Construction has officially begun on a new Oxford City Council development that will provide 15 much-needed new homes in Northway, Headington.
A turf-cutting ceremony at Westlands Drive on Tuesday 14th July marked the start of work on the £5 million development, which is being delivered by the council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) with the council's wholly owned housing company, OX Place, working as development managers alongside LIFE Build Solutions.
The milestone was also marked by the unveiling of colourful hoardings designed by pupils from nearby New Marston Primary School in partnership with arts charity AT The Bus, who provide art as therapy to children and young people in schools.
Working alongside the skilled team from AT The Bus, the children worked on a special project exploring ‘what is important to them’ to create self-portrait clocks made from recycled vinyl records, bringing a vibrant celebration of the area to the new development site.
The block, in Westlands Drive, will be made up of a mixture of one-to-four-bedroom homes.
11 of the new homes will be council homes, with six let at social rent and five let at affordable rent. In Oxford, social rent is typically 40% of what a private landlord would charge for the same home, while affordable rent is 60-65% of what a private tenant would pay.
The remaining four homes will be sold for shared ownership. Shared ownership is a more flexible way of helping people onto the property ladder in Oxford. Shared ownership allows people to buy a share of their home – between 10% and 75% initially – while paying rent on the rest.
The scheme will be heated by electric air source heat pumps and use a fabric-first approach to minimise energy consumption and cut down energy bills for residents. Westlands Drive will be a low-car development, with two wheelchair-accessible parking spaces and a third space for visiting carers, and storage for bikes. One property will also be fully accessible for people using wheelchairs
The green space of the development will be complemented by newly planted trees, curved benches and bird and bat roosting sites.
The Westlands scheme forms part of Oxford City Council's wider programme to tackle the city's housing crisis by increasing the supply of high-quality, sustainable homes. Since OX Place was established in 2016, it has delivered new homes across Oxford, with more than 150 homes expected to be completed during 2026.
New residents are expected to be welcomed to the block in 2027.
Comment
"It's fantastic to see work now getting underway at Westlands. This development demonstrates exactly why Oxford City Council created OX Place – to help deliver modern, high-quality and sustainable homes across the city while ensuring the profits are reinvested back into Oxford’s council services. Every project OX Place undertakes strengthens our ability to invest in local communities and provide homes for current and future generations.
"It's especially fitting that local children have helped mark the start of this journey. The artwork created by pupils from our local New Marston Primary School brings a sense of the pride in the local area that local people have here in Northway, and shows how new homes can energise the community even before the first residents move in."
Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies
"AT The Bus believes that children & young people should have the opportunity to shape the places they live. Through this project we supported the children from our partner school, New Marston Primary, to create original artworks from recycled materials. Each piece says something about the individuals who created them and to see them on display in their local community will bring the children a real sense of pride.
Schools tell us regularly that the work of AT The Bus helps build a sense of belonging to their school for the children and we are delighted that this project extends this further into the community. We hope the children's artwork gives residents a sense of the opportunity these new homes represent for the community."
Amy Weaver - AT The Bus
"We are delighted to continue our successful partnership with OX Place following the completion of the Princes Street and Collins Street developments. Those projects demonstrated what can be achieved through genuine collaboration, and we look forward to building that success at Westlands Drive.
This development is about much more than delivering high-quality, sustainable homes. It is about creating lasting benefits for the local community and leaving a positive social legacy. By continuing our partnership with the ACE Construction Skills Training Academy and working closely with New Marston Primary School, we will provide site visits, trade masterclasses, health and safety assemblies and practical construction workshops that inspire young people and help develop the next generation of skilled professionals.
We are proud to be supporting OX Place and Oxford City Council in delivering homes that will make a lasting difference for local people and look forward to strengthening our relationship as we successfully deliver another important development for the city."
Ken Adams, Chairman of LIFE Build Solutions
