Listed building works at Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford

What was proposed

Listed building consent was sought for repairs, alterations and demolition, including work to the Gate Lodge, walls, farmhouse, stables and pavilion.

“Listed Building Consent is sought for a range of repair, alteration and demolition works to listed and curtilage listed structures on the Warneford hospital site as part of a set of wider proposals for the redevelopment of the site, which will include construction of a new hospital and research and development building, reprovision of the POWIC building, and the creation of a new graduate college for the University of Oxford.”

Officer report

The site and its heritage

The hospital site contains a Grade II listed hospital, other listed buildings, curtilage-listed structures, historic walls and a remnant historic landscape.

“In addition to the above, there are also a number of other surviving 19 th century ancillary buildings and structures associated with the asylum on the site which are not listed in their own right, but meet the criteria to be considered curtilage listed to the Grade II main hospital building. These include: an Isolation Hospital, Apple Store House, former Laundry, Farmhouse, former Stables, and sections of original boundary wall.”

“Within the hospital grounds there are rare idiosyncratic features surviving from the 19 th century asylum gardens, including remnants of ‘airing court’ walls and historic bunds, and as a whole the site merits consideration as a non-designated historic landscape.”

Officer report

What officers recommended

Officers recommended approval because identified heritage harm was less than substantial, justified and outweighed by public benefits and heritage improvements.

“As identified above, a low level of less than substantial harm would be caused to the Grade II listed garden boundary wall adjacent to the Gate Lodge as a result of carefully dismantling sections of it to fit a damp proof course beneath the coping.”

“Whilst Officers have identified that aspects of the proposals would result in less than substantial harm to the Grade II listed Warneford Hospital building as a result of works of alteration and demolition to curtilage-listed structures; to the Grade II listed Gate Lodge and Boundary Wall stemming from works to introduce a damp proof course; and to the Grade II listed Chapel, Mortuary, and Nurses’ Home, and the non- designated remnant historic landscape because of some…”

Officer report

Who spoke

Two speakers spoke in favour of the application.

The committee’s consideration

The committee considered the proposal’s heritage impacts, the justification for harm and whether public benefits outweighed it.

“Oxford City Council, Town Hall, St Aldate’s Oxford OX1 1BX The Planning Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the location and the proposal. This included site photos and existing and proposed plans: • The report considered the impact of proposed interventions, including repairs to the Grade II listed Gate Lodge, Front Garden Area Wall and Gate Piers, alongside alteration, demolition and repair of curtilage listed structures associated with the Grade II listed…”

“It also focused on evaluating whether any harm was justified, weighing public benefits against harm and considering compliance with local and national planning policies • Officers concluded that the proposal caused less than substantial harm to the Grade II listed Warneford Hospital building, Gate Lodge and Boundary Wall and other heritage assets due to aspects of the alterations, demolition and repairs.”

Minutes

The vote

The committee agreed with the officer recommendation to approve the application.

“On being proposed, seconded, and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application for the reasons listed on the report.”

Minutes

The decision

Listed building consent was granted subject to the recommended conditions, with authority delegated to finalise them.

“The Oxford City Planning Committee resolved to: 1. Approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the recommended listed building conditions set out in section 12 of this report, grant listed building consent and 2.”

Minutes