Univ North

The location of Univ’s visionary North Oxford development has been a second home for students for 50 years. The new Univ North development will offer the College’s community of staff, students and academics modern, energy-efficient, multi-functional buildings for accommodation, gym, café and children’s nursery. All within a beautifully landscaped garden setting.

The Univ North scheme will include new energy efficient buildings, with up to 150 study bedspaces, gym, café, study, and meeting spaces, as well as nursery provision. The scheme will renovate existing buildings, rejuvenate heritage orchards, and offer beautifully landscaped gardens. Working together, Univ will provide the College community with thoughtful design, which encompasses the benefits of natural light and an appealing landscape, together with accessible access, routes and rooms. This continues Univ’s aim to provide the very best facilities for students, staff and academics.

“Univ North is transformational for Univ, enabling us to further realise our ambitions with respect to academic excellence, diversity and inclusion. Generous support from our alumni has made this project possible. It will enhance the experience of our students and benefit our whole community.”
Valerie Amos, Master

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The development site is located in North Oxford between Staverton Road to the north, Banbury Road to the east, Rawlinson Road to the south and Woodstock Road to the west.

Univ students have been living on this site since as far back as 1973.

Latest Univ North News

Univ North and its Neighbours

“Univ North” is the name given by University College, Oxford (Univ) to an area of land which is bounded by Staverton Road to the north, Banbury Road to the east, Rawlinson Road to the south and Woodstock Road to the west. This site is located within one of the most beautiful parts of Oxford: the North Oxford Victorian Conservation Area (NOVSCA). Being a “good neighbour” is integral to Univ’s vision for the development of Univ North, and as such the College understands the importance of integrating well with the residential community in North Oxford.

To help build and sustain strong and supportive local relationships, Univ and local residents have jointly formed the Univ North Neighbourhood Review Group (UNNRG). The UNNRG helps to raise awareness of the site’s impact on the local neighbourhood and thus helps inform decision making by Univ as the scheme develops.

UNNRG comprises representatives of the local community, College Fellows and senior members of the Univ management team, architects, as well as other team members with specialist skills. The preferred construction contractor, SDC, has also joined the UNNRG and will contribute actively to the discussions.

The group has been meeting monthly since January 2021 and has provided a helpful way for Univ to understand local pressures, needs, and concerns; and to ask for the neighbours’ views on key concepts as the site is designed. Initial discussions have covered design principles, planning permissions, construction traffic movements, and the scheme’s integration within the surrounding residential community, as well as specific concerns from residents.

UNNRG is supported by an Environmental Subgroup with members from both the community and College. The group has paid close attention to Univ’s plans for biodiversity, sustainability, and other factors, such as considering the site’s impact on its immediate neighbours and the wider landscape and environment.

This information will be updated by the College to help keep neighbours aware of the project and its next steps. To discover more about the project and to stay up-to-date with the schedule, please see the forthcoming activities section, “What is coming next and when?” below.

What is being built?

The first phase of this development comprises five new-build villa and pavilion buildings and the renovation and refurbishment of 115 Banbury Road villa and the Garden House, which sits behind 98 Woodstock Road. The completed development will offer up to 150 new study bedspaces, making a total of up to 275 at Univ North. In addition, a gym, café, study, meeting and lecture spaces, as well as a children’s nursery for up to 54 children including outdoor play area will be built. The enhanced collegiate community will benefit from easy access to the natural environment through landscaped gardens, a rejuvenated heritage orchard and buildings which maximise natural light. Univ North creates a cohesive, thoughtful design, maximising space in a great North Oxford location, which is sympathetic to the North Oxford Victorian suburb conservation area (NOVSCA).

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The project will be conducted in two phases, as shown on the location and phasing plan. The phasing is still subject to optimised logistics and may be adjusted by the College and construction contractor in consultation with neighbours. The main entrance to Univ North will be on Banbury Road, where a new lodge and entranceway will be built. Other entrances will be designed to minimise vehicle use and impact on the local streets.

During construction Univ will instruct its contractors to minimise vehicle movements and noise to the fullest extent practicable. Some site accesses will be inevitable through Staverton Road and into the Staverton Road Annexe entranceway. These will be carefully designed and supervised when in operation to ensure the safety of cyclists and other road users. The contract will include provisions requiring site workers to use the Park and Ride rather than park on site or on local streets. For a fuller explanation of the proposals to control the movement of site personnel and vehicles during construction, please refer to the Construction Environmental Management Plan.

When was the planning permission granted?

Planning permission was granted by Oxford City Council in October 2020. The reference number for the main planning application is 20/00116/FUL. Should you wish to review the details of the proposals, simply include the reference number on the search function of the planning portal.

What is coming next and when?

The next project steps are as follows:

• Sept 2023 – Oct 2023 : Continuation of underground services and ducting routes. Final stage of negotiations and award of main construction contract. Partial deconstruction of No.98 Woodstock Road Garden House to form new Nursery building. Construction of temporary access route and car parking for Fairfield Residential Home.
• Oct 2023 – Dec 2023 : Casting of ground floor concrete slabs to Water Court Villas. Start construction of new Nursery. Start construction of new sub-station and bin store enclosure off of Banbury Road.
• First Quarter of 2024 : Continue construction of new Nursery building. Complete services and sub-station work and re-open shared access road. Start construction of cross laminated timber (CLT) frames on Water Court Villa’s.
• 2025: Expected occupation of first Phase 1 buildings.

SDC has been selected as the likely preferred construction contractor to build University College’s Univ North scheme, a landscape-driven multigenerational community setting in North Oxford.

SDC will honour the Considerate Constructor Scheme and its processes.

SDC is posting a monthly newsletter to local neighbours with information about what is coming up. Read Univ North Newsletters as PDFs below:

January 2023
February 2023
March 2023
April 2023
May 2023
June 2023
July 2023
August 2023
September 2023

SDC contact details

David Heard, Project Director
T: 07946 893410
E: David.Heard@sdc.co.uk

David will act as the Project Director during the Construction Phase. David is one of SDC’s longest serving members of staff, meaning he is fully accustomed to SDC’s collaborative, problem-solving approach to project delivery and will take the lead in engendering this ethos across the rest of the Project Team.

Farid Zadeh, Project Manager
T: 07580 089659
E: Farid.Zadeh@sdc.co.uk

Farid is a professional and pragmatic Project Manager who has an impressive track record of delivering a diverse range of new build and refurbishment projects across Cambridge and Oxford. Farid offers both technical expertise and leadership qualities which he brings to the team with enthusiasm.

Keeping in touch.

Please refer to this information, which will be regularly updated by the College with the construction timeline and key decisions.

Univ has also provided a special email address for neighbours should they have concerns which they would like to raise directly with the College: neighbours@univ.ox.ac.uk

FAQs

What is the Univ North scheme?
Univ North is the name given to the development of University College’s (Univ) collegiate community in North Oxford, where students have been living for 50 years. The scheme will renovate existing buildings, build seven new villa and pavilion buildings, rejuvenate heritage orchards, and offer beautifully landscaped gardens, together with accessible routes and facilities.

Univ North is the name given to the development of University College’s (Univ) collegiate community in North Oxford, where students have been living for 50 years. The scheme will renovate existing buildings, build seven new villa and pavilion buildings, rejuvenate heritage orchards, and offer beautifully landscaped gardens, together with accessible routes and facilities.

Where is the Univ North scheme?
The development site is located in North Oxford between Staverton Road to the north, Banbury Road to the east, Rawlinson Road to the south and Woodstock Road to the west.

Why is the Univ North scheme being built?
Univ wants to continue to provide the very best facilities for students, staff and academics. This new development includes energy-efficient, multifunctional buildings with up to 150 bedspaces, gym, café, study and meeting spaces, as well as a 54-place nursery provision.

When did building work for Univ North start and when will it be finished?
Planning permission was granted back in 2020 and site preparation began in January 2023. Breaking ground and the start of construction began in spring 2023. First occupancy of the new buildings is expected in 2025.

Are you building everything at once?
There will be two building phases. The first phase of construction will include the refurbishment of Fairfield House (the Edwardian villa at 115 Banbury Road) and the construction of Woodstock Pavilion and the four new build villas called Water Courts West and East, Walnut Lawn and Banbury Road, as well as the nursery. This will provide up to 115 bedspaces comprising a mix of study bedrooms, accessible study bedrooms, and 1-bed flats.

The second phase of construction will include the construction of Terrace Pavilion and No. 27 Staverton Road. This will provide a further 35 bedspaces including accessible bedrooms.

Who is building Univ North?
Univ North is designed by Níall McLaughlin Architects Ltd and the landscape architect Kim Wilkie. SDC is the contractor on site that will be carrying out the first phase of development.

How is the Univ North scheme being funded?
Univ is extremely lucky to have a great number of generous Old Members (our Alumni) and it is through their donations that we have been able to fund the Univ North scheme.

An important aspect of this has come through innovative philanthropy from David Frederick, US attorney, University College alumnus and Foundation Fellow. In addition, Mr Frederick has gifted a further $5 million to the Univ North project. Both donations and our continued fundraising will help us to ensure Univ North’s successful completion and we hope to achieve this without needing to take out costly loans.

How will Univ North benefit people?
Univ North will offer students and academics high-quality, modern accommodation (including some for families) and facilities. Univ North’s occupants will benefit from easy access to the natural environment through rejuvenated historical orchards, gardens and seating areas, as well as indoor common areas and meeting spaces, which maximise natural light.

Univ North will provide accommodation for more of Univ’s students, taking pressure off the challenging Oxford housing market. Also supporting the College’s promise to “house their own”, a stipulation of Oxfordshire City Council.

Univ North is based on a cohesive, thoughtful design in a great North Oxford location, which is sympathetic to the expectations of the North Oxford Victorian Suburb Conservation Area (NOVSCA).

How sustainable is the Univ North scheme?
The scheme will include energy efficient buildings and thoughtful design which encompasses the benefits of natural light. Additional internal lighting, including in stairwells and walkways, will be designed to safely minimise light pollution and energy waste, including shielding, timers, and low light settings. High levels of insulation, inherent sealing, and draught exclusion will help temperature control. Air source heat pumps for hot water and heat recovery ventilation systems will also be implemented.

A number of measures have been put in place to maximise the biodiversity of the site including the planting of new trees, hedgerows and wildflower meadows, resulting in a biodiversity net gain of 20.62% over 30 years. For more information, please see our biodiversity infographic below: