Thames Valley Police has raised concerns about major plans for new labs in Botley Road believing the layout of the plans would be vulnerable to theft.
Developer British Land recently applied to Oxford City Council for a swathe of new offices and labs on the site of the retail park west of the city.
The scheme would see three buildings constructed on the Botley Retail Park.
The retail park is home to stores including Currys PC World, ScrewFix, Bensons for Beds, Pets at Home and Wren Kitchens. These would be put in jeopardy if the plans were approved by Oxford City Council.
The developer estimates that, if planning permission is granted next year, construction could start in 2026 with the buildings finished in 2028.
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Now Thames Valley Police has commented.
A spokesperson for the force wrote in a planning paper: “I have concerns with the proposed open reception layout, where an offender will be afforded unhindered access to stair cores and the opportunity to potentially tailgate through doors to gain access to sensitive areas of the development.
"I note that provision for security barriers is considered however I ask that they are implemented and delivered at this stage to mitigate the risk of unauthorised entry and intrusion.
“This is particularly important when considering the intention for the entire site to be publicly accessible and open, where an intruder is unlikely to be noticed or challenged.”
Thames Water has also said a condition should be included to say that development only goes ahead once the upgrades to the Oxford Sewage Treatment Works are complete.
The company said: “Following initial investigations, Thames Water has identified an inability of the existing Sewage Treatment Works infrastructure to accommodate the needs of this development proposal.”
Oxford Bus Company is in support of the scheme and said: “Boosting the substantial contribution of the railway to creating a sustainable commuting draw, inter-urban bus services offer direct links to the site from - among other places - Witney, Faringdon, Wantage, Grove and Abingdon, within a journey time of less than 40 minutes.
"Factoring in rail commuting, a very large proportion of the county’s existing and future population is within an hours’ commute by public transport.
“With the above in mind, we thus welcome and applaud the approach taken by the applicants to seeking to maximise the potential of the site, which is currently occupied by unattractive and obviously obsolete assets, surrounded by car parking.”
A spokesperson for the developer said: “At present are working through comments on the planning portal and meeting local representatives to talk these through in more detail.”
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About the author
Toby is a senior reporter who has a particular interest in covering planning and local government.
He joined in September 2024 having been a reporter at the Hampshire Chronicle for three years.
Toby studied at the University of Brighton and can be found on X through the handle @JournoToby
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