Councillor Mary Clarkson was elected Chair for the Council year 2025-26.

Councillor Laurence Fouweather was elected Vice-Chair for the Council year 2025-26

Councillor Upton sent apologies.

Substitutes are shown above.

General

In relation to 22/02555/FUL Councillor Railton stated that she was on the Littlemore Parish Council, which had commented on this application, but confirmed she was not part of any discussion. Additionally, for 24/02510/RES, she stated that she was currently a Cabinet member, but decisions relating to this were taken in 2020 before she was a Councillor.

For 24/02510/RES, Councillor Regisford stated that she had previously worked at the Blackbird Leys Community Centre and might work there again but had no financial interest.

For 24/02510/RES, both Councillor Hollingsworth and Councillor Chapman stated that they were currently Cabinet members but confirmed that they had no discussions relating to this planning application or any conflict of interest.

For 2025 OHAR Report, Councillor Clarkson stated she had been supportive of the Marston Meadow site in her ward but confirmed she had no interest the application.

For 22/02555/FUL, Councillor Henwood stated that he had made public comments relating to funding that may flow from the development and so had been advised that this may be perceived as having pre-determined the application.  Therefore, he would recuse himself from this item.

Site address: 195 Botley Road And Units 1 And 1A Botley Retail Park Botley Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 0HY

Proposal: Demolition of existing retail buildings and erection of two laboratory and office buildings for research and development, as well as flexible ground floor commercial space (Use Class E). Provision of a cycle parking store, altered vehicular access onto Botley Road, plant, landscaping and associated works.

Reason at Committee: Major Development

RECOMMENDATION

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 this 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 this report; and

agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning & Regulation to:

finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as requested by the Lead Local Flood Authority and as the Director of Planning and Regulation 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 this report, including refining, adding to, amending and/or deleting the obligations detailed in the heads of terms set out in this report (including to dovetail with and where appropriate, reinforce the final conditions and informatives to be attached to the planning permission) as the Director of Planning & Regulation considers reasonably necessary; and

complete the section 106 legal agreement referred to above and issue the planning permission.

The Committee considered an application for the demolition of existing retail buildings and erection of two laboratory and office buildings for research and development, as well as flexible ground floor commercial space (Use Class E). Provision of a cycle parking store altered vehicular access onto Botley Road, plant, landscaping and associated works.

The Planning Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the location and the proposal. This included site photos and existing and proposed elevations and plans:

• The application sought planning permission for the redevelopment of the existing brownfield site to provide high quality research and development and office use with associated café and event space, car and cycle parking, as well as new hard and soft landscape planting.
• The development would make the best and most efficient use of the site and provide a high quality and sustainable development. It would provide increased employment and meet the demand for high quality laboratories for life sciences and contribute towards Oxford’s post-pandemic growth and global reputation. The development would positively enhance the character and appearance of the area through contemporary design and new public landscaped area to the front with Botley Road.
• The building would be visible in high-level long-distance views and resulted in a moderate level of less than substantial harm to the setting of Oxford and the Central Conservation Area. It was considered that the level of public benefits derived from the development outweighed the harm in this case. Whilst the building would also be visible from other surrounding views the effect would not be significant when taking into account visibility of the existing warehouse buildings.
• The proposed development was mainly in Flood Zone 1 however, a small area of the site was in Flood Zones 2 and 3. The proposed use was deemed acceptable within Flood Zone 3 and the development would maintain the existing flood water storage area, would not contribute towards flooding of the area, and would provide acceptable flood mitigation and drainage including sustainable drainage systems would be provided.
• There would be a significant reduction in car parking, sufficient cycle parking provided was to be provided, and there was no adverse impact on the highway in terms of traffic generation subject to conditions and contributions towards Botley Road highways improvements, bus services, improvements at the railway station and Travel Plan.
• The development was not considered to have a detrimental impact on the amenity of adjacent residential properties in terms of sunlight, daylight, overbearing or overlooking.
• Public amenity afforded by existing trees would be maintained and there was to be a net gain in biodiversity as a result of new tree and other soft landscape planting. The potential presence of protected habitats and species had been given due regard and there was no harm as a result of the development.
• Officers were of the view that taking all material considerations into account on balance with the application was acceptable in accordance with the NPPF and the Oxford Local Plan, subject to appropriate worded conditions and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Site address: Units 2-5 Botley Retail Park, Lamarsh Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire

Proposal: Demolition of existing retail buildings and erection of a laboratory and office building for research and development (Use Class E). Provision of a cycle parking store, access, a plant, landscaping and associated works.

Reason at Committee: Major Development

RECOMMENDATION

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 this 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 this report; and

2. Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning & Regulation to:

·       finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as requested by the Lead Local Flood Authority and as the Director of Planning & Regulation 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 this report, including refining, adding to, amending and/or deleting the obligations detailed in the heads of terms set out in this report (including to dovetail with and where appropriate, reinforce the final conditions and informatives to be attached to the planning permission) as the Director of Planning & Regulation considers reasonably necessary; and

·       complete the section 106 legal agreement referred to above and issue the planning permission.

The Committee considered an applicationfor the demolition of existing retail buildings and erection of a laboratory and office building for research and development (Use Class E). Provision of a cycle parking store, access, a plant, landscaping and associated works.

The Planning Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the location and the proposal. This included site photos and existing and proposed elevations and plans:

• The application sought planning permission for the redevelopment of the existing brownfield site to provide high quality research and development and office use with associated, car and cycle parking, new hard and soft landscape planting. The development would provide increased employment, meet the demand for high quality laboratories for life sciences, and contribute towards Oxford’s post-pandemic growth and global reputation. The development would also positively enhance the character and appearance of the area through contemporary design and new landscaping.
• Eleven car parking spaces from within the existing shared car parking for the Retail Park were to be re-provided along the western edge of the development for disabled and operational users. Officers considered this acceptable when taking into account the land was owned by the applicant and the significant reduction in overall car parking.  Officers recommended an additional condition should be imposed to ensure the 11 car parking spaces were not brought into use until the number of spaces in the shared car parking area had been reduced by at least eleven. This would ensure there would be no net increase in car parking and that the proposal accorded with policy M3 on car parking.
• There would be sufficient cycle parking and there would be no adverse impact on the highway in terms of traffic generation, subject to conditions and contribution towards Botley Road highways improvements, bus services, improvements at the railway station and the Travel Plan.
• Therefore, officers recommended approval of the proposed development, subject to conditions and the additional condition and a legal agreement.

Councillor Muddiman spoke against the application.

David Bloy, Richard Warwick and Alexandra Milne spoke in favour of the application.

On being proposed, seconded, and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application for the reasons set out in the report, and subject to conditions including the additional condition and a legal agreement.

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 this report and additional condition 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 this report; and

2. Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning & Regulation to:

·       finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as requested by the Lead Local Flood  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Site address: Plot 27, Oxford Science Park, Robert Robinson Avenue, Oxford

Proposal: Development of a laboratory and office building (Use Class E) with associated access road, landscaping, car parking, cycle parking, site infrastructure and engineering works and related works.

Reason at Committee: The proposals are for major development

RECOMMENDATION

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 this 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 this report; and

2. Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regulatory Regulation to:

·       Finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this 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 this report, including refining, adding to, amending and/or deleting the obligations detailed in the heads of terms set out in this 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.

The Committee considered an application for the development of a laboratory and office building (Use Class E) with associated access road, landscaping, car parking, cycle parking, site infrastructure and engineering works and related works.

The Planning Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the location and the proposal. This included site photos and existing and proposed elevations and plans:

• The application sought planning permission for the development at Plot 27 of the Oxford Science Park, Robert Robinson Avenue. It proposed the erection of a 4-storey building, including a rooftop plant screen, for research and development use to accommodate laboratories and associated offices.
• Officers considered that the proposed development responded appropriately to the site context, Local Plan policies and the Oxford Science Park site allocation. The development would result in no net loss in tree canopy cover after 25 years, due to new and retained soft landscaping. The level of harm to archaeological remains was assessed as moderate and less than substantial, and officers considered this harm to be outweighed by the public benefits outlined in the report.
• There would be no harm to any identified protected species and the proposal would achieve a Biodiversity Net Gain of 5.96% on site. The development was designed to be sustainable in terms of design and construction, achieving a 40.4% reduction in carbon emissions compared to the 2021 Part L Building Regulations.
• The scheme proposed 168 car parking spaces and 10 motorcycle spaces, associating an initial mode share of 46%, with an agreement to reduce this to 35.5% once the Cowley Branch Line became operational at peak times. This was considered acceptable in this location and in line with the objectives of the Oxford Local Plan 2036.
• A total of 104 cycle parking spaces were proposed on site, exceeding Local Plan requirements, with further details to be secured by condition. There would be no adverse impact from land contamination, noise pollution, air quality, flood risk or drainage as a result of the proposal.
• The Planning Officer provided a verbal update, stating that a clause that will be included in the section 106 requiring the removal of 23 parking bays once the Eastern Arc bus route and the Cowley Branch Line became operational would be amended to omit the trigger in relation to the Eastern Arc bus route, consistent with other similar schemes within the City and the Science Park itself.
• The Planning Officer concluded that the proposed development responded appropriately to the site context and complied with the Local Plan site allocation and policies overall. It was therefore recommended that the Planning Committee approve the application, subject to the section 106 legal agreement and finalisation of conditions.

Jitesh Patel spoke in favour of the application.

The Committee asked questions about the details of the application which were responded to by the officer and the applicant.

On being proposed, seconded, and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application for the reasons listed on the report.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Site address: University of Oxford Old Road Campus, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, Oxfordshire

Proposal: Application for reserved matters of application 12/02072/OUT (appearance, landscaping, scale and layout) for plot B2 to create a three storey laboratory building with basement and plant at roof level with associated substation building, cycle storage building and associated landscaping (additional information and revised plans).

Reason at Committee: Major Development

RECOMMENDATION

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 this report and grant planning permission.

2.    Agree to delegate authority to the Head of Planning and Regulation to:

·       finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning and Regulation considers reasonably necessary; and

The Committee considered an application for reserved matters of application 12/02072/OUT (appearance, landscaping, scale and layout) for plot B2 to create a three storey laboratory building with basement and plant at roof level with associated substation building, cycle storage building and associated landscaping (additional information and revised plans).

The Planning Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the location and the proposal. This included site photos and existing and proposed elevations and plans:

• The report considered a reserved matters application following the grant of planning permission for the provision of an academic research building intended for research in pandemic sciences. The application sought approval for the layout, scale, appearance, and landscaping of the proposal.
• The report took into account the principle of development, design and impact on the neighbouring amenity, highway impact, trees and landscaping, energy efficiency, land quality, air quality, impact on utilities, ecology and drainage. It concluded that the proposal was acceptable in all regards and would make more efficient use of the site.
• The development was deemed to accord with the aims and objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework. It constituted sustainable development, and officers advised that the proposal should be approved without delay. There were no material considerations that would outweigh compliance with national and local plan policies.
• The Planning Officer provided several verbal updates. These included a further objection from Headington Heritage following the publication of the committee report, related to whether the site lay within the catchment area of the Lye Valley SSSI. The Planning Officer clarified that the site sat just outside the ground water buffer zone and the surface water catchment zone for the southern fen. the concerns with the basement were also reiterated, although this issue had already been addressed. The application had undergone consultation with Natural England at the time of the outline application and again during this application, and no objections were received. 
• Officers recommended approval of the application, subject to conditions. The recommendation acknowledged that while the application did not comply with policy RE1 of the Oxford Local Plan concerning energy efficiency, the proposal would result in a more energy-efficient building than might otherwise be achieved. The development exceeded the scale parameters in terms of height, but officers did not consider this a significant material change that would result in harm. The application was therefore considered acceptable, and the officer recommendation was to approve, subject to conditions, which might be subject to amendment for consistency with the outline conditions, which would need to be discharged under a separate application. 

Prof. Adrian Hill, Dawn Brodie and Jack Tinsley spoke in favour of the application.

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

• Concerns were raised regarding the principle of the proposed energy strategy, the parking for the nursery and groundwater displacement and hydrology. The Planning Officer explained that these were material considerations regardless of the SSSI, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Site address: Blackbird Leys Community Centre, Blackbird Leys Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire

Proposal: Reserved matters application for the provision of a community centre and public open space surrounding the community centre and block A. (Revised plans and additional information)

Reason at Committee: Major development

RECOMMENDATION

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 this report and grant planning permission.

2.    Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regulation Services to:

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

The Committee considered an application for reserved matters application for the provision of a community centre and public open space surrounding the community centre and block A. (Revised plans and additional information)

The Planning Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the location and the proposal. This included site photos and existing and proposed elevations and plans:

• The application sought planning permission for the provision of a community centre and public open space surrounding the community centre in the Blackbird Leys District Centre.
• Prior to the submitting the planning application, the applicant requested pre-application advice from the Local Planning Authority to discuss the scheme for the new community centre and surrounding public realm. Advice was provided by planning officers and council’s internal urban design officers. Meetings were also held with the Thames Valley Police Designing Out Crime Officer. In addition, the applicants engaged with the local community and relevant stakeholders to help inform the design of the community centre and public realm. A statement of community involvement was submitted, outlining the evolution of the scheme’s design and the engagement process undertaken.
• The Planning Officer provided a verbal update to the Planning Committee, stating that the wording of condition 20 in the officer report, relating to the use of the community centre, should have explicitly stated the operating hours of 7am to 11pm.
• The proposals were assessed as resulting in less than substantial harm to the setting of the Grade II listed Holy Family Church. However, officers considered that the substantial public benefits of the scheme outweighed and justified the identified harm. The proposals were considered acceptable in terms of their impact on neighbouring occupiers and would not raise any detrimental highway safety concerns.
• The scheme was not expected to give rise to any adverse impacts related to health, wellbeing and safety, drainage, biodiversity or existing trees. It would deliver a high-quality landscaped area with play spaces, as well as a highly sustainable building in terms of its design and construction. Additionally, the scheme was not expected to result in any concerns relating to land quality or archaeology.
• Subject to recommended conditions and informative, the proposals were considered to comply with the relevant policies of the Oxford Local Plan and the NPPF.

Elena Brodetsky, Karoline Soisalo de Mendonca and Rebecca Bacon spoke in favour of the application.

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

• Questions were raised regarding how to prevent parking around the footpath and bollards. The Development Manager responded that the design of the space clearly indicated pedestrian areas, with parking bays located along the bottom of the landscaping plan. He noted that the road layout design would need to address this issue and that ad hoc parking near two closely located zebra crossings was unlikely to occur.
• The Committee requested the addition of more bollards around the site. The Development Manager acknowledged the request and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Site address: Oxford City

Proposal: To consider nominations for addition to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register (OHAR)

Reason at Committee: To approve or reject proposed nominations.

RECOMMENDATION

Oxford City Planning Committee is recommended to

1. APPROVE the following nominations for addition to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register.

·       New Marston Meadows

·       Milham Ford School

·       St Andrews CofE Primary School, London Road, Headington

·       Tumbling Bay Bathing Place

·       Slade Camp, Headington

·       The Kilns, Lewis Close, Headington

·       Parish Church of St Mary, Bayswater Road

·       Long Bridges Bathing Place

·       Henry & Joyce Collins’ Oxford Mural, Temple Cowley

2. To REJECT the following nominations for addition to the register.

       None.

Councillor Clarkson left the meeting during this application, as stated in the declarations of interest, and did not return.

Councillor Fouweather stood as Chair for the remainder of the meeting

The Committee considered nominations for addition to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register (OHAR).

The Heritage Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the locations of nominated assets and the purpose of the OHAR. This included site photos of each nomination:

• The report considered the addition of 9 nominations to be added to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register (OHAR).. Those comprised of 7 nominations made by members of the public and interest groups, and 2 nominations made by officers.
• The recommendation was for the Planning Committee to approve the addition of all 9 nominations to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register.

The Committee asked questions about the details of the application which were responded to by the officer. This included clarification of boundary changes to New Marston Meadows.

On being proposed, seconded, and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the nominations for the reasons listed on the report.

The Oxford City Planning Committee resolved to:

1. APPROVE the following nominations for addition to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register.

·       New Marston Meadows

·       Milham Ford School

·       St Andrews CofE Primary School, London Road, Headington

·       Tumbling Bay Bathing Place

·       Slade Camp, Headington

·       The Kilns, Lewis Close, Headington

·       Parish Church of St Mary, Bayswater Road

·       Long Bridges Bathing Place

·       Henry & Joyce Collins’ Oxford Mural, Temple Cowley

2. To REJECT the following nominations for addition to the register.

       None.

Recommendation: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 15 April 2025 as a true and accurate record.

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 25 February 2025 as a true and accurate record.

Items currently expected to be considered by the committee at future meetings are listed for information. This is not a definitive list and applications may be added or removed at any point. These are not for discussion at this meeting.

The Committee noted the list of forthcoming applications.

Future meetings of the Committee are scheduled at 6.00pm on:

17 June 2025

15 July 2025

19 August 2025

16 September 2025

The Committee noted the dates of future meetings.