TWO empty shops on the Oxford High Street could be turned into offices.
St Edmund Hall, who owns n52 and n55, wants to convert them into office spaces and welfare facilities for their team and has submitted an application to Oxford City Council, the planning authority.
The works would include new gates and general internal refurbishment into offices. The basement to n52, which was formerly Hardy’s Sweetshop and is Grade II listed, would be tanked and lined to make it habitable.
The former Podorok gift emporium at n55 would be turned into offices for the college’s accounts team.
New steel gates would also be installed to the door recesses to prevent overnight sleeping which has become a problem for the college since the properties became empty.
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A design and access statement prepared by Original Field of Architecture and Landscape on behalf of the applicant said: “The integrity of the shop elevations will remain intact as there are no changes proposed to the original shop fronts.
“The changes proposed safeguard the use of two retail units that have become empty.
“This small row of shops is at the eastern-most end of the High Street and has suffered by the changes in shopping behaviour and being too far away from the city centre.
“The changes proposed will mean that both properties will have visible and sustained inhabitation.”
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