299-301 LONDON ROAD, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9HL

299-301 LONDON ROAD, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9HL — Oxford City Council — Appeal Decision Site visit made on 17 June 2025 by L Regan MSc CMILT an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 22 July 2025 Appeal Ref: APP/G3110/W/25/3362926 299-301 London Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX3 9HL  The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) against a refusal to grant planning permission.  The appeal is made by Mr Akash Turna against the decision of Oxford City Council.  The application Ref is 24/01807/FUL.  The development proposed is the demolition of existing two storey building; erection of a new building (two and three storeys) comprising eight flats (6 x 1 bed and 2 x 2 bed) along with private amenity space, bicycle and bin storage. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Main Issue 2. The main issue is the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area. Reasons 3. The local area is predominantly residential use comprising a mix of two and three storey buildings. The appeal site fronting with London Road contains a two-storey property which adjoins a single-storey property to the west. The buildings within the appeal site reduce to single-storey along Northfield Road.

299-301 LONDON ROAD, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9HL — Oxford City Council — Appeal Decision There are two established trees within the highway on London Road in the vicinity of the site. During my site visit, I observed that the existing buildings and setting of the proposed development were still visible from various viewpoints along London Road even with the trees in full leaf. 4. It is recognised that the adjoining single storey property on London Road forms a constraint, however that does not justify the block arrangement proposed. I accept that there are instances whereby single storey development alongside three-storey development can be entirely appropriate. I note that the appellant has provided an extract from the National Design Guide, which shows a single-storey development adjacent to a three-storey development. However, with respect to the appeal proposals, I find that the provision of the three-storey western facing aspect with no windows or acceptable design rationale would result in significant harm to the existing street scene. It would also harm the surrounding local character of the area. 5. The 2020 approved scheme included the adjacent single storey building within the proposals and therefore that did not introduce these harms. It provided a logical infill along the London Road frontage.

299-301 LONDON ROAD, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9HL — Oxford City Council — Appeal Decision https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

299-301 LONDON ROAD, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9HL — Oxford City Council — Appeal Decision https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate Appeal Decision APP/G3110/W/25/3362926 6. I conclude that the proposed development would result in harm to the character and appearance of the area. It would conflict with Policies DH1 and DH2 of the Oxford Local Plan (Adopted 8th June 2020) and Policy CIP1 of the Headington Neighbourhood Plan (designated by Oxford City Council in September 2014). These policies seek to ensure that appropriately designed development which relates appropriately to the street scene and character of the local area is achieved. Other Matters 7. I note that the Local Plan has been recently adopted and there is no dispute between the parties with respect to five-year housing supply. The proposed development would positively contribute to local housing supply and align with the policies in the Framework in that regard. 8. However, the creation of high-quality places is fundamental to what the planning and development process should achieve. In this case, I find that the harm to the local character and appearance is greater than the benefits arising from the delivery of eight residential homes. Conclusion 9.

299-301 LONDON ROAD, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9HL — Oxford City Council — Appeal Decision The proposal would conflict with the development plan as a whole and there are no other material considerations, including the provisions of the Framework, which outweigh this finding. Therefore, for the reasons given, the appeal is dismissed.

299-301 LONDON ROAD, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9HL — Oxford City Council — L Regan INSPECTOR https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2