Oxford North park and street given go ahead
Oxford City Council’s planning committee have approved a public park and residential street on the Oxford North Canalside development.
Back in March of 2021, the council granted outline planning permission to Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College.
The detailed plans which will now be accepted feature a detailed design of the park and street. The new park will be predominantly populated with native tree and shrub species, along with a mixed native hedge which will form a soft boundary to the new homes.
The new pedestrian and cycle-friendly street will provide access to the new homes, and will include rainwater gardens and small communal spaces to encourage social interaction.
Hill Group, the project’s residential development partner, has made a separate reserved matters application covering the design, layout and low carbon plan for 317 new homes.
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The group, which has been contracted by Thomas White to build the new park and street, has been on-site since August 2021 preparing the project’s enabling infrastructure works.
The project has created more than 250 construction jobs in the area, including four apprenticeships, since 2021.
William Donger, chief executive officer of Thomas White Oxford, said: “We welcome the planning committee’s decision on Oxford North’s latest reserved matters application.
"This is another significant milestone for the project to deliver the shared vision and enable the delivery of Oxford North’s first homes. It will create further local construction jobs and be a place which can be enjoyed by the local community and visitors.
"We firmly believe that well-designed public realm significantly contributes to the quality of the built environment and plays a key role in the creation of sustainable, inclusive, mixed communities. We look forward to delivering this next phase.”
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