Hertford College plans recommended for approval despite objection from Victorian Society
Niall McLaughlin Architects’ latest Oxford scheme is set to be given the green light next week.
Plans by the Stirling-winning practice for a 12,000sq m student accomodation development at Hertford College have been recommended for approval by Oxford council’s planning officer. A decision will be made by coucillors at a planning committee meeting next Tuesday.
The scheme will occupy the the rear gardens of a block of mostly residential properties bounded by Banbury Road, North Parade Avenue, Winchester Road and Bevington road, providing six new graduate accommodation buildings and converting existing villas at 43 - 45 Banbury road into student rooms.
The Victorian Society has objected to the plans on the grounds that they would damage the North Oxford Conservation area, which is characterised by 19th century villas with large gardens.
The group, which unsuccessfully lobbied to have the plans amended in pre-application meetings, said: “The density of this development would be high, historic garden boundaries would be demolished, and mature trees felled leaving little of the existing large rear gardens intact and compromising views through the existing spaces between the buildings.”
“This would harm many of the noted positive features of the conservation area which contribute to its significance.”
The planning officer’s report admitted that some harm would be caused to the historic neighbourhood, but concluded that this would be outweighed by the benefits of the scheme.
The project team includes structural and civil engineer Smith & Wallwork, MEP engineer Max Fordham, cost consultant Gleeds, heritage consultant Donald Insall Associates, planning consultant Carter Jonas, project manager CPC Project Services and fire engineer Bureau Veritas.
The new structures will be set within gardens designed by landscape architect Kim Wilkie, who Niall McLaughlin Architects previously collaborated with on designs for a revamp of the Natural History Museum’s grounds that was largely scrapped in 2020 in favour of scaled back proposals by Feilden Fowles, which started construction last autumn.
The pair also worked together on a masterplan for a new 150-bed student accommodation campus for University College Oxford in the city centre.
Niall McLaughlin’s The New Library at Magdalene College beat five shortlist rivals including Hopkins’ 100 Liverpool Street, Henley Halebrown’s 333 Kingsland Road and Mæ’s Sands End Arts & Community to win the Stirling prize last October.
The scheme for the 700-year-old college was described by RIBA president Simon Allford as “sophisticated, generous, architecture that has been built to last.”
No comments yet