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Bonn Square transformation begins
Released on 3 Jan 2008
Work on the re-development of Bonn Square in the centre of Oxford is underway following a £1.5 million pound investment in the project.
The shabby run down square will get its transformation following Oxford City Council's competition to re-design the square.
The transformation is being part funded by a New Growth Points grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government. The Oxford Preservation Trust is supportive of the scheme.
The plan will also involve planting seven new trees by Spring 2008 to replace four felled trees. The trees - Robinia pseudoacacia - will be semi-mature and between 10 and 12 metres tall.
They will be planted on the east of the square with benches and bins placed underneath. The Tirah Memorial will remain in its current position.
Councillor John Goddard, Leader of Oxford City Council, says: "The re-development of Bonn Square will open up the whole area and make it a much more pleasant place to be.
"The project together with the Castle redevelop which has been such a success sets the tone for the re-development of the West End and will benefit everyone living in and visiting the city."
The square will be surfaced in sandstone giving it a unified and uncluttered look. It will be lit by four 15 metre high lighting columns on the west of the square, together with stud lights in the ground under the trees on the east of the square.
Hoardings around the site during the construction will explain the history of the site and have an artist's impression of the new scheme. Visitors will be able to view progress of the development through a vision panel.
Graham Massie, an Edinburgh based architect won the competition and he also went on to win the Royal Scottish Academy Medal for Architecture 2005 in part on the basis of this scheme.