The Committee considered an application (22/00841/FUL) for the demolition of existing rear sheds and external rear fire escape; erection of two storey rear extension with glazed link to provide 8 no. additional student rooms and refurbishment of existing property to provide 11 no. additional student rooms; replacement of 1 no. window 1 no. door to side elevation; replacement of 1 no. window with 1 no. vent to side elevation; replacement of 1 no. window and fire escape door with 1 no. window to rear elevation; replacement windows; formation of bin and cycle stores to rear; new accessible landscaping to front and new side access gate; provision of accessible car parking to front; hard and soft landscaping at Cotswold House, 110C Banbury Road, Oxford.

The Planning Officer presented the report, including proposed site plans and elevations, and visual representations.  The officer recommendation was to approve the application, subject to the required planning conditions set out in the report.

Dr Giles Campion (local resident) spoke against the application.

Jayne Norris (agent) and Sir Malcolm Evans (for the applicant) spoke in favour of the application.

The Committee asked questions about the details of the application, which were responded to by officers.  The Committee’s discussions included, but were not limited to:

·       The use of the property had been certified to be student accommodation since 1992, rather than three flats which happened to be occupied by students. Officers did not therefore consider the proposal to result in the loss of family accommodation for the purposes of planning policies.

·       A previous application for a much larger extension had been withdrawn in June 2020.  The proposal now before the Committee represented a reduction in scale of development compared with that application.

·       There was a challenge for the applicant in looking to provide student accommodation within an existing residential area, and in a relatively confined space.

·       Some Councillors considered that the proposal represented over-development, and that it was not visually pleasing and was out of character for the area.  It was noted that there would be also be an impact on neighbouring amenity in terms of the effect of construction on the plum tree within the grounds of No. 112 Banbury Road.

On being proposed, seconded, and put to the vote the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in the report.

The Oxford City Planning Committee resolved to:

1.      approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of the report and grant planning permission; and

2.      delegate authority to the Head of Planning Services to:

·        finalise the recommended conditions as set out in the report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning Services considers reasonable necessary.