Tag Archives: Oxfordshire City Council

Dear Mike,

I am referring to the fiasco surrounding the Roger Dudman way development, where a vital report from the City Council Heritage Officer was suppressed by the city council planning department after 1.5m of the apex of the roof was removed, as if this answered the concerns, which it did not at all, soil contamination surveys were not carried out, an Environmental Impact Assessment was deemed uneccessary (by the planning dept), which included a lighting survey and the impact on the view, trees were said to be able to be planted where they cannot, the plans were misleading in that they showed the view cone (meant to be protected) would not be affected, which it is, severely, the wording of the report said that the buildings would be visible as ‘glimpses from parts of the Meadow’, consultation which was said to have taken place did not. The whole things was pushed through on the basis of a number of misleading statements and pictures. Now the planning department is standing by it despite the errors and misleading statements made by them. With the proposed Blavatnik building on Walton St the proposal is for a building far taller than should be approved according to City Council documents and yet planning officers have not required it to be lowered, again drawings are misleading, local people not consulted (except in as far as local people have taken it upon themselves to spread the word and organise a meeting), and there appears already to be a bias in favour of approval, although given the level of publickly expressed discomfort this may change.

Re the Roger Dudman way buildings; a legal challenge against teh City Council is currently ongoing.

I hope this is helpful.

With best wishes,

Sushila