We are disappointed that planning permission for the redevelopment of Clive Booth Student Village has not been granted despite a recommendation for approval by planning officers, recognition of the redevelopment in the Oxford Local Plan and extensive public engagement resulting in significant changes and improvements to the previous application.
The University will now consider next steps in relation to this proposed development which would benefit students and the wider community.
Alongside our proposals for the redevelopment of part of Clive Booth Student Village, the University has also submitted a separate planning application to enable improvements to the footpath that connects it to our Headington Hill site. Following extensive local engagement, our plans for this include the removal of the existing footpath route and formation of a new route that better links the Cuckoo Lane entrance with the Headington Hill campus. We have proposed:
The overall intention is to provide a much improved pedestrian link in this area which will improve access for not only students and staff but also the local community. The University does not own Cuckoo Lane, which bisects the campus and the accommodation site, and Oxfordshire County Council will assess any improvements to the lane separately.
Further details on Oxford Brookes’ application is available on the Oxford City Council planning web pages.
Clive Booth Student Village is an existing student accommodation site, close to Marston Road in East Oxford.
It is located on land owned by Oxford Brookes, is managed by the University and is currently home to around 1,300 students.
This includes students who are training to be nurses, paramedics, allied healthcare professionals and teachers, many of whom will work across the county during placements and after graduating.
A large number of the buildings on the site are now 30 years old. There is a need to redevelop the accommodation so that living arrangements continue to be of a high quality for our students and we can improve and modernise the site.
The proposed redevelopment of part of Clive Booth Student Village is recognised in the Oxford Local Plan 2036, which was adopted in June 2020. The Local Plan also sets a threshold for Oxford Brookes of allowing no more than 4,000 of its students to live outside of University-owned accommodation.
Increasing the number of rooms available to students within the University’s estate is important in being able to meet this requirement.
The University believes that the proposed redevelopment of the site will create a number of benefits, which include:
