18/02480/FUL

SS Mary and John CE Primary School Hertford Street Oxford Oxfordshire OX4 3AJ

23 November 2018

 Change of use of part of the Irving Building to a mixed Class B1/D1 use, erection of a new Class D1 building and erection of 7 residential units (4 x 3 bed, 3 x 2 bed dwellings).

This application is difficult to assess because of the complicated mix of new and existing, retained buildings. The site plan shows little imagination, giving the impression of the required facilities having been simply dispersed around the site where they will fit. As a result, the setting of the listed building will be completely compromised. The drawings fail to convey just how the buildings will look, and interpretation is made more difficult by references to orientations of elevations without showing north points, and the variety of orientations of plans. Scant information is provided showing the appearance of the proposed hall, and the ‘tower’ building. The housing accommodation facing Essex Street is squeezed in, and details of bin and cycle parking design and accommodation are lacking. We would urge postponement of consideration of this application, pending much better presentation of the proposals, to enable proper assessment.