Oxford Brookes University's housing plan rejected again

Oxford Brookes University's revised plan to demolish and rebuild student accommodation blocks has been rejected by city councillors.

It applied to knock down 12 buildings and replace them at its Clive Booth Student Village in Headington, Oxford.

Oxford City Council planning officers had earlier recommended the application be approved, stating that it complied with its policies.

The "disappointed" university said it was considering how to proceed.

Currently about 640 students live on the site and the development would have increased numbers to about 1,200, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Council officers said the buildings on the eastern half of the student village - first built in the 1970s - were "outdated" and need replacing.

But residents' groups said the increased number of students would have "caused substantial harm" to the Headington Hill Conservation Area.

In a statement, the university said it had carried out "extensive public engagement", which had resulted in "significant changes and improvements" from its previous application which was rejected in 2019.

It said it had reduced the size of some planned buildings after concerns were raised about scale and shadowing over nearby allotments.

"The university will now consider next steps in relation to this proposed development which would benefit students and the wider community," the university said.

The council's head of planning Adrian Arnold said councillors' refusal of the application could not only leave the authority vulnerable to a successful appeal but also "run a high risk of costs being awarded against us".

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