WORK will start on the next phase of a new £36m student accommodation and shops block in Cornmarket next month.
Throughout 2019 shoppers witnessed the demolition of former shops block Northgate House on the corner of Cornmarket and Market Street in Oxford city centre.
The demolition work for the Jesus College scheme is now complete and contractors BAM Construction will move to a new phase in January to build the new shopping block and associated student accommodation.
By the summer the new structure will be nearing completion and then work will start inside and on the facade.
Jesus College principal Sir Nigel Shadbolt said: "The new development is an exciting milestone in the history of the college and will ensure that we remain at the forefront of academic excellence while making the college more open and integrated.
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"New retail spaces on the ground floor will help regenerate the city centre, and a public gateway on Market Street will help bring the college closer to the local community.
"We see this as an opportunity not just to embrace the future of learning at Jesus College, but to help enhance the Cornmarket area of Oxford and to help it grow into a vibrant shopping area.”
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The plans were developed by MICA Architects in collaboration with the college and were approved last summer by Oxford City Council.
Work began in March on the biggest physical transformation the college has undergone since the 17th century.
The new site will provide new rooms for 68 students to help Oxford University achieve its goal of boosting postgraduate student numbers.
The existing building will be replaced by a modern three-story premises and a new entrance into the college facing onto Market Street, with access to new meeting, social and residential spaces for the college and a state-of-the-art Digital Hub.
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The hub will be at the heart of the development and will provide technological facilities to make the college a world leader in academic research and knowledge exchange.
The 8,780sq metre scheme also involves plans to revitalise the retail space in Cornmarket and Market Street, creating new shops on the ground floor and improving the area around the entrance to the Covered Market.
The scheme is due for completion in 2021, coinciding with the college's 450th anniversary.
Some very large machines have been used in the construction process including one digger nicknamed 'The Beast'.
A 34m tower crane will be installed in January and it will remain part of the skyline throughout 2020.
It is essential for distributing materials on site.
The new development should give Cornmarket a boost after the street has experienced a number of chains relocating to the revamped Westgate Centre after it reopened in October 2017.
Boswells in November announced it has decided to close the department store in Cornmarket which dates back to 1738.
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