NEWSLETTER No 107 July 2007 ISSN 0308-9959 Registered Charity No 1116739 ‘Towards the Core Strategy’ by Tony Joyce, Chairman Current Consultation the necessary infrastructure there. Whatever Completion of the current stage of consulta- the outcome, the pressure for more housing tion on preferred options for the city’s Core within the existing city will remain, and the Strategy Document marks another step to- control of this, whilst retaining the city’s wards the new planning regime, in which a unique character, is a major theme of the group of documents, constituting the Local Core Strategy. Development Framework, will supplement The Local Plan and eventually replace the Local Plan in con- The Local Plan 2001-2016 identified 91 de- trolling future development. velopment sites within the city, and speci- For example, the West End Area Action fied the acceptable range of uses for each – Plan has just been submitted to the Secretary housing, student accommodation, university of State, and will be subject to examination or hospital, business and others. It also con- in January 2008. A series of Supplementary firmed three areas of safeguarded land (i.e. Planning Documents on such topics as af- land reserved for possible future develop- fordable housing, parking standards, tele- ment) at Summertown (despite our objec- communications and developers’ contribu- tion), at Peartree and at Barton. To revise tions are being added. and supplement this list, the city has now produced a draft Strategic Housing Land The demand for new housing Availability Assessment. This attempts to At the same time, the South East Plan, assess the capacity of all the land within the which will supersede the Oxfordshire Struc- city that might be available to meet whatever ture Plan, has now completed its examina- housing targets the approved South East tion in public and is expected to receive gov- Plan finally imposes. Consultation on the ernment approval in 2008. Whilst many of draft SHLAA has naturally raised anxiety, as the plan’s policies are already accepted, a it is at least possible that the supply of critical outcome for Oxford and the sur- brownfield land coming forward will be in- rounding area will be the decisions on the sufficient, and some difficult decisions will numbers and distribution of housing in the have to be taken on where development on region. The demand for housing in the South green space will have the least detrimental East is clear, as is the need for affordable effects. housing, particularly for key workers. For Oxford, the argument lies between those fa- Windfall sites vouring an expansion of the city boundary The other unknown factor in this calculation into the surrounding Green Belt and those is the number of so-called “windfall sites” – supporting the county’s policy of expansion those which emerge unexpectedly without of the country towns, with enhancement of being counted in the original predictions. Protecting our Heritage ~ Appreciating our City ~ Shaping our Future Windfall sites have always figured largely in in accordance with the West End Area Ac- Oxford’s housing provision, and have been a tion Plan. major factor in the city’s consistent achieve- On the housing front, the city is developing ment of higher housing completions than the a Supplementary Planning Document on the targets set. Balance of Dwellings to address the prob- Conflicting demands lem (of which we have constantly warned!) Housing and student accommodation are of the conversion of modest family houses not the only factors exerting pressure on into smaller units, with nearly all new build scarce space. The Core Strategy must also being 1 or 2 bed flats. It seems likely that deal with the demand from other develop- policies will be developed to discourage fur- ment. How much room remains in the city ther conversions in the worst affected areas for its traditional activities and wealth gen- and to influence the balance of unit sizes in erators to be allowed to expand, and how new developments, to improve the propor- will new jobs, without matching accommo- tion of family housing. dation close at hand, exacerbate the already Barton acute problems of commuter travel? The safeguarded site at Barton could offer Sustainability and innovation some interesting possibilities, since it would Against this background, and the require- require a link bridge over the ring road ments of a more sustainable future, the Strat- which might be combined with the badly egy must try to decide what sort of city we needed link from the Northern Bypass to the want to maintain, and how this is to be JR Hospital. A mix of housing and other uses achieved. here could provide accommodation for hos- pital staff and some regeneration opportuni- It stresses innovation to tackle climate ties for the rest of Barton – perhaps also an- change, minimising the use of natural re- other bus route linking Barton to the city sources, conserving and enhancing the city’s centre, easing bus pressure on the London outstanding heritage and its most prized Road. green spaces. It supports carefully managed growth and innovation in areas where Ox- In conclusion ford already excels: education, healthcare, Overall, the plans already on the table con- scientific research and manufacturing. At stitute a huge volume of new work for the last we see acknowledgement that tourism construction industry, whose capacity will needs to be managed to maximise its benefits be sorely strained. John Ashdown entitled to the city. It aims to enhance the character one of his previous reviews of new building and role of neighbourhood and district cen- in the city “What a lot of Cranes!” One can tres and to focus special treatment on regen- only respond: “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” eration areas at Barton, Blackbird Leys, Notes: Northway, Rose Hill and Wood Farm. And it (1) The city’s website has full details of all of the supports innovative ways to reduce the im- documents referred to above – please visit pact of traffic. www.oxford.gov.uk Is there any good news? (2) Details of the county’s Headington Road & London Road Transport Improvements can be In some areas the prospects are encouraging. viewed at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/londonroad A In the autumn, the two universities will each decision on the final design will be taken by the present to the city council their master plans: county’s Transport Decisions Committee on 6 Sep- for the development of the Radcliffe Infir- tember and implemented in 2 sections, each of mary and Science Area sites; and for approx 24 weeks’ duration. Pullens Lane to Sand- field Road will be completed in 2008 and Sandfield Brookes Headington and Wheatley cam- Road to Wharton Road in 2009, each starting in puses. Oxford and Cherwell Valley College springtime. Very detailed planning of the roadworks is producing major plans for its Oxpens site, will be required to keep disruption to a minimum. Page 2 Report from the Planning Sub-Committee commodation was to be increased by adding a large box dormer along with side and rear Update on applications mentioned in the March extensions, and then converted to three flats. 2007 Newsletter report: Decisions are still Two new student blocks, proposed at Brookes awaited on plans to convert The Old School, University’s Morrell Hall, John Garne Way, First Turn, Wolvercote. A better proposal for by enlarging and upgrading existing student 1 Lucerne Road, to retain the original house accommodation and adding an extra storey, and erect one new one alongside it, has been which might prove obtrusive in the green permitted. Warneford Hospital, the Park backdrop, were nevertheless permitted in June. Hospital and Warneford Meadow will now go to a Public Inquiry Appeal in the New In May, permission was given only a month Year. At 45 Davenant Road a modified ap- after an application was made for land to the plication to demolish and build flats has not rear of 98 Crescent Road, Cowley Marsh, to been determined. A proposal to build 2 be used for a 3-storey building for five 1-bed houses to the rear of 109 and 110 St Mary’s flats with parking for six cars. 1 Godstow Road was permitted in June, a previous one for Road, Wolvercote was the subject of pro- 4 flats having been refused. Another, to de- posed demolition and redevelopment. The molish 29 Charlbury Road to make way for railway line runs close along one side of this houses and flats, has been withdrawn. fairly large site and restricts the space avail- able for the proposed five 5-bed houses with Many of the 34 applications to which we ob- 10 parking spaces. Oxford Brookes Univer- jected between March and June have not yet sity featured in another application, this time been decided, it seems. for six flagpoles carrying banners announcing In March an application was made to demol- the new use of the buildings of ex-Milham ish 118 and 120 Old Road, Headington and Ford School, Marston Road, now the School replace them by four 4-bed houses: this was of Health and Social Care; some of the ban- permitted in April despite objections about the ners were given permission in June. extra congestion which would be caused. It June’s applications ranged widely. One was was proposed to demolish 10 and 12 Stephen for a mast near the Seacourt Park-&-Ride, Road, Headington, and build a terrace of five Botley Road, to carry apparatus to monitor 3-bed houses, but without access to the rear of wind-speeds for two years, assessing suitabil- three of the houses for cycles and bins: this ity for a wind turbine.