Members of the Oxford Civic Society planning group are extremely concerned about proposed changes to planning regulations which could see premises categorised as businesses to be converted to residential use leading to poor-quality homes and empty high streets.

Oxford Civic Society (OCS) has written to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government strongly objecting to their Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure proposals, which envisage considerable deregulation of the planning process.

The proposals would allow many premises categorised as commercial, business or service, to be converted to residential use without any recourse to the planning authorities.

The OCS planning group believes that even in the handful of cases where planning permission would still be required, such as community centres, hotels and cinemas, it is proposed that the consultation period will be substantially reduced.

The OCS planning group argues that excluding effective scrutiny by the local community in this way is unacceptable and undemocratic, and risks damaging town and city centres, and high streets; encouraging the creation of poor-quality homes; and the loss of historic character in conservation areas.

Gillian Coates, OCS vice-chair and co-ordinator of its planning group, said: “New permitted development is not objectionable in itself: change is good if it brings improvement.

“OCS wants to see a revived city centre which serves those who live and work here: Covid-19 has badly damaged the economy, and many businesses are unlikely to reopen their doors.

“We don’t want empty high streets, and we recognise that allowing business premises to be converted to residential use could help provide much-needed accommodation for people working in Oxford, especially if it were affordable.

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“We can see that encouraging such conversions could breathe new life into the city centre, with a larger number of people on the streets in the evenings, shopping locally, frequenting restaurants and pubs, theatres and cinemas. And more central living would reduce the need for cars, which would have a beneficial effect on the use of private and public transport and improve the quality of the air we breathe.

“But having said all that, such development cannot be allowed to be random and purely market-driven. There must be proper checks and balances to safeguard the size, shape and character of the city, and to protect it against opportunistic or unscrupulous developers.”

Oxford Mail:

Sir Clive Booth, President of OCS said: “Without adequate scrutiny by planning authorities and local communities, it will be impossible to ensure that development is undertaken sympathetically and takes account of the potential impact on its surroundings.

“We, and other Civic Societies around the country, remain deeply concerned about the proposals in this paper and hope that the Government will think again.”

In Oxford Civic Society’s letter to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government it conveys a worry that the proposed changes could lead to poor-quality homes and an empty high street.

The letter states: “Oxford Civic Society strongly object to the proposal in principle because of the harm that it could do to our high streets, town and city centres; the creation of poor-quality homes; and the loss of historic character of our conservation areas.

“Covid-19 has had a serious impact on the economy and we have all seen businesses close, many unlikely to reopen their doors again.

“We don’t want empty high streets and the change of use from any use or mix of uses within Class E (Commercial, Business and Service users) to Residential use (C3) could perhaps provide affordable accommodation for the numerous individuals working in Oxford. Such conversions could bring life back into the City centre with a larger number of people on the streets in the evenings, shopping locally, frequenting restaurants and public houses, attending theatre and cinema.”

In the letter it adds: “In our view this is another ill-conceived proposal that will meet with significant opposition from all those that respond from the community, the councils, Civic Voice and local civic societies across the country. We urge the Government to look at these proposals again, clarify those aspects which are unclear, and come forward with a revised Paper that answers the concerns of all stakeholders.”

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