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Having apparently lost £82 million on the stockmarket between 1999 and 2002, allegedly in an old Houseman's disastrous Far Eastern gamble, Oxford's cathedral college Christ Church is desperate to recoup its losses, is trying to build in the historic flood plain hamlet of Binsey, and... |
CITY councillors were greeted with applause when they rejected plans to demolish two Oxford hotels.
Christ Church owns the freeholds of the Westgate and River hotels in Botley Road, and wants to demolish them to build a new 35-bedroom hotel, shop and 17 two-bedroom riverside flats.
Built in the 1870s, the River Hotel is regarded as one of the most historically important in the city. It was the home of former Oxford Lord Mayor, Thomas Henry Kingerlee and features high-level pointed and stained-glass windows. The Westgate Hotel was formerly Dodson's temperance hotel and later the Station Hotel.
Oxford City Council officers recommended that the college plans be approved, subject to the completion of legal agreements, claiming that any adverse impact on the nearby Osney conservation area could be avoided by high-quality, contemporary-designed buildings with suitable landscaping. They also stressed that replacing the River Hotel should "create a sense of arrival and exit into the city", adding that it ought to "sit comfortably alongside the adjacent terrace on Botley Road".
But at the city council's central, south and west area committee meeting the college's application was unaniniously rejected by councillors, who accused the university of being "unneighbourly". Bob Price, city councillor for Hinksey, said: "It is a very unneighbourly building and one which is not in sympathy with the desire of people living in the community."
City councillor Matt Selwood said: "I have nothing against modern architecture but I have something against modern architecture which looks bad. I have not heard any reason why this should be accepted given the commmunity don't want it."
Councillor Sushila Dhall said: "We have already sacrificed the west of Botley Road to commercialism, we should not do it any more."
During the meeting residents expressed their opposition to the development. Pat Jones, joint owner of the River Hotel, said the new hotel would be little more than a smart hostel. She added: "If it goes ahead it will be a sad day for our area." Pauline Martin, who chairs Osney Island Residents' Association, said: "It feels like wanton destruction. Local people want to see the hotels retained."