NEGOTIATIONS are under way to buy 36 acres of riverside land in Oxford for the people of Oxfordshire.

The Oxford Preservation Trust has opened talks with Tesco, which owns the bulk of the site near Old Marston, between the Northern Bypass and the River Cherwell.

The trust is also speaking to Oxford City Council, which owns neighbouring water meadows that run down to the river.

The trust wants to buy the site as part of its ongoing policy to ensure river corridors running through the city are fully protected, and to allow public access to them.

A public appeal is expected to be launched once agreement is reached with the two landowners.

Preservation Trust director Debbie Dance said: “We own land on either side of the Marston Ferry Link road leading up-river from the University Parks along the Cherwell to the Victoria Arms, where the old ferry used to cross before the Marston Ferry Link road was built.

“We are keen to protect the river corridors of the city and to give the public access, which is exactly what this land purchase would achieve.

“We are still at an early stage in our negotiations but are delighted to have the support of the city council in this.

“We are excited at the chance this gives to make a riverside walk upstream from the pub – and hope that local people will support us in our fundraising in due course.”

Last week, the city council’s north east area committee approved selling almost 10 acres of city council-owned land fronting the Cherwell, which suffers from regular winter flooding.

The land has no vehicle access, with the site categorised as an undeveloped flood plain.

The land owned by Tesco has access to the A40 and is significantly less susceptible to flooding. An officers’ report to city councillors said: “Covenants will be put in place which will preclude any development and will limit the land to public open space or grazing land.”

A spokesman for Tesco said: “Tesco has no plans for the site and is therefore working positively with the OPT who are interested in buying it.”

The trust owns more than 800 acres of land in and around Oxford, including 120 acres in Old Marston.

Much of the land was acquired to stop the site being developed in the 1920s. The Victoria Arms pub, a favourite location in the Morse TV series, was added to the trust’s estate in 1959.