As recently mentioned, there is a new planning application for the old Council depot on New High Street. There was, as some of you will remember, a previous application which was withdrawn and then another which was for two-flat development which gained permission. This new application (12/01112/FUL) effectively returns to the density of the first, withdrawn, application, fitting three flats onto the site. There will, obviously, be concerns about this as potential overdevelopment and, in order that these concerns can be fuller considered, Ruth and I have organised for this application, should it be recommended by the officer for approval, to come to the committee so it can be discussed in public.

The application can, of course, be viewed on the planning pages of the City Council website.

It has long been known that Oxford University was negotiating to purchase Park Hospital and that they saw this as an opportunity to review more widely what is presently known as the Old Road Campus. Indeed, representatives of the University have attended several of your Headington Ward Focus Meetings in order to keep the local community to understand what is planned.

Oxford University is now arranging a public exhibition to inform the local community about its thinking for the area. Here is their notice for the event:

“The Old Road Campus is the main focus for the University’s Medical Sciences Division and one of the foremost biomedical research centres in the UK. The University’s vision for the Campus is to create an internationally renowned centre of biomedical excellence.

“The University is in the process of purchasing the adjacent Park Hospital site, which will provide capacity for further research facilities to be developed over the long term.  To guide its plans for the Park Hospital site, the University is preparing a Framework to ensure that the Old Road Campus and the Park Hospital sites are fully integrated.

“Prior to submitting an outline planning application to Oxford City Council, the University would like to take this opportunity to consult residents and other stakeholders on the initial proposals at a forthcoming exhibition. At this exhibition, the University will share with you its initial findings and in turn would welcome your thoughts on the issues to be addressed and opportunities for the site.”

The details of the exhibition are as follows:

Venue: Old Road Campus Research Building, ORC, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, OX3 7DQ (the most south-easterly building on the ‘campus’, facing onto Roosevelt Drive)

Date: 28th and 29th May 2012

Time: 2pm – 7.30pm

The City Council has formally submitteed the Sites and Housing Plan to the Secretary of State. This means that the Plan has entered the Examination stage. A Government-appointed Inspector, Shelagh Bussey, has set a programme for examination hearings over a two week period beginning Monday 10^th September. A Pre Hearing Meeting will take place in the afternoon of Monday 7^th June (this will be joint with the Barton AAP Examination).

All documents relating to the Sites and Housing Plan submission and Examination can be found here.

The development of new housing as part of Barton is critical for the city and, as you know, your Headington councillors have supported the principle of it since it was first raised. There are important issues of detail that need to be thrashed out — we do not see, for example, that the ‘boulevard’ proposal, reducing the speed limit on the ring road to 40mph will do what the Council hopes and is likely, instead, to cause extra problems, as it effectively downgrades the ring road. Issues like this and others, including Ruskin’s continuing desire to promote building within the Old Headington Conservation Area on its fields, will get a further airing and a decision through the Inspection process.

The Planning Inspector for the Barton Area Action Plan has been appointed and has now announced the dates of her hearings. They will be in the week beginning 16th July. Your Headington councillors certainly intend to be there to speak on behalf of our community.

The Inspector is also in written correspondence with the City Council about its proposals, and all that correspondence is available on the Council’s website. Interestingly, one of the areas on which she has asked for clarificaiton is the proposed 40mph limit on the ring road, to which the County Council has objected. The response from the Council is that, while they would still prefer a low limit, a change to 50mph would mean that ‘The Plan remains deliverable’. So, there is all to play for on that one!

Four applications this week. They are on properties in Lime Walk, Headley Way, St Andrew’s Road and Windmill Road.  Please click on the Planning Applications tab on the top menu bar for more details

Please note that last week’s application 12/00660/FUL for the erection of dwellings on land rear of 82, 84, and 86 Windmill Road has been called in and the decision will be made by East Area planning committee

Decisions have been made by officers using delegated authority on two applications in our ward week ending 10/2/12. The two properties are in Kennett Rd and at the John Radcliffe Hospital.  Please click on Latest Planning Decisions at the top of the screen for further details

This week there are just two planning applications in Headington Ward, both of them for domestic extensions:

12/00298/FUL DEL – 6 Osler Road

12/00218/FUL DEL – 95 Staunton Road