Two kiosks and public realm at Land at Bury Street, Abingdon

What was proposed

The scheme proposed two new kiosks, public seating, planters, public art, building alterations, a café seating area and removal of one tree.

“PROPOSAL Erection of two kiosks following demolition of existing, change of use of land to create seating area for cafe (class e use), installation of new benches and planters, installation of plinth sculpture, public art x2, installation of new facias and associated works…”

“PROPOSAL 2.1 This application seeks approval for public realm improvements. These involve the demolition of the detached kiosk, the combination of units 19a and 20 to a single larger unit. the installation of two new kiosks in Class E use, external alterations to the existing buildings, new planters and public seating, a new seating area to serve one of the units, and the installation of public art. A tree will be removed to facilitate the development.”

Officer report

The site

The site was a pedestrianised shopping area with public open space, two trees, seating, a kiosk and several commercial units.

“The application site is the northern part of the Bury Street Precinct, a pedestrianised shopping area within the Abbey Shopping Centre in the centre of the town of Abingdon. Within the site is an area of public open space with two trees and seating, a detached kiosk and the frontages of several retail units, some of which are unoccupied. A site location plan is shown in Figure 1.”

“The rest of the precinct is to the south east whilst the Charter Area is to the north. Pedestrian access is gained via Broad Street to the north, Bury Street to the south and Bath Street to the west. The Abingdon Town Centre Conservation Area is to the west and there are listed buildings in Bath Street, near to the site. Much of the site is in Flood Zone 2 and it is also identified as potentially containing archaeological remains.”

Officer report

Earlier development

Earlier permissions covered redevelopment of retail units, shops and the construction of the shopping precinct.

“P11/V2239 Demolition of 5 existing retail units. Proposed redevelopment of units 29-33, erection of two new 2-storey retail units, removal of pedestrian mall canopies and proposed new and upgraded facades and pitched roofs. Approved (22/12/2011)”

“P63/V0165 Construction of shopping precinct. Approved (10/04/1963)”

Officer report

What officers recommended

Officers recommended approval because the town-centre benefits and improved public realm outweighed the harm from removing an unprotected tree without replacement.

“PLANNING BALANCE AND CONCLUSION 9.1 The proposed development is considered to be supportable in principle and subject to the recommended conditions it will improve the appearance of the area and improve the vitality and vibrancy of a key part of the town centre and hence support Abingdon’s role as a market town. However, there is harm from the removal of a tree and the lack of replacement.”

“In this instance, on balance, officers consider that the benefits from the proposals are sufficient to outweigh the harm from the removal of the tree given it has no protection from removal and the benefits in terms of enhancing the vitality and vibrancy of the town centre are sufficiently weighty to overcome the harm.”

Officer report

What consultees said

The town council objected to tree removal and sought safety liaison, while the forestry officer maintained an objection; most other consultees raised no objection or supported the scheme.

“Representation Comments Abingdon Town Council First consultation ‘Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council would like to express its concern over the removal of one of the two trees.”

“Second consultation Objection ‘An amended Arboricultural Report (ref: July 2025), and Tree Protection Plan have been submitted by RMT Tree Consultancy Ltd. This acceptably addresses my concerns in respect of the proposed hard landscape impacts within the RPA of tree (T1 silver maple).”

Officer report

What residents raised

Residents raised concerns about the tree, café and cinema, access, opening hours, parking, seating, connectivity and cycle parking, while two supported the proposal.

“Neighbours First consultation Objection (4) • Loss of tree with no replacement • No need for a new cinema which could affect the Abbey Cinema (officer note: reference to the cinema was removed from the submitted plans as no change of use to a cinema has been granted nor sought) • No need for another café (officer note: the proposed used will Class E and hence could be occupied by a range of uses) • The kiosks should have permanent level access and not a temporary ramp…”

“No Strong Views (3) • Opening hours should be restricted to reduce anti-social behaviour • There is not sufficient parking in the town centre • The bench is not shown on the submitted plans, and it should be retained. • Kiosk 2 should not be constructed as it could reduce connectivity by reducing the width of the access • Cycle parking should be increased…”

Officer report

Who spoke

[name withheld] spoke on behalf of Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council.

What members discussed

Members discussed the tree, lighting and antisocial behaviour, landscaping maintenance, town council involvement in the sculpture and the balance of benefits against harm.

“Members asked why officers felt it was ok for the tree to be removed and were advised that while it would be preferable to keep the tree, the tree had no statutory protection, and if the district council were not the landowner, the owner could cut the tree down without any permission required.”

“Vale of White Horse District Council - Planning Committee Minutes - Wednesday, 21 January 2026 A member asked whether a condition could be included to ensure the landscaping is resilient and maintained. The committee were advised that, the current landscaping condition requested details of the scheme and included a five year maintenance programme, but that it would be possible to increase the length of the maintenance and request details of the maintenance programme.”

Minutes

The committee vote

A motion to approve was moved and seconded, with revised landscaping and public-art conditions and an additional lighting condition, and was carried.

“A motion, moved and seconded, to approve the application, with revised wording for conditions 6 and 8 and the inserted condition 9 (as set out below), was carried on being put to the vote.”

“Revised condition 8: Notwithstanding the details shown on drawing number 221B, prior to the commencement of development, with the exception of demolition, public art shall be provided in accordance with details which have first been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.”

Minutes

The decision

Planning permission was approved subject to conditions covering commencement, plans, tree protection, drainage, materials, landscaping, biodiversity, public art, wildlife protection and seating.

“RESOLVED: to approve planning application P25/V0236/FUL subject to the following conditions:”

“Commencement 3 yrs 2. Approved plans 3. Tree protection (implementation as approved) 4. Drainage Details (Surface Water) 5. Materials (Samples) 6. Landscaping Scheme (plants and shrubs only) 7. Integrated Biodiversity Enhancements 8. Details of public art 9. Wildlife Protection (mitigation as approved) 10. Remove/secure seats when not in use…”

Minutes