Oxford City Council is consulting with residents and landowners on the Management Plan and Design Advice to complete the city’s Central (City & University) Conservation Area Appraisal.
The Council is running a six week open public consultation to seek feedback on the Management Plan and Design Advice documents and to gather any additional views which can be analysed and fed back.
A conservation area appraisal outlines the history of an area and identifies and explains what makes it special, including its landscape, history, architecture and townscape.
The first stage of the project went out to public consultation in 2018. This sought to seek views on what makes the area special and to understand issues and opportunities.
The Council wants to build on the understanding of what makes the conservation area special, in order to create a management plan and design advice focused on setting out ways to manage change in a positive way that conserves and enhances the conservation area.
The Management Plan sets out the main issues and opportunities in the conservation area that were identified during Phase 1 of the project, and during the initial public consultation, and provides recommendations to address them.
The Design Advice provides advice to applicants, designers and owners on how the design of new development and alterations to existing buildings and spaces might be approached within the conservation area.
Oxford’s Central Conservation Area was originally designated in 1971. Oxford currently has 18 Conservation Areas identified as being of special architectural or historic interest. These areas are diverse, ranging from the city’s colleges to the meadows in Wolvercote and Godstow. The Central Conservation Area is the largest conservation area in size, and its boundaries were extended in May 2019.
“The city’s conservation areas may feature different architectural styles and landscapes but what they have in common is that special something connecting us to our historic past.
“The City Council is committed to making sure these areas are properly managed so that future generations will value and enjoy what makes them unique.”
Councillor Colin Cook, Heritage Champion at Oxford City Council
The Central Conservation Area Appraisal consultation is open from 18 February to 1 April 2022.
Paper copies of the documents can be viewed at the Central Library and paper copies of the questionnaire can be provided upon request.
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