Issue - meetings
23/01483/FUL: 13-15 Oxenford House, Magdalen Street, Oxford OX1 3AE
Meeting: 23/01/2024 - Planning - Oxford City Planning Committee (Item 62)
62 23/01483/FUL: 13-15 Oxenford House, Magdalen Street, Oxford OX1 3AE 
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Site Address: |
13-15 Oxenford House, Magdalen Street, Oxford |
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Proposal: |
Change of use of the first to fourth floors and part basement and ground floor to provide 55no. en-suite student accommodation rooms (Sui Generis). Erection of a roof extension to the front elevation above fourth floor and a two storey roof extension to rear elevation above third floor. Alterations to basement to create plant area and bin storage. Formation of new entrance lobby to Friars Entry with reception, break out area and cycle storage. Alterations to fenestration. (Amended Description and Plans) |
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Reason at Committee: |
The proposal is a major development |
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Recommendation: The Oxford City Planning Committee is recommended 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 subject to: · the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers to secure the planning obligations set out in the recommended heads of terms which are set out in the report; and 2. delegate authority to the Head of Planning and Regulatory 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 reasonably necessary; and · finalise the recommended legal agreement under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers as set out in the report, including refining, adding to, amending and/or deleting the obligations detailed in the heads of terms set out in the report (including to dovetail with and where appropriate, reinforce the final conditions and informatives to be attached to the planning permission) as the Head of Planning Services considers reasonably necessary; and · complete the section 106 legal agreement referred to above and issue the planning permission. |
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Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Committee considered an application (23/01483/FUL) for change of use of the first to fourth floors and part basement and ground floor to provide 55no. ensuite student accommodation rooms (Sui Generis); erection of a roof extension to the front elevation above fourth floor and a two storey roof extension to rear elevation above third floor; alterations to basement to create plant area and bin storage; formation of new entrance lobby to Friars Entry with reception, break out area and cycle storage and alterations to fenestration at 13-15 Oxenford House, Magdalen Street, Oxford.
The Planning Officer gave a presentation, provided the following updates and also highlighted the following:
· Since the committee report was published, the Highways Authority had removed its objection relating to the provision of cycle storage following the submission of amended plans. The cycle storage had been removed from the basement and relocated to the ground floor.
· The latest advice from Highways was that the travel monitoring fee to be secured via a s106 agreement was not now necessary. The mechanism for securing four cycle stands on highway land within Friar’s Entry had also been confirmed as being acceptable to be conditioned. A s106 requirement for the contribution towards affordable housing provision remained.
· Condition 13 required correction to refer to 56 cycle spaces (not 55).
· The principle of the proposed development was considered acceptable on the basis that it was an existing city centre site, and the proposal would make best and most efficient use of the land in order to provide sought after student accommodation in a sustainable location.
· The application comprised speculative development: however, it was known that both universities relied on additional market rental accommodation to provide housing for students. The proposal would provide 55 rooms towards meeting this provision, each with ensuite accommodation and shared kitchen.
· Oxenford House contributed positively to the character and appearance of the central conservation area as one of the few remaining mid-20th century buildings in the city centre. The most substantial and visually prominent element of the proposal was the additions to the roof, which would increase the overall height and prominence of the upper floors of the building. However, the roof extension would remain lower than the adjacent Debenhams building and the Randolph Hotel, limiting its impact on the city’s roofscape. The extension to the front would be stepped back from the north elevation of the building to maintain views of the roof parapet from street level.
· Officers considered that the proposed materials would respond well to the façade’s existing palette, and that the proposal would not alter the composition of the historical skyline as the scale of the proposed development was not of such magnitude as to compete with existing landmarks.
· The development was of a sustainable design and construction and involved retrofitting the building to a high energy sustainability standard.
· On balance it was considered that the development would, by way of replacement of the original glass panels with insulated aluminium panels, erode the distinctive mid-20 ... view the full minutes text for item 62