Garages to make way for homes

10:00am Friday 5th October 2012 in News

PLANS to replace a garage block in Headington with three homes have been tipped for approval.

Council officers have urged members of the East Area planning committee to approve the city council bid to develop land it owns, which currently includes 16 garages.

If agreed, the proposal will see three three-bedroom homes built on land off Leiden Road.

A report to members said the demolition of the garages would not lead to significant displacement of cars into the surrounding streets.

It said: “The site is currently occupied by a garage block consisting of 16 garages. It is understood that 13 of the garages are empty, with only three being let. It is also understood that only one of the lessees resides in the vicinity of the site.”

Planner Andrew Murdoch said: “It would make an efficient use of previously developed land and deliver much-needed affordable housing for the city within an existing residential area.

“The illustrative plans show indicative details of layout, scale, access, appearance and landscaping for the proposed development which would be sympathetic to the site and its surrounding while also safeguarding the residential amenities of the adjoining properties.”

Comments(10)

West Oxon Webwatcher says...
12:19pm Fri 5 Oct 12

Of course one of the main reasons why 13 out of 16 garage blocks remain empty is the City council used to provide residents parking permits free of charge, Years ago when I first started driving (mid 60s), there was a waiting list to rent garages. Now people are too tight to pay the rent and like to park their car outside their front door as they are too lazy to walk a few yards to a secure lock-up garage, Resident Parking permits should have a charge much more than the £50 or so a year.

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Cluck79 says...
1:55pm Fri 5 Oct 12

What about those who can't get a garage and has no choice but to park in the street, and not always near their house. £50 is more than enough thank you !!!!

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brianbbleys says...
2:14pm Fri 5 Oct 12

if the last libdem council hadn't put rents up when they were in power for a short time garages probably wouldn't have been empty, ie here on the Leys when the cost went up over 80 garages were vacated that week

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Andrew:Oxford says...
2:34pm Fri 5 Oct 12

West Oxon Webwatcher wrote:
Of course one of the main reasons why 13 out of 16 garage blocks remain empty is the City council used to provide residents parking permits free of charge, Years ago when I first started driving (mid 60s), there was a waiting list to rent garages. Now people are too tight to pay the rent and like to park their car outside their front door as they are too lazy to walk a few yards to a secure lock-up garage, Resident Parking permits should have a charge much more than the £50 or so a year.
Have you tried to put your car in a Council Garage?

They were designed for the days when the average person was 5'6" and drove a Morris Minor. I know a Student who hired one to keep his car out of sight. There was a 1cm spare on either side of the mirrors driving in and it was a contortionist act to get in and out of the car - at 6'6" he could barely stand up straight in the garage.

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Andrew:Oxford says...
2:42pm Fri 5 Oct 12

brianbbleys wrote:
if the last libdem council hadn't put rents up when they were in power for a short time garages probably wouldn't have been empty, ie here on the Leys when the cost went up over 80 garages were vacated that week
Although if a residents parking permit cost the same as the garage - things might be a bit more balanced. Certainly not unreasonable if it offered an assured place to park for just £15 a week.

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Myron Blatz says...
10:35pm Fri 5 Oct 12

Aha! I hear the Labour stalwarts blaming the LibDems again - yet they forget that Labour has run and manipulated Oxford City Council for well over two and a half years - and done nothing to reduce garage rents. What is more important, is that on Council Estates across Oxford, there are tenants not using or renting garages, but leaving their cars and vans outside their Council Homes on the roads and verges - often blocking roads for emergency vehicles and buses. Even where council and private houses have drives and garages, people still leave their vehicles on the roads, verges and pavements - even the ones without tax or insurance!

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Geoff Roberts says...
8:40am Sat 6 Oct 12

The main issue is dependency on cars I think. The decline of local facilities, shops, schools and so on is one of the main problems - Labour and Lib Dems and the Tory run County Council are guilty of this.

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Geoff Roberts says...
8:44am Sat 6 Oct 12

Then there's all the private landlords who have been allowed to convert garages or knock them down, employers who encourage customers and employees from out of town, people with aspirations bigger than their wallets, lazy people who drive around the corner to work or to the shop and so on.

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Geoff Roberts says...
8:46am Sat 6 Oct 12

Here we are with a council which is creating more homes whilst at the same time destroying community facilities. It's all about money, not people. Our Labour run council are screwing us all. Time to stop voting for them. Well, someone is!

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Andrew:Oxford says...
9:24am Sat 6 Oct 12

Geoff Roberts wrote:
Here we are with a council which is creating more homes whilst at the same time destroying community facilities. It's all about money, not people. Our Labour run council are screwing us all. Time to stop voting for them. Well, someone is!
So you at least accept some of the blame for the consequence of your previous voting habits.

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