Sir – I write regarding Oxford Brookes revised planning application for their new student centre.
The height of the building, a key reason for the original plan being rejected, has not been reduced though a segment approximately 3 x 6 metres has been chipped out of the western elevation.
This minor amendment appears to be the only significant change. This remains a massive building and the reasons for refusal — an overbearing domination of the residential conservation area to the western boundary — have not been addressed.
Despite promises by Brookes, no genuine consultation took place between neighbouring residents and the university prior to their submitting new plans to the council [09/02764/FUL, 09/02765/CAC]. They were presented as finished plans, not as a talking point for further discussion.
The fact that a number of people who attended Brookes’s open days may not actively object to the new plans is beside the point. The proposals still contravene basic planning rules, as they did last time round when, quite rightly, they were rejected.
Colin Rosser, Headington Hill
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