Ski slope roof office returns for approval - and other building projects in Oxford this week

For details see oxford.gov.uk/planning

An office building which was once described as having a ‘ski slope’ roof by residents, refused planning permission for its dominating design, has now been approved.

The new office building will replace an old plumbers merchant shop between 33 and 37 Stockmore Street, between Cowley Road and Iffley Road.

The building’s design has been changed so the front facing sections on Stockmore Street and Temple Street will be more in keeping with nearby terraced houses.

Between the front and rear of the building, a series of undulating roofs, some covered in turf and others in glass, will cover the building, in a form similar to what had been described as ski slopes by nearby residents.

The scheme by local developer Robin Swailes also no longer has a basement, where before there were plans to store bikes in an underground parking area.

Now, bikes and bins will be stored elsewhere above ground.

A previous version of the application was considered by the council’s east area planning committee and was refused permission for being too overbearing.

The new application was approved by council staff, instead of by elected councillors.

In a letter setting out why the application was approved, the council’s head of planning Adrian Arnold said it did not think objections were reasonable grounds for refusal.

Planning reference: 20/03199/FUL

Headington Post Office in 2015.

Plans for a new chicken shop in the former post office building on Headington’s London Road have been refused.

The building at 142 London Road was the local post office up until 2016, when the service moved into the co-op up the street.

Then the building was used as a vape shop, which closed last year.

An application to change its use from a shop to a restaurant was received by the council last year.

Applicant Mr S Raveendrakumar wants to repurpose the building as a fast food shop selling fried chicken and in a supporting letter told the council the new restaurant would provide jobs for locals.

But city council planning officials said there was a ‘lack of adequate justification’ for a new chimney flue.

They added no odour assessment had been carried out, which mean neighbouring homes might suffer from noise and smells.

Planning reference: 20/03272/FUL

Nuffield College, Bulwarks Lane. Pic Google Maps

A late application for a marquee, set up to give an Oxford College extra dining space, has been submitted.

Nuffield College has set up a marquee in an area within its quad called the fellows garden to give the college extra space for students to dine and for teaching.

It says the marquee is needed because of social distancing requirements currently in place due to the pandemic.

The college has applied for retrospective planning permission, with the hope of keeping the marquee in place until April this year.

Planning reference: 21/00090/FUL

A light-up LED advertisement will not be built alongside a car dealership near the Mini Plant.

Humphris Oxford Ltd had applied for permission to have two 48-bulb LED advertising signs which could be programmed to display different messages.

The car dealer had said shops like the nearby Lidl already had large illuminations, but council planners said the changing images on the sign ‘would be a highly prominent feature that would be a visually distracting feature to road users’.

Planning reference: 20/03163/ADV

The current Thames path exit into the Osney Mead Industrial Estate.

Improvements to a cycle path which leaves the Thames at Osney Mead Industrial Estate have been approved.

The plans to improve the surface and quality of the cycle path were made by Oxford University, which owns the land.

The scheme ties into a larger east-west cycle route across Oxford.

Planning reference: 20/01162/FUL

A three-bedroom house planned for a street corner in Northway has been refused.

The house, which was set to be built on a corner of land between 11 and 12 Borrowmead Road, was deemed to be too big for the small plot it was planned for.

Council planners said ‘available private open space to the rear would be small in size and awkward in shape’.

Planning reference: 20/03096/FUL

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