Council leaders and an Oxford University college are now going ahead with plans to redevelop the Oxpens site as part of a £1.5bn revamp of the city’s West End.
OxWED, a joint venture between Oxford City Council and Nuffield College, is aiming for a consultation with stakeholders this summer and an outline planning application by early 2022.
The 15-acre site off Oxpens Road, on the opposite side to the new Westgate Centre, will feature 450 new homes and new offices and create more than 3,000 new jobs.
Read again: £1.9m scheme for pop-up shops across Oxfordshire
There will also be new cycle and pedestrian routes through the Oxpens site to connect to a new bridge over the River Thames that will link the Osney Mead industrial estate to the city centre.
Oxpens Road Picture: OxWED
OxWED (Oxford West End Developments) is now seeking funding, a total of £2m, from the council and the college, to take the plans forward and both are due to consider the funding request on March 10.
Alex Hollingsworth, cabinet member for planning and housing delivery, said: “The delivery of the Oxpens scheme is a top priority for both organisations, with the potential to deliver a genuinely mixed-use scheme creating a new community and new jobs – against the backdrop of our city’s recovery from the Covid pandemic.
“The recommendation to move forward to the submission of an outline planning application, funded by the shareholder partners, demonstrates our shared long-term commitment to this project and the city.
Read more: £1.9m pop-up shops scheme
“It will give greater control over the project and better financial returns for the council.”
The redevelopment of the Oxpens site is seen as a key element of the Oxford West End Innovation District.
City councillor Alex Hollingsworth
This project is focused on delivering a sustainable and connected district including Osney Mead, Oxford National Railway Hub and Station, Oxpens, and other development sites with retail, hotel, university, lab and office, and residential spaces.
The district is being upgraded through the coordination of local landowners and partners, and infrastructure investment across key development sites.
Together, the sites account for 350,000 sq m, to be revitalised over 15 years with £1.5bn of largely private sector investment.
Read again: Residents evacuated after kitchen fire in Cowley
The government is expected to announce its decision on a multi-million pound investment in Oxford station this month, the first phase of the wider regeneration of the station.
The city council and county council are now working with Network Rail on the masterplan and business case for the next and final phase of proposals.
An artists' impression for Oxpens shown in 2018
Sir Andrew Dilnot, Warden of Nuffield College, said: “This is a hugely exciting and potentially pivotal step in the process of delivering the redevelopment of the Oxpens site.
“I am delighted by the progress which has brought us to this point, by the vision which is emerging for the site, and by the promise of more progress to come, all of which has been made possible by the hard work of the OxWED team and the partnership of its two shareholders.
“I am confident that in these and other ways we will be able to bring about enduring and positive change to the city of Oxford in general and to the West End in particular, at a moment when it is most needed.”
Read more: Firms that performed the pandemic pivot
As a sign of its commitment to plans for the West End, the council will shortly start work on a new West End and Osney Mead Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document.
The Oxpens site is waiting to be developed Picture: OxWED
At the same time OxWED has commissioned a professional team including masterplan architects Hawkins Brown and landscape architects Gillespies to prepare a masterplan for the Oxpens site.
The masterplan will set out plans for a mixed-use development, with a range of potential residential uses across a total of 15 acres ‘anchored around high-quality public realm and making the most of its relationship with the river’.
Read again: Wildlife oasis gets £5,000
Kevin Minns, managing director at OxWED, said: “Oxpens is a unique and timely opportunity for Oxford and one we want to bring forward successfully and in the right way.
Land at Oxpens ready for development Picture: OxWED
"It can deliver homes and the larger commercial buildings needed in an Innovation District to drive economic prosperity."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel