Approval Granted for Accommodation at Wolfson College

Wolfson College in Oxford has received approval from the city council to construct new three-storey student accommodation on its current site on Linton Road.

The new building aims to house 50 students who have been "displaced within the city's private housing market" and will allow approximately 70% of the college's students to reside on-site.

Despite concerns raised by a local resident regarding increased traffic and pollution, planning officers have ensured that students will not be permitted to park their cars on the site. Instead, parking spaces will be reduced from 35 to 3, two of which will be accessible spaces and the third reserved as a drop-off point.

The college has also pledged to protect the River Cherwell, which is a habitat for bats, by not subjecting it to any artificial illumination.

Furthermore, the proposed building will not be attached to the existing Grade II listed college campus buildings, and the three car parking spaces will be situated on an area of the lawn to the west of the building.

The council committee deemed the project to be a "more efficient use of the site", as private accommodation currently utilised by students will become available to the public, and landscaping improvements will be made.