17/02164/FUL

49-51 St Giles' Oxford Oxfordshire OX1 3LU.

27 March 2018

Change of use of ground floor and first floor of No. 50 St Giles from Cafe (Use Class A3) to Hotel reception and accommodation (Use Class C1) . Demolition of part ground and first floor rear extensions. Erection of single storey rear extension to provide additional pub floorspace at ground floor level. Conversion of upper floors at No.49 – 51 St Giles to form 7No. ensuite bedrooms for use as hotel accommodation (Use Class C1). Formation of new entrance through boundary wall to provide access off Wellington Place and rebuilding of existing south boundary wall. Installation of air conditioning units and extraction ducting to rear roof. Replacement of windows. (Amended Plans)

Oxford Civic Society welcomes this proposal to add hotel accommodation to the Eagle & Child Pub, a building of architectural, historic & literary importance. The scheme will sensitively incorporate two small retail units to make a small hotel.

In a process of patient iteration, the applicant has successfully striven to satisfy the exacting demands made by a building of such high heritage value. We welcome the proposal in general, although we have reservations about the impact on Wellington Place, as follows:

Loss of trees

Wellington Place is a small, almost rural, oasis in the centre of the city.  Cutting down the trees as proposed will have a harmful impact on the view from St Giles and on the environment of the residents of Wellington Place.  The proposal to replace those felled with a single tree, planted in such a way as to avoid long term damage to the nearby wall, is a step in the right direction.  However we recommend that a condition of approval is that at least three replacement trees are provided in this way. Replacement shrubs will not suffice.

Roofscape

We strongly prefer Option 3, which has among its various advantages, the least negative impact on Wellington Place.

We are opposed to the use of zinc roofing on aesthetic conservation grounds in any location where it is visible to the public, including Wellington Place.

Noisy or smelly ventilation/exhaust systems

We hope that stringent conditions will be applied to ensure that the creation of  intrusive smells and noise will not be worse and will preferably be better than the existing premises generate.

Emergency exit

It should be a firm condition that the emergency exit into Wellington Place, and any associated external lighting cannot be used other than in an emergency.