Welcome to the Wheatley Campus Public Consultation Website
On this webpage you will find details of the proposals to redevelop Oxford Brookes University’s existing Wheatley Campus. The redevelopment will provide new housing for young and old alike, including a significant amount of affordable housing, high-quality sporting facilities and public transport infrastructure, alongside significant areas of public open space. The proposals will be a positive addition to Wheatley and its surrounding communities.
Wheatley Campus Reserved Matters
Application
Please note this consultation website relates specifically to a Reserved Matters Planning Application which Oxford Brookes University will be submitting to South Oxfordshire District Council.
This Reserved Matters Application follows the grant of Outline Planning Permission for the site in 2020 (Planning Application Reference: P17/S4254/O). A Reserved Matters Application provides the detailed drawings for the houses, sports areas, roads, and landscape already approved under the outline permission.
The Reserved Matters Application is separate to and distinct from, the Outline Planning Application currently being considered by South Oxfordshire District Council, under reference P22/S3975/O. That Outline Planning Application proposes a different access arrangement for the site.
Irrespective of which Outline scheme is implemented, much of the proposed detail set out in the Reserved Matters will not be affected. This is why we would like to hear your views on our detailed proposals before we submit the Reserved Matters to South Oxfordshire District Council in April.
Who We Are
We, Oxford Brookes University, are currently preparing the Reserved Matters Planning Application alongside a multi-disciplinary project team which includes Bidwells (Town Planning), Pegasus (Architecture), Murdoch Wickham (Landscape Architecture), Cass Allen (Air Quality & Acoustics), EcoConsult (Ecology), Motion (Drainage & Transport), Reuby and Stagg (Civil Engineering) and SJA (Arboriculture).
Housebuilder Crest Nicholson has purchased the Wheatley Campus site from Oxford Brookes University. Crest Nicholson hope to begin works at the end of 2024, with the first completions to be expected in Autumn 2025. Local residents, businesses and users of the Oxford Brookes Wheatley Campus will be kept updated on the works as they develop.
Consultation and Feedback
We take the views of the local community seriously and, as such, invite you to provide feedback on the Reserved Matters proposals or to ask any questions you may have about the redevelopment.
Please submit your feedback using the feedback form, or alternatively via email to info@wheatleycampus.co.uk by the 31st March.
We will review the feedback received before finalising our proposals. Once the Reserved Matters application has been submitted, there will be a further statutory consultation organised by South Oxfordshire District Council. All the planning documentation will be available to view and comment on via their website.
The Site
The site currently comprises Oxford Brookes University’s Wheatley Campus, situated outside the village of Wheatley and bounding the village of Holton, to the east of Oxford. At present, the site comprises university campus facilities and buildings (some unused) with a small number of empty properties.
Outline planning permission was granted in 2020 for the redevelopment of the site to provide much needed housing, including affordable housing, public open space, leisure, sport, and recreation facilities. The purpose of the Reserved Matters Application is to refine the details of the approved of development.
The number of houses (up to 500), distribution of public open space, and proposed building heights have already been approved by South Oxfordshire District Council under the existing outline permission. The principle of development is not under consideration in respect of this consultation and the forthcoming Reserved Matters application.
Layout and Design
A detailed masterplan will be submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council comprising circa. 475 houses, of which circa. 34.57% will be affordable. Our design team has been working on the proposal to ensure that the development responds positively to the context of the site and its surroundings. The masterplan will include two road accesses, one onto Waterperry Road at the eastern end of the site, and one onto Holton Park Drive to the west.
The proposed development will offer a varied housing mix, including homes of different tenures and unit sizes. A green corridor will run through the centre of the site to link all parts of the development.
The northwest part of the site will be retained as public open space, responding sensitively to the scheduled ancient monument and listed buildings beyond the site. Located within the open space will be, a cricket pitch, play area, bowls green and sports pavilion.
Landscape links are proposed throughout the site, connecting areas of open space, supporting the sustainable urban drainage system, and creating pleasant and varied walking/exercise routes.
The transport strategy for the site has been designed with sustainability in mind. The segregated cycleways and pedestrian footpaths along the main spine road will provide a safe and convenient traffic-free route from east to west, through the site.
The proposed car parking strategy has been informed by Oxfordshire County Councils’ 2022 Parking Standards to achieve a sensitive balance between ensuring adequate provision and encouraging sustainable modes of travel. The proposed parking strategy also takes account of the new bus stops to be provided at the heart of the development, facilitating convenient access to local public transport services. A Transport Assessment will be submitted to support the planning application and will be reviewed by both South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council during the determination process.
Landscape Strategy
The landscape design for the site has been informed by the existing landscape assets. Key features of the proposed scheme include the retention of high-quality vegetation around the site, and the planting of additional native species to enhance the site’s landscape value.
The existing woodland and associated ponds will be retained to provide an ecological area along the southern boundary, meanwhile the proposed parkland with species rich grass swaths and parkland trees will provide a positive response to the setting of the existing Schedule Monument.
Overall, a minimum of 10.69ha of Sport Amenities Area and Public Open Space is to be provided across the development site including a linear park along the southern boundary, a cricket pitch, bowls green, sports pavilion, and designated areas of play.
Ecology
Ecological assessments have taken place and we will be looking to improve biodiversity on the site. We will enhance the existing vegetation boundaries and plant native trees and wildflower grasses. The ecology assessment will form part of our planning application and be assessed by South Oxfordshire District Council.
Drainage
The project team understands the importance of providing sufficient drainage to avoid flooding and we have taken this into careful consideration in the layout. Our consultant team includes specialist civil engineers who will ensure that the development continues to drain appropriately and that the proposals do not increase flood risk neither on, or off the site.
Drainage will be managed through an integrated system of swales, attenuation basins, and permeable paving. The swales and attenuation basins will be effectively landscaped and incorporated into the network of green infrastructure to create an attractive linear park and wildlife corridor along the southern boundary.
Sport, Leisure and Recreation
Opportunities for sport, leisure and recreation will be well-distributed throughout the development site to encourage and facilitate active and healthy lifestyles.
The landscaped to the north-west of the site will offer a range of quality sports and leisure facilities including an equipped area of play, a six-rink bowls green, an adult cricket pitch and two-lane practice net facility, in addition to a community sports pavilion with ancillary facilities. The project team is working with Sport England and Wheatley Playing Fields Trust to refine the details of the proposed facilities. Once approved, there will be further consultation with key bodies as to how the facilities will be run and managed.
A smaller area of naturalistic play is to be provided in the pocket pack to the east of the site to enhance opportunities for play, meanwhile the proposed linear pack along the southern boundary will provide an attractive ecological corridor for recreation and relaxation.
An active route of at least one mile will also meander throughout the site. This, in addition to the strategic cycleway link through the centre of the site and the convenient footway connections proposed, will provide ample and convenient opportunities for leisure and recreation.
Next Steps and Timeline
We are currently consulting with the community, key stakeholders, and the Council on our detailed proposals for the Wheatley Campus.
Once we have carried out the consultation and reviewed the feedback, we will finalise our plans before submitting an application for the Reserved Matters to South Oxfordshire District Council in April.
A separate construction programme will be provided in due course.
Keep up to date
If you wish to be kept up to date with the progress of the application, then please register for updates here.
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