Response to Stavertonia : Second Public Consultation

Summertown St. Margaret’s Neighbourhood Forum’s response to University College’s Second Public Consultation on their proposal for New Student Accommodation, a Children’s Nursery and study space in Stavertonia. 

University College are proposing to build more student accommodation on the backlands between the old Fairfield Nursing Home and their 1970s student accommodation blocks adjacent to Woodstock Road.

The proposal replaces planning application 15/01102 for 6 pavilion student accommodation buildings which have planning permission and were to have been built on part of the site. The new proposal is for a larger development covering virtually all the land that University College owns there.

Creeping expansion of the University and Colleges, and other academic institutions into North Oxford. 

There is considerable local opposition to the plan. North Oxford residents are concerned by Oxford University and Oxford Colleges, and other academic institutions spreading north into St Margaret’s and the rest of North Oxford at the cost of other residential housing. Housing prices are astronomically high in North Oxford with an excess of large houses. Local residents feel that any building land should be used for smaller residential units suitable for small families, the elderly downsizing, social and key worker housing.

Bob to write a paragraph on the new Local Plan & developments containing a proportion social / key worker housing.

We recognise University College’s wish and right to build student accommodation on their own land. However, the College must recognise that they cannot function without essential support staff, both academic and non-academic. Also that these employees cannot afford Oxford housing prices. 

The new student accommodation is to be partly funded by College alumni We suggest that former members of the College might similarly be prepared to finance accommodation built with the same care, attention to detail and sustainability for College key workers. This housing need not necessarily be on this site but could be built on another suitable site elsewhere.

The Proposed Development

The site lends itself to the proposed college residential campus. The accommodation blocks as shown on the model fit comfortably into the site. It should be possible to maintain and enhance its leafy green garden character, which is characteristic of North Oxford. We welcome that good specimens of existing trees will be retained and more trees planted, that the orchard will be retained and renewed, as will the Rose Garden.

The former pavilion proposal was for 30 postgraduate students. This proposal is for 150 bed spaces. We do not yet know the mix of undergraduate & postgraduate accommodation but understand it will be mainly for undergraduates. Univ. is considering a 10% increase in undergraduate numbers. We welcome that it is proposed that these students will come from disadvantaged backgrounds but there will be an increase in student numbers and further pressure on Oxford housing.

Postgraduate numbers are determined by the University and not by the College. There has been a 20% increase in Univ’s postgraduates in the past 3 years. This has caused further demand for College accommodation. It is unlikely that any Oxford accommodation will be released back into the market by Univ. as a result of the development.

The College has changed architects. The new architect is the highly regarded Niall McCormack who has built student residential accommodation for other colleges in Oxford (Somerville, Balliol, St.Cross & St. Catherine’s).

The designs of the new buildings have not been finalised. The proposal is to have blocks of 2 different styles on the site: an Arts and Crafts style on the Banbury Road side and a modernist style on the west side, near the 70’s blocks. No doubt this is to fit in with surrounding architecture but the site not having a public aspect, there is no reason why the campus should not have its own distinctive modern architectural style.

The Arts and Crafts blocks are attractive with high level ventilation stacks. They have triangular windows that go to the top of the gables, which are not in keeping with the Arts and Crafts style. The modern architecture blocks are also attractive but less striking. No doubt further work will be done on the architecture.

Nursery

We welcome that there will be a children’s nursery open to the community on the site. There will be places for up to 50 children. This was to have been built near the Staverton Road entrance but it is now proposed to locate it further south, after objections, on the grounds of increased traffic, by Staverton Rd. residents. This does not seem to be strictly necessary as it is unlikely much extra traffic will be generated as most children will probably arrive by sustainable transport, some of them from nearby College and other accommodation. Another suggestion is to locate the nursery on the Banbury Road side of the site.

Parking and Transport within the Site

It is proposed that the site should be car free and that residents should be excluded from the Residents Parking Zone. This should work with Oxford University students.

The site needs to be designed for sustainable transport. Pedestrian and cycle connections within the site, linking with with footpaths and cycle and bus routes in the neighbourhood should be given a high priority.

Being that little bit further from the City centre it is likely that a very high proportion of residents and visitors will use bicycles to access Oxford. Sufficient secure, covered cycle parking should be provided.

Larger vehicles, such as bin lorries, will need to access the site through the Staverton Road access, as they do now for the existing student accommodation there. Fairfields and the rest of the site will be accessed from the new 115A Banbury Road entrance . 

It is not clear from the plans shown what the new road and path layout within the site will be and how the new accommodation blocks will be serviced. Rather than widening access roads, supplies could be distributed round the site using sustainable transport from a single drop off point on the site.

It is proposed have a new cycle lane and footpath next to the wall along the southern boundary of the site. There is no cycle route along Woodstock Rd. where the cycle lane exits from the side of 96 Woodstock Road. This will need careful consideration. Local residents are concerned that the cycle route could be used as a Trojan horse to get larger vehicular access. Planning permission should make sure that this will not be allowed.

Residents are also concerned that the Staverton Road entrance will be widened but as far as we are aware there are no plans for this and there would be no justification for it.

Community access to the site

It is to be hoped that local residents will allowed to use the site as ‘green lungs’, that they be allowed to walk through the site and rest there awhile to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the site. Public access to the cafe would be welcome and help its viability.

Sustainability

It is essential that the development should be built to the highest standards of sustainability.

Summertown St.Margaret’s Neighbourhood Forum Steering Group