19/02620/FUL

17 17A 17B And 19 Between Towns Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX4 3LX

29 October 2019

19/02620/FUL | Demolition of no’s 17 and 17b Between Towns Road and Cowley Conservative Club. Erection of three, four and five storey building incorporating 221 student study rooms, indoor and outdoor communal space, bin and bicycle storage | 17 17A 17B And 19 Between Towns Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX4 3LX

We share the concerns of others regarding the provision of yet more student housing, particularly of the speculative (as opposed to university) variety, and we regret that the opportunity has not been taken to deliver attractive affordable homes, in this eminently suitable location. However, we acknowledge that the proposal accords with policy on locations for student housing.

The proposed development fails to take account of the impact on the residents of Coleridge Close (St Luke’s Road residents are somewhat further away) and we would have hoped for more creative measures to mitigate this impact. We are also disappointed by the generic and somewhat unimaginative design of the proposals, which could have contributed more to the enhancement of the local street scene. Given the current unprepossessing nature of Between Towns Road it is somewhat disappointing also that the landscaping proposals are assessed as having only a ‘minor/moderate’ positive landscape impact immediately, and even after 10 years only a ‘moderate’ impact.

It is implausible to suggest that a no-car policy can be enforced on residents of this development. We therefore consider that any consent must be conditional upon the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone for the entire area before occupation, and the exclusion of residents from eligibility to on-street parking, in order to avoid exacerbating problems of parking, and generation of additional traffic.

We would urge that these issues be addressed, either by condition or by refusal of consent, until addressed.