16/02933/LBC

114 High Street Oxford Oxfordshire OX1 4BX

10 December 2016

Alteration to increase depth of existing fascia and display of new signage. Installation of new partitions at rear of ground floor and formation of new ceiling, lighting, electrics, air conditioning and fire safety works.

The properties and shop fronts of the High Street form an important part of the heritage of the city centre. The shop to which this application relates forms half of the ground floor of a historic single building, whose symmetry makes an important contribution to the architecture and to the character of the street. This proposal seeks to alter the shop fascia so that it no longer matches that of the adjacent shop, and to do so, it appears, solely to facilitate accommodation of the occupant’s signage and house style. We believe that this is not a sufficient reason to justify compromising the consistency of the design of the main public elevation of this attractive building, set in a highly visible position in one of Oxford’s most important streets. The continuity of the fascia details across the frontage of this property is important to the aesthetic character of the building, and should not be lost. We urge refusal of this element of the proposals to which this application relates.