Will these Oxford students be able to hear the trains?

Until April last year residents were able to save money by paying only £8 to park all day at the Osney Lane car park.

Now Winvic Construction staff are working on a 515-bedroom development for student accommodation provider Student Castle.

Steady progress on the buildings has been made in recent months and the company expects the accommodation to be ready next year.

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The development forms the first phase of the Oxpens scheme, with further residential and commercial development planned separately by Oxford City Council and Nuffield College.

A development partner for the Oxpens scheme featuring new offices and homes has not yet been announced.

Mark Jones, Winvic’s director, said earlier: “Student Castle is another complex scheme that requires the skills we have in abundance, which can be added to Winvic’s ever growing list of multi-room projects.”

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The accommodation will feature student flats, one bed and two-bedroom studios and is expected to be completed by the summer, in time for the following academic year.

Buildings in the three main blocks will range from five to six storeys and will also house a gym, games area, lounge, private meeting rooms, roof terraces and a store for 290 bikes.

Inspiration for the external design has been taken from the city’s history and its famous college quadrangles, and will feature courtyards, gardens, cloisters and colonnades.

The development’s facade is being created from glass reinforced concrete panels.

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Students are being promised free use of specially provided Student Castle bikes and are being encouraged to think green.

The Student Castle website said: “We’re committed to considering – and, where possible, reducing – our impact on the environment across everything we do. We focus on green methods of construction and waste reduction, and all our developments have the facilities for you to carry on our eco-friendly mission! You can do your bit by recycling as much as possible.

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“Every site is equipped to recycle cardboard, plastics, paper and glass, and recycling tubs can also be found in each room. To recycle other items, check out the options with your scheme manager.”

There are other Student Castle developments in London, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and Newcastle.

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Other student accommodation in the city has been completed, including the £11.5m Catherine Hughes building in Walton Street, providing bedrooms for 68 Somerville College students, and the Dorothy Wadham Building in Iffley Road, for Wadham College.