It seems to almost always be laurel-pruning season in Rousham, and the sight of a half-cut leaf cannot be permitted. The hedge-trimmer or chainsaw fails at such delicacy; hands and secateurs are the only option. Sitting 12 miles north of Oxford, Rousham captures a picturesque pastoral landscape and an important moment in history. Its gardens are some of the most celebrated in England, open to the public every day of the year. 

However, “the land of whole leaves” risks being ruined by thousands of new houses, tower blocks, industrial buildings, and turbines at nearby Heyford Park. The proposed town is part of the government’s New Towns Taskforce initiative focusing on developments which ‘protect, restore and enhance biodiversity’. The UAE, infamous for its gruesome human rights abuses, hopes to fund the endeavour, while Oxford’s own New College seeks to benefit from the development. 

Dorchester Living development firm has designed the plans for the proposed development. Over 150 acres of this land, including farmer’s fields and Rousham conservational areas, belongs to New College. This is far from the standards of any ethical investment. 

New College risks implication in green-washing petrochemical profits that are funding the so called ‘eco-town’. This fantasy of eco-friendly development would precariously balance on top of destroyed green field sites and the loss of wildlife protections. A delicate ecosystem would be decimated and flooding exacerbated, impacting nearby villages. Traffic would increase to a level the existing infrastructure could not support. 

Rousham Conservation Area is designed to protect a National Heritage Asset. Yet Dorchester wishes to build a major development next to it, including high-rise buildings of up to 18 meters, sparking outrage from the Wildlife Trust, gardeners and environmentalists globally. 

New College’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy says that it “should be responsive and diligent in considering all options to ending fossil fuel dependency and biodiversity loss”. This position is at odds with their Heyford Park plans. 

In response to an email about New College’s involvement, their bursar David Palfreyman stated that any proceeds from the selling the land would be placed into the College’s permanent endowment, supporting New College’s future charitable endeavours. He also wrote that the College is “required by charity law to seek to optimise the value of its permanent endowment assets”. It is instructive to look at New College’s Responsible Investment Policy Statement which confirms the College fellows have “a fiduciary responsibility to maximise the assets of the charitable corporation in fulfillment of its charitable objectives”. However, it goes on to say that they “must also recognize that the charities have a responsibility to behave in a way which conforms to socially acceptable principles”. 

In April of last year, Cheyne Capital made a loan of nearly £100 million to Dorchester. Cheyne has received hundreds of millions of pounds from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), a sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates. ADIA’s chairman, Sheikh Tahnoon bin al Nahyan, has been linked to the ongoing Civil War in Sudan and the UAE’s exploitation of Sudanese agriculture. The UAE has also been accused by the US Congress and Amnesty International of backing the Rapid Support Force, who have been accused of committing genocide in Western Darfur.

The UAE is infamous for its denial of democracy, fair trials, free speech, and free press, as well as women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. Furthermore, the nation retains the death penalty and there are reports of people being tortured or disappearing under their governance. By engaging with the development, New College would be complicit in supporting this regime’s conduct and politics. 

Members of New College and Oxford University must decide now if they consider it acceptable to invest in a project ruining a beloved corner of rural England, promoting greenwashing, and aiding a regime that tramples on basic Human Rights. 

Anyone doubting the power of their voice in this action need only look to Merton College’s withdrawal of land from the Botley West Solar development in 2022 after Private Eye exposed the developer’s links to Russian money. 

As students, we all benefit from the long-term investments of our colleges. We also have a moral responsibility to consider whether we should endorse their investment practices. The colleges make the table and we eat from it. 

Where do you sit?

When approached for comment, New College stated: “New College has not sold any land to Dorchester.

Any updates regarding the ownership of our land will be announced on the College’s website. The latest update can be found here:  https://www.new.ox.ac.uk/news/update-about-colleges-estates.”