JUST ACROSS from Mill Street and the river Thames is the West Oxford Democrats Club – it has no affiliation with any political party. Some wizard has revamped the web site very recently.
A PDF here has some information about the Island of Frogs, as the locals call it. The nearest bus stop is here.
If you look closely at the picture on its web page, there is a very famous bench, that was moved, obliquely, and reported on previously in the Oxford News. ♠
LAST WEEK the Said Business School put in its planning application to convert the old Power Station here in Osney – and today it held another consultation to show the business paradise it’s planning on the river.
Asbestos is being removed right now and responses to the planning application close around Yuletide. There’s rather more asbestos than the architects expected. Continue reading
On the border between New Osney and old Osney there’s a bridge where herons happily snap up fish. But people using the multitude of smart bikes that are now available all over Oxford don’t seem to want to park them, er, responsibly.
As this picture shows.
A missive from the egregious Said Business School (SBS)is holding a “consultation” on the future of the Old Power Station, on the Thames, just a slingshot away from Mill Street.
The message, in a bottle, is reproduced below.
But there are things the SBS doesn’t say, as well as things it does say, with implications for the original inhabitants of Old Osney Island, that’s us folk on Arthur Street, Mill Street and the rest.
The towering edifice was used in times of yore to test Concorde engines and then to host exhibits from the Ruskin. Then there was a health scare because it seemed to hold rare chemicals and stuff stored away.
Then a possibly dangerous harpoon was found, it seems. And squatters were evicted.
The SBS didn’t really respond to FOI requests, I think you’ll find.
Anyway, the document issued for the consultation, below, said SBS is pushing ahead with a proposal offering “bespoke conferencing facilities. It doesn’t say what the impact on the area will be, how many bricks will go, and how the poor people on Arthur Street will feel about huge lorries making a right turn from there past Kite 2.0, also known as the Porterhouse now and the effect it will have on both Mill Street and the Botley Road.
Hey, I guess we residents will have the chance to forewarn the planners ahead of the “conference”. It’s all about the regeneration of West Oxford, you know. ♥
The Said Business School (SBS) has revealed details about its plans for the Old Power Station in Arthur Street and it seems that chief planning officer Murray Hancock, Bob Price leader of Oxford City Council and Roger Harmsworth all seem agreed that it is a “good thing”.
(See Said Business School makes bid for Old Power Station and Old Power Station seems to have a use.)
There is a public meeting about the SBS plans on the 13th of May.
SBS wants to turn the Old Power Station into a place that will provide short term residential accommodation for 160 students and other stuff. The students will be business suits and not undergraduates.
“Consultation” with local residents will precede several months of architectural planning with planning permission folllowing in mid 2016 and then a couple of years building the wing. The frontage of the building is Grade II listed.
Knocking bits down and building this wing will be an interesting logistical exercise given that access to the proposed site will be a bit net.
These screen shots from Google Earth show the area. The wine glass represents the Kite pub, on the corner of Mill Street and Russell Street. The Old Power Station is next to the river with the white roof. in the first screen shot, below.
An eighteen months to two year build will considerably disrupt the people who live round here. ♠
Posted in Home
Tagged Bob Price, mill street, murray hancock, old power station, osney, osney island, Oxford Power Station, Roger Harmsworth, Said Business School
AS WE mentioned a week or two back, Oxford University – which last year had zero plans for the Old Power Station (left) in Arthur Street, Old Osney, suddenly did a u-turn and said it would be leased to the Said Business School for 30 years.
You can see what the “congregation” said here. We are so looking forward to executive accommodations…
Anyway, down in Mill Street – we were written up in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales you know – and us moderns describe the shenanigans as Carry On Mill Street, we received a paper missive from the Said Business Centre inviting us to air our views.
Here’s what they had to say, sort of…. ♥
Posted in Home
Tagged Arthur Street, Canterbury Tales, chaucer, Congregation, mill street, old power station, osney, Oxford University, Said Business School, the kite
IT WAS SO very nice to see this darling duckette with her ducklings in Oxford yesterday. Shame they have to navigate traffic signs in the otherwise rather clean bit of water.
Someone, save the ducklings and their mums! ♥
Dūrgā Devī
