Educational Development in Oxford
About This Project
Client:
Christ Church College
Site:
Christ Church Graduate Centre, Oxford
Introduction:
Christ Church College, Oxford submitted an application to improve its graduate accommodation offering by redeveloping the site which currently houses the University’s Faculty of Music. Tree Frontiers were brought on board by CPC Project Services, the project management company appointed by the College. We assisted in the design process and provided vital tree retention advice and canopy cover data. The plans have recently been approved by Oxford City Council.
The Project Team:
Due to its location in central Oxford, within a conservation area and the setting of a Grade I listed Park & Garden, the proposed site required input from a number of different disciplines resulting in a large project team. In consultation with Oxford City Council this team was made up of the following:
Accessibility – MIMA
Acoustic Engineering – Adrian James Acoustics
Arboriculture – Tree Frontiers
Archaeology – Keevill Heritage Ltd
Architecture – FJC Studio
Conservation – Donald Insall Associates
Ecology – EDP
Fire Engineering – Harris TPS
Landscape Architecture – Gillespies
MEP and Sustainability – CBG Consultants
Project Management – CPC Project Services
Structure and Civil – Stantec
Planning Consultant – Carter Jonas
Transport – IMA Transport Planning
Vertical Transport – Vertica Europe
Visualisation Consultant – Cityscape Digital
The Opportunity:
Christ Church College had identified a pressing need for more dedicated graduate housing in Oxford, and through engagement with Oxford City Council, local stakeholders and the wider community they developed plans for the extension of the current Faculty of Music buildings which would not only provide functional and high-quality living spaces but also fit sensitively within the historic character of the area. The site itself presented a number of complex constraints, including its location within the Oxford Central Conservation Area and the setting of a Grade I listed Park & Garden, the Trill Mill Stream which forms its eastern boundary, and the presence of a veteran tree to the north east of the site.
Our initial input to this project was to undertake a detailed tree survey of the site in order to provide constraints information to guide the architectural designs. Based on these an Arboricultural Feasibility Assessment was drawn up and submitted to the Project Management team. In this we detailed several trees which would present significant constraints to the development potential, including the veteran tree to the north east of the site.
Several layout options were explored at pre-app stage, one of which was taken forward and further refined for the planning application. To accompany this we drew up an Arboricultural Impact Assessment, which incorporated a Canopy Cover Assessment to indicate the loss of canopy cover due to development within a 25-year timeframe.
Following concerns regarding the location of the proposed cycle store and new pathway in relation to the RPA of trees to be retained, we worked closely with the tree officer to resolve these issues and the objections were subsequently dropped. The plans were agreed and replacement planting incorporated in order to compensate for the loss of canopy cover due to tree removal.
The Results:
Our report, arboricultural implications plan and tree protection plan were submitted as part of the full planning application to Oxford City Council, and permission was granted in January this year.
If you would like advice regarding the development of a site with complex constraints please contact us at info@treefrontiers.com
Find out more: Trees, Structures & Development