A GRAND plan to refurbish East Oxford Community Centre and build new affordable houses in the neighbourhood has been approved.

Two interconnected schemes will see council houses built at the site of the old East Oxford Games Hall on Collins Street and behind the East Oxford Community Centre on Princes Street.

Oxford City Council's West Area Planning Committee granted planning permission to both of the developments at its meeting last night (December 8).

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Councillors on the planning committee were in agreement that the plans, which were delayed by Covid, would transform the 'exhausted' community centre, and provide the city with new homes to get people off the housing waiting list.

At the community centre site, 12 one- and two-bedroom flats can now be built in a three-storey block, rented out as new council houses.

Oxford Mail:

Picture: Richard Cave

And at Collins Street, where the disused games hall stands, 14 one- and two-bedroom flats can now be built in four-storey block, which would be sold under a shared-ownership scheme by the council.

Before this can go ahead, the games hall will be demolished.

As the planning committee considered the two schemes, Hagan Lewisman, a council officer who has been involved in the creating the new homes spoke in favour of them.

Mr Lewisman said the planned new houses were the result of five years of planning, and he stressed that a 'wide array of stakeholders' had been asked for their opinions about them.

Among those asked about the schemes were people who use the community centre, who were invited to a presentation of the plans at the building in February this year.

Oxford Mail:

The different council house sites highlighted. Clockwise from top left: Princes Street, Collins Street and Catherine Street. Picture: Google Maps.

Mr Lewisman added: "We have worked very hard to make sure the plans are inclusive and that they respect the local architecture and heritage."

The committee considered the two proposed developments separately and both were passed unanimously.

While the plans for the games hall inspired only a small discussion, the committee delved into the details of what was proposed for the community centre site.

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Committee member Alex Hollingsworth said he wanted to make sure that a planned communal garden for the new flats would be kept in a good state, and asked that this would be a condition of granting planning permission.

He added the roofscape of the new buildings behind the community centre would 'enhance' the local area with interesting new architecture.

Oxford Mail:

A design image of the community centre. Picture: Oxford City Council

His fellow committee member Richard Howlett was also in favour of the scheme, but said he was concerned that some groups which used the building had given feedback that the consultation had not been carried out in an adequate manner.

Mr Howlett said: "The centre is in a really bad state. I think it is unfortunate that many users have had a bad experience with the consultation… but I think it is a really good proposal and with the affordable housing I shall be supporting it."

READ AGAIN about when the plans were previewed in February

Earlier this month, the council's draft budget proposals for next year included funding to help pay for refurbishing the centre.

When finished, there will be less space overall for activities at the community centre site, but council planning officers said this would be of a higher quality.