Oxford University college plans new building for students

Magdalen College has put forward plans to demolish the Waynflete Building in St Clement's and rebuild new facilities in its place, including 76 student bedrooms.

If the plans go ahead it would lead to the temporary closure of the Sainsbury's Local.

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The Waynflete Building was built at the east end of Magdalen Bridge to provide extra student accommodation. It is currently occupied by first-year students.

Work began on it in 1958, to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the founding of the college, and continued until 1963.

The city council has now received a planning application for redevelopment of the site.

This will involve the demolition of the Waynflete Building and the existing extensions at the back of 9-13 St Clements.

According to the plans there will be new buildings to accommodate shops at ground level fronting St Clements, replacement student accommodation and flats, and a multipurpose space.

The college has named the plans The Waynflete Project.

(Image: Google) It said on its website: "In 2019, Magdalen College commissioned a masterplan to identify opportunities that would serve the college’s long-term needs, improve its sustainability and enhance interaction with the wider community.

"The masterplan identified the Waynflete site as an area for redevelopment that could positively respond to the College’s long-term vision.

"Magdalen College is excited at the prospect of this development. It has the opportunity to unlock great potential, support the strategic objectives of the college and enhance this important gateway site for Oxford."

The web page added that the scheme aims to deliver a "high quality, truly sustainable student accommodation development, designed with student and community wellbeing at its heart".

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It added: "The project offers an opportunity to  enhance the setting of St Clement’s, Magdalen Bridge and The Plain, by providing a building which fits more appropriately within this important heritage context, as well as enhancing the relationship with the townscape, the River Cherwell, Magdalen Bridge and the surrounding natural landscape."

According to the college, the project will enable full accessibility to all areas of the site, overcoming several significant challenges within the existing Waynflete Building.

The college said redevelopment of the site "offers an opportunity to create a  high-quality landscape, significantly improving site wide ecology, opening up views to the River Cherwell and enhancing the site as a green gateway into Oxford."

It said there would also be an opportunity to  improve the site’s relationship to the surrounding context, including the frontage to The Plain, Magdalen Bridge and York Place.

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The Sainsbury's Local store in St Clement's would be affected by the rebuild but retaining some retail units is included in the proposals.

The plans said: "The prominent site and the existing Sainsburys informed the brief to re-provide retail space.

"The scheme provides a unit which faces onto The Plain and creates an active frontage, with an important offering to the local community and students living in the Waynflete development."

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

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