Actor’s idea to house refugees stumbles over ownership saga

A CAMPAIGN by actor Jeremy Irons to use an empty building in Watlington to house an Afghan refugee family may have stalled.

Some members of the parish council are concerned about the cost of the initiative when it is not responsible for the former charity shop at No 33 High Street.

The council has been negotiating with Oxfordshire County Council to take over ownership of the building since 2017 but without success.

Last month, Mr Irons, who lives in the town, approached the parish council with a proposal to make the building habitable again and use it as emergency housing accommodation for a refugee family.

The 73-year-old actor offered to pay for some of the work himself and to start a fundraising campaign.

Parish councillors welcomed the proposal, saying it would help its negotiations with the county council.

Matt Reid, who chairs the parish council, said that since then the council had applied to have the water reconnected.

It was also applying for a grant from national membership network Locality to spend on surveys of the building and preliminary work.

Speaking at a parish council meeting, Councillor Reid said: “I’m pleased to say it’s all moving ahead very quickly.

“It has gained some momentum, which is very good, and we now need the county council to stand behind what they promised us.”

However, other councillors raised concerns about spending money on the building before the transfer of ownership has been
completed.

Councillor Steve Bolingbroke said: “I’m concerned about spending money on something that we don’t own.”

Councillor Tim Horton said: “We want to see this project achieved but I think we should continue to be cautious about it.”

Councillor Ian Hill said: “This grant application is running in parallel with Jeremy Irons’s campaign and at this stage we are just getting our application in.

“We are not going to spend any money until we know that the transfer is going ahead.”

Gill Bindoff, who chairs the Watlington neighbourhood plan advisory board, said: “If we do get the grant, we would be using the money for structural surveys and architect plans.

“There’s obviously a degree of uncertainty here because of the transfer of ownership but it’s worth continuing with the application.”

The parish council agreed in 2018 to become the sole trustee of the Charlotte Coxe Trust, which oversees the building and the library next door.

Both properties were left to the county council in 1949 by Charlotte Coxe, who founded the library for the benefit of the people of Watlington.

No 33 has not been occupied since Age Concern moved out in 2009 and needs significant work to make it habitable again.

Some residents have demanded the county council takes responsibility for the delay in the transfer and pays compensation for the loss of rent and the damage caused by poor maintenance of the building.

A county council spokesman said: “The council supports the project to renovate 33 High Street and make it habitable and is working closely with Watlington Parish Council and Jeremy Irons in connection with it.

“Delivering the project is separate from decision-making over the future management of the Charlotte Coxe Trust and the project can still be delivered while the trust is managed by the county council.”

In a letter to the council, Irons said: “As a country, we have a duty to house refugees. As a community, Watlington wants to be part of that process. Housing is in short supply but 33 High Street has been empty for too many years.

“I would ask those with the responsibility for running our community to do all in their power to free up this accommodation, to allow us to help with this humanitarian need.”