The Red Hall at Oxford North is a 'monstrosity says residents' group

Oxford North is the new innovation district being created by Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College, and planning permission for the latest improvements was agreed earlier this month.

The £700m global innovation district is being built on 64 acres of land at Oxford northern boundary and Thomas White is working with Cadillac Fairview and Stanhope plc on the scheme.

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In March 2021, the Red Hall was granted planning permission as part of the first phase of development to deliver one million sq ft (92,903 sq m) of laboratory and workspaces, 480 new homes, hotel, nursery, cafes, bars, three public parks and infrastructure.

Earlier this month planning permission was granted for improvements to the building including a cafe-bar, retail units, community space, co-working spaces, and additional meeting and workspace intended to accommodate a range of science and innovation start-ups and SMEs.

But the building itself is not universally popular.

Paul Buckley, Chair of the Wolvercote Neighbourhood Forum said "The idea of the awful 'Red Hall' about to be inflicted upon Wolvercote, is not new. A narrower version of it was first proposed in 2018, and later approved by the City Council. Then in 2022 the current version was proposed by the developers, and that has now received planning permission."

He added: "Many locals have been opposing it ever since it was first suggested.

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"They (developers) plan to start construction of this building on the Oxford North site in the next few months. Watch as it grows and dominates its surroundings, dominates the approaches to Oxford along the A40 and the A44, and dominates the views across from the Linkside and Lakeside area, and most likely appears as a hideous splash of red visible from Port Meadow.

"Let this be a lesson for us. We must all keep an eye on what other Oxford North monstrosities are coming our way, and do what we can to object when we don't like what we see. If we are persistent enough maybe they will listen."

Liberal Democrat city councillor for Wolvercote Jo Sandelson said: "The Red Hall is big and bad and ugly and red.

"It is five-storeys high at 24m including the vast pitched roof.

"It was called Red Barn originally – and looks like something from a glossy Disney animation.

"When the red paint fades over time it’ll appear like the barn in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. And that will be without the dollops of bird mess rained down over the years.

"Oxford is renowned for it’s architecture, but this monstrosity will be the first thing tourists will photograph on entering the city. The Red Hall will be tweeted and Instagramed as the face of our city around the world."

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David Camp, chief executive officer of Stanhope plc, said earlier: “By expanding the Red Hall in the first phase and delivering amenity from day one that we open our doors, we can ensure that we are providing an exciting new place for companies and their staff at all stages of their growth to be based and a place for the local community to use and visit.

“This approval from Oxford City Council means that we can start construction of the first phase of new low carbon lab, workspaces and amenity and continue to create construction jobs and vital new science and innovation space for Oxford.”