Brookes' £150m campus approved (From Oxford Mail)

Brookes' £150m campus approved

9:26pm Wednesday 26th August 2009 in News By Liam Sloan

Opponents Susan Lake, Colin Rosser, Patrick Coulter, Harry Edwards and Tony Joyce

A CONTROVERSIAL new development at Oxford Brookes University’s Headington campus was narrowly backed tonight, despite opposition from local residents.

Neighbours expressed shock after members of Oxford City Council’s strategic development control committee voted seven to five in favour of the plans.

The university is now able to push ahead with its £150m development, which will house the university’s library, IT suite, lecture theatre and student union.

Last week, people living in Headington handed the council a 1,064-signature petition opposing the plans.

Residents fear the six-level student centre - with five storeys above ground and a basement - will create light and noise pollution.

Patrick Coulter, spokesman of Headington Action, said he was outraged by the council’s decision.

He said: “A building on this massive scale could never be hidden by some clever planting. We think this is an unsustainable design.”

However, the university’s deputy vice-chancellor Rex Knight said it was a vital development for the university’s future and promised to continue to work with local residents ahead of construction, which is due to start next year and be completed by 2013.

He said: “It means that we can provide the best quality facilities for students.”

Residents have vowed to continue their campaign against the development.

They hope that the Government will intervene or that the city council will re-examine the planning application.

Tony Joyce, from Oxford Civic Society, said: “It still remains to be seen whether it will be called before the full council, particularly in view of the large number of local plan policies it contravenes.”

During the meeting, protester Sean Feeney also questioned whether the committee’s Labour chairman Reg Darke – who backed the new campus – should have been allowed to vote as he had been an employee of the university until 2002.

Mr Darke said he had sought the advice of legal officers and had their backing.

Supporting the proposals, committee member John Tanner said: “What is at stake is whether Oxford Brookes should be an international university or not.”

However, fellow committee member David Williams described the development as “characterless and overbearing”.