A high street bank has had plans refused to move into a building in Oxford city centre. 

Barclays Bank applied for signage and and to fill a unit in the Northgate/Cheng Yu Tung Building in Cornmarket Street which was opened by Jesus College in 2022. 

Oxford City Council planning officers refused both planning applications using delegated powers. This means the plans were not decided by the planning committee. 

Officers said that scheme would have been 'detrimental to the building's design and its appearance in the street scene'. A new Korean food store Seoul Plaza recently opened there. 

No public objections were submitted for either scheme. 

In the officers' report on the fitting of the bank itself, they said: “The proposed shopfront alterations to the window proportions and materials used would disrupt the uniformity of the windows and the proportions of the building and appear as obtrusive and incongruous additions to the high quality, prominent building and would be considered an unsympathetic form of development that would be detrimental to the building's design and its appearance in the street scene, Conservation Area as well as its impact on the setting of nearby listed heritage assets.

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Northgate/Cheng Yu Tung Building in Cornmarket Street (Image: Oxford City Council) “Had the overriding reason for refusal not applied, Officers would have sought amended plans to be submitted with the application. Additional information is required to be submitted on the placement of the satellite dish on the roof and its appearance in views from key viewpoints within the city centre.

"Because this information has not been provided, the application fails to accurately define the appearance of the proposed development. In the absence of such, the proposal fails to provide sufficient information and plans which are required to fully assess the proposal.”

On the signage, they added: “By reason of its design, dimensions, siting and type of illumination, the internally illuminated fascia signage and projecting signs would appear as obtrusive and incongruous additions to the high quality, prominent building and would be considered an unsympathetic form of development that would be detrimental to the building's design and the character, appearance and visual amenity of the Central Conservation Area as well as its impact on the setting of nearby listed heritage assets and street scene in general. 

“The level of less-than-substantial harm caused by the introduction of the screen is not outweighed by the public benefits of the proposal.”

In the applicant's planning statement, they said: “The proposals are intended to respect and preserve the overall street scene and enhance the internal layout. There is therefore no adverse effect to the natural, built or historic environment.”