Call for enforcement action regarding development at 1 Quarry High Street

Having grown up near Quarry and even as a child appreciating it's quaint beauty, I would like to think it would be protected as an historical site. Its so beautiful with fantastic old buildings and local history in abundance. Please look after our little English settlements.

Much too imposing on houses around. Not suitable in a inhabited area

This building has no place in a conservation area, as it does not adhere to the original planning permissions granted it should be torn down and those responsible for breaking the permissions prosecuted. Just because it’s nearly finished does not mean it has to remain.

There will be a lack of privacy fir existing residents close by.

I live at opposite this awful development. I worked at the bakery my whole adult life with my husband Kingsley Vallis he would be distraught with what has happened to his beloved family shop.

The buildings are too big for the size of the site, they are not in keeping with the area and they will cause traffic issues at an already very busy junction.

This is completely out of order

I am the daughter of one of the Vallis Twins, this structure is hideous, over steps the boundaries of the planning permission and has been objected to every step of the process.

There is little point in having a conservation area if a building like this can be built unchallenged by the council.

This is so obviously out of scale with any local buildings, both out of keeping and too high!

I agree in general with the comments already made. The developer has not adhered to the original planning permission, in terms of height, therefore the building must be reduced in height accordingly, otherwise why bother to have a planning process. This is a flagrant breaking of the planning permission, and enforcement must be applied. What grounds in the future will Oxford city planning have to control development in the conservation area if this enforcement is not applied?

Developers and builders who think they can drive roughshod over planning restrictions need to learn the lesson that they can NOT. The planning department exists for a reason and needs to enforce all major breaches of granted permissions.

A monster has sprung up in Quarry. Think the city planners need to recruit staff with better visualisation skills.

This building is significantly different from what was approved yet the Local Planning Authority insist that the difference is only minor - in spite of the fact that if the original plans showed the building as built planning permission would be refused.

The nature of the development, particularly its height, it’s unacceptable in a conservation area such as Quarry Village. It is completely against the character of the area.

This building is an eyesore that blights the view as you enter Headington Quarry. This is a conservation area! The building is far larger than it appeared to be in the architect’s impression on the planning site. How was this allowed to happen? Were the plans deliberately misleading?

The building is so out of character, other people in the street have had to comply with very strict conditions that never even got close to this obscenity. I guess it’s who you know?

As the building sits within a ‘Conservation Area’ it is logical to suggest that any planning application / development would need to adhere to the objectives of the ‘Conservation Area’ i.e. preserving or enhancing the area’s character due to its special architectural or historic interest. I trust that the original application in 2006 reflected this. However, where it is demonstrable that the actual building has deviated from the approved plans, then I would ask the council to take appropriate enforcement measures or at least request that a retrospective planning application is made. In the event of a retrospective planning application - the new building will unquestionably speak for itself, but it will still be interesting to see how the developer claims it fulfils either of the ‘Conservation Area’ criteria and equally how those charged with upholding the objectives of the ‘Conservation Area’ are able to justify their actions accordingly. To preserve Headington Quarry ‘Conservation Area’ and the very concept of a ‘Conservation Area’ it will be crucial to ensure that the public (especially those living in the ‘Conservation Area’) understand and have confidence in the logic being applied to any planning decisions. As should the planners fail to do so, it could undermine the basis of having a ‘Conservation Area’ and question the existence of the distinct planning rules that only pertain to these areas.

Developers seem to be mocking the Council's weakness in these situations here. Totally out of keeping.

I live in the area, the building looks hideous. It seems that the Planning Department will approve ANYTHING and make no effort to ensure the build complies with the plans that they themselves have approved.