ecological survey – November 2018
• Parish update leaflet of rejuvenation plans – September 2018
• Draft business plan by Nortoft – June 2018
• Public consultation report by Nortoft – June 2018
• Raw consultation survey results – May 2018
• Consultation presentation slides – April 2018
• Video extracts from the consultation presentation and questions available on our Facebook page
• Consultation presentation at Annual Parish Meeting – March 2018
• Presentation by Nortoft to R&A Committee – January 2018

An article in the March 2018 edition of the Sprout outlined the recent history.

Nortoft were appointed in December 2017 following competitive tender in response to a consultants’ brief written jointly by representatives of NHPC, the 4^th Oxford Scouts, Louie Memorial Pavilion Trustees, and leisure officers Vale District Council.

Public consultation: agreement with Matthew Arnold School

In late 2017 a public consultation was held asking for views on a proposal by Matthew Arnold school to use the football pitch and hard-surface games area (MUGA) at the Louie Memorial Upper Field for PE lessons and afterschool football fixtures. 100 people took part, 93 from North Hinksey parish. The full results are available to download here. The proposal was discussed again at the September Council meeting focusing mainly on how much MAS would be charged for after school football pitch hire and details of the football pitch maintenance schedule). The proposal was passed at the  October 2017 meeting and the trial period began in January 2018

Copse/Fen – Projects and Management