City Deal initiative – latest on the Oxford bid

The Coalition Government’s City Deal initiative will benefit our area greatly if our bid is successful.

Oxford and Oxfordshire are preparing the proposal to government for a City Deal. This is an agreement between government and a city region that gives more local control over decisions affecting the local area, and helps create economic growth. Twenty city areas are currently preparing City Deal proposals.

The Oxfordshire councils are working closely together with the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, the science facilities at Culham Science Centre and Harwell Oxford, and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership to develop a major City Deal programme that seeks to boost the knowledge economy and to create a new partnership for growth.

A feature of the programme is the development of new incubator centres for research and business across the region in the key economic hubs of Oxford, Bicester, and Science Vale UK. In Oxford, this includes the Magnet development at New Road and the Bio-escalator development at the Churchill Hospital campus. Other developments in the programme include the Northern Gateway, and West End Renaissance (Oxpens, Westgate and the railway station), as well as schemes to accelerate housing development in Barton and elsewhere. The proposed programme within the city is worth £730m and would attract £1.6bn investment, with over 16,000 jobs and 2,000 new homes supported by government and Local Authority funding.

Proposals are being finalised over the summer and will be presented to government ministers in the Autumn, with an aim to agree the City Deal by the end of the year.

Planning appeals in Headington Ward

 

New Appeals Started

 

Ward

Address

Reference

Description of Development

 Delegated or Committee Decision

Appeal Procedure

Consultation End Date
Headington Ward 29 Old High Street

13/00317/CPU

 Application to certify that proposed conversion and extension of existing house to form 2×2 bed flats (Class C3) and erection of 3 new buildings to form 2×2 bed and 1×1 bed dwellings (Class C3) is lawful development.

Delegated

 Public Inquiry 27th August 2013

 

Appeals Decided

Ward

Address

Reference

Description of Development

Delegated or Committee Decision

Appeal Decision
Headington Ward 77-77A Sandfield Road 12/01608/VAR Application to remove conditions 7, 11, 15, 18 and 19 from planning permission 12/00077/FUL (for 2 bed dwelling) Committee Appeal allowed with costs

 

Appeal for betting shop dismissed

The following appeal was dismissed this week. It is the old Cartridge World site

13/00023/FUL

“Change of use from retail unit (Use Class A1) to licensed betting office (Use Class A2).  Alterations to side elevation and shopfront”.

106 London Road

Please email David or Ruth if you would like to see a copy of the Inspector’s adjudication in full

Barton development – public drop-in sessions

Drop in sessions about the proposed development at Barton (885 dwellings ) have been arranged at:

New Marston Primary School –  between 3:15pm and 7.00pm on Monday 22nd July.

The Barton Neighbourhood Centre –  between 4:00pm and 7.00pm on Tuesday 23rd July.

 

Plans will be available and the promoters will be on hand to answer questions and discuss any aspect of the scheme

Independent Review on controversial planning application

We are posting this as we know some of our residents have either expressed concern or have campaigned actively about the permission granted to the University re student accommodation at Roger Dudman Way

Oxford City Council has confirmed its commitment that a Working Group will be set up and an Independent Review will take place regarding the planning application at Roger Dudman Way.

The external independent expert will be appointed by Oxford City Council to advise the Working Group and council officers and to identify any lessons to be learned.

Their report will assess whether the planning considerations were adequately assessed, whether best practice was adopted in consulting residents and stakeholders and whether all the factors that could reasonably be considered by the West Area Planning Committee were reported.

The Working Group will be chaired by Councillor John Goddard, with Councillors Elise Benjamin and Oscar van Nooijen. They will be joined by representation from the Civic Society, Oxford Preservation Trust and the Save Port Meadow Campaign.

A verbal report by Michael Crofton Briggs, Head of City Development, updated members at West Area Planning on Tuesday 9 July and confirmed the appointment of an independent expert.

The independent report will be taken back to West Area Planning Committee Working Party with their results.

Latest planning application

Only one minor planning application this week for signs at the interestingly titled Blockbuster Video Express, 73 London Road. We assume this is for Morrison’s?

Please click the  Planning Applications tab on the top toolbar for more details and do feel free to ask your ward councillors for advice and information  on the planning process.


Planning application at the Town Hall

We don’t often feature planning applications coming up outside the area but this one’s a bit different. It’s an application to  change the use of an ancillary residential dwelling into an independent dwelling, and the site address is the Flat in the Town Hall. Many Headington residents tell us of their concerns about the way in which the City Council is managing our assets.

The application will be discussed by West Area Planning Committee on Tues 9 July and its application number is 13/01350/CT3

The officer recommendation is as follows:
APPLICATION BE APPROVED
For the following reasons:
1 The proposed flat is considered to provide a reasonable standard of
accommodation in a sustainable location that makes more efficient use of a
redundant part of the Town Hall. Consequently the proposal is considered to
accord with policies CP1, CP6, CP10, CS19 and CP21 of the Oxford Local
Plan 2001-2016 as well as policies HP2, HP12, HP13, HP14, HP15 and HP16
of the Sites and Housing Plan.
2 The Council considers that the proposal accords with the policies of the
development plan as summarised below. It has taken into consideration all
other material matters, including matters raised in response to consultation
and publicity. Any material harm that the development would otherwise give rise to can be offset by the conditions imposed.

Recommended for approval subject to the following conditions, which have been imposed for the reasons stated:-
1 Development begun within time limit
2 Develop in accordance with approved plans
3 Bin and cycle storage

Share your views on the future of Oxpens

Oxford City Council is launching a public consultation on a planning document that will help shape the future of Oxpens.

The Oxpens site, between Oxford Railway Station, the Westgate Centre and the River Thames, represents one of the most significant development opportunities in the city centre and has the potential to make a valuable contribution to the life and economy of the local area and Oxford as a whole.

The document, known as the Oxpens Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), will help to establish appropriate uses for the Oxpens site, which could include houses and flats, offices, research & development (R&D) space, local amenities, green open space, a hotel and a public square. The development is also expected to bring regeneration benefits for neighbouring residents, such as improved public transport and better vehicle, cycle and pedestrian links to the city and surrounding areas.

Members of the public are invited to comment on the Oxpens SPD for a six-week period, from Monday 17 June until Monday 29 July 2013. This feedback will influence the extent and composition of the new neighbourhood at Oxpens.

To participate in this consultation please take a few minutes to respond to the questionnaire online or download a print version at www.oxford.gov.uk/oxpenssurvey. This consultation will be available from 9.30am on Monday 17 June. The full Oxpens SPD and related documents, such as the Strategic Environmental Assessment, will be available to download atwww.oxford.gov.uk/oxpensspd and print copies of the SPD will be available at Oxford City Council’s Customer Service Centre at St. Aldate’s Chambers and at the Central Library.


There will be a public exhibition showing extracts from the SPD at the rear of the Customer Service Centre at St Aldate’s Chambers from Monday 1 July to Friday 5 July, 8am to 6pm. All are welcome to attend and print copies of the questionnaire will be available to complete and submit on site.