Hearing into future of run-down house

7:00am Saturday 12th May 2012 in Oxford

Martin Young Martin Young

A HEARING is to be held into the proposed demolition of 29 Old High Street, Oxford.

Headington resident Martin Young has appealed against Oxford City Council’s decision not to allow him to bulldoze the house and replace it with five homes.

His plans have angered residents since the house is in the Old Headington Conservation Area. They had until May 7 to comment on the plans. Mr Young and the city council now have until May 29 to submit their final comments to the planning inspectorate and a date for a hearing will then be set.

Then the proposals will be considered by a planning inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

The house fell into a state of disrepair after Mr Young moved into his elderly mother’s house to take care of her.

When she died he remained in her house in Headington Hill, but the city council issued an improvement order giving him until March 12 to tidy the Old High Street home up.

In the meantime Mr Young, a property developer, submitted the plans for five three-storey houses, which was refused, and no work has been carried out.

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Comments(9)

Christine Hovis says...
7:25am Sat 12 May 12

Can we have a running total of how much money Mr Young has cost the council tax payers of Oxford with his continual appeals, and court cases?

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grumpyofwhitecross says...
7:27am Sat 12 May 12

I hope they take into account that the house was originally habitable , but he has done nothing over the years to keep it so. He has no interest other then money, and should not be allowed to demolish and rebuild more boxes.

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snapperdownunder says...
8:05am Sat 12 May 12

"...the house is in the Old Headington Conservation Area."
Conservation means
conservation, not demolition.

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snapperdownunder says...
8:06am Sat 12 May 12

"....the house is in the Old Headington Conservation Area."
Conservation means conservation, not demolition.

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John Lamb says...
11:25am Sat 12 May 12

As soemoen who has had great difficulty dealing with another group of power-craxy tyrants (Cherwell Housing Dept.), I can sympathise with this man. They seem to be a law unto themselves and the Local Government Ombudsman is positively impotent. Once they have you on their 'bad list' you never come off it.

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John Lamb says...
4:28pm Sat 12 May 12

As someone who has had great difficulty dealing with another group of power-crazy tyrants (Cherwell Housing Dept.), I can sympathise with this man. They seem to be a law unto themselves and the Local Government Ombudsman is positively impotent. Once they have you on their 'bad list' you never come off it.

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LORD PETER MACVEY 0X2 6EG says...
2:48am Sun 13 May 12

Keep up the good work Martin. I just wish that I had your cash to play the game as well. But it does go to show how vindictive our council can be, when you consider how many 100+ rooms developments it allows the Poly and Uni to carry out all over the city.

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gymrat34 says...
5:39am Sun 13 May 12

It's in a conservation area and so it should stay in keeping with the area.
He wants to demolish it because of it's state (and the profit of five new homes) but it's only in a state because of his negligence.
Oxford is being ruined by crap flats and housing - rooms that are too small to have a wardrobe and double bed for example.

I tend to think the council makes a lot of poor decisions but I support stances like this which, in this case, are against cramp and rubbish new builds.

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LORD PETER MACVEY 0X2 6EG says...
6:06pm Sun 13 May 12

gymrat34 wrote:
It's in a conservation area and so it should stay in keeping with the area.
He wants to demolish it because of it's state (and the profit of five new homes) but it's only in a state because of his negligence.
Oxford is being ruined by crap flats and housing - rooms that are too small to have a wardrobe and double bed for example.

I tend to think the council makes a lot of poor decisions but I support stances like this which, in this case, are against cramp and rubbish new builds.
How do you know? Have you seen his plans?

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