WORK could start on expanding a college in Blackbird Leys if plans are approved tomorrow.

City of Oxford College is due to have a £7.5m engineering centre, called the Oxfordshire Centre for Technology and Innovation, built at its Cuddesdon Way campus.

The centre would offer 120 spaces for apprentices and full-time students a year to focus on science, technology, engineering and maths.

Members of Oxford City Council’s east area planning committe will decide on the first phase of the work at the east area.

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The first phase, due in September next year, includes demolishing buildings and extending the Paxton Block.

Two one-storey caretakers’ buildings will be knocked down, as well as a one-storey section of the Paxton Block.

That section would be replaced with an L-shaped two-storey building to create a new reception area, as well as teaching and workshop areas.

The site’s Cuddesdon Way entrance would have a new pedestrian area.

City council planning officers have recommended that the plans be approved by the committee.

To make space for the courtyard, parking spaces would be moved from the centre of the campus.

However, Oxfordshire County Council has lodged an objection to the plans, saying the college needed to provide more information about parking provisions.

The county council’s senior transport planner Steve McMillan said: “The planning application form indicates that the number of on-site car parking spaces would be reduced from 83 spaces to 69 spaces.

“A Transport Statement is necessary to seek to justify such a parking reduction.Car parking should be considered on a whole-site basis.”

Since the objection, the college has said that the existing student car park, at the back of the campus by Blackbird Leys Road, will be expanded.

This will increase the number of parking spaces from 85 to 109.

The number of motorbike spaces will reduce from 36 to 18 spaces, while the number of cycle spaces at the site will increase to 284.

The east area planning committee will meet at the Town Hall in St Aldate’s tomorrow. The meeting starts at 6pm.

Phil Waddup, group property and facilities director at the college, said: “When the original planning application went in, we were still finalising our travel plan.

“This has since been submitted and we understand that it addresses the concerns raised.”

He added: “We have been working very closely with the local authority planning department, and with the local community, to shape our application for the redevelopment of our Blackbird Leys campus.

“We are committed to developing a scheme that will benefit the area of Blackbird Leys as well as the wider skills needs of the county.”


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