Oxford University's proposed £27m book depository in Osney Mead will be fiercely opposed by conservationists, who say it would have a catastrophic impact on famous views of the city.
The depository for 8.25m books is seen as vital to the university's plan to transform the Bodleian, in the biggest overhaul of a university library service ever undertaken. But the university is facing mounting opposition, led by the Oxford Preservation Trust, which could threaten a £100m library scheme and result in Bodleian books having to be stored in the Midlands.
The Trust said it had been taken aback by the height and bulk of the scheme on the Osney Mead estate, with the depository equivalent in size to Christ Church's Tom Quad. And it warns the proposed building resembles a "great box-like shed", which would have "disastrous" impact on views of the Oxford skyline.
The university this week submitted its plans to Oxford City Council and hopes work could start this year on a site next to the former Blackwell's science building. The scheme earlier angered academics, including history don James Howard-Johnston who said that moving one of the world's most precious book collections next to a flood plain would be "a terrible folly". The Trust says arguments within the university have focused on the prospect of Bodleian books moving to Osney Mead, rather than the environmental impact on the city. And it has called on the university to think again.
An article written by John Ashdown, the city council's former conservation officer and Debbie Dance, said: "At 18 metres high the depository roof would be at a similar height to the Newsquest building, but of an entirely different dimension and sited much closer to the historic city, right up against the River Thames. It might look rather like a raised football pitch. The article, which will be published in the Oxford Magazine, goes on to ask: "Oxford should be treated as a world-class historic city which still does have a world-class setting. In terms of historic towns Oxford is also the jewel in the crown of southern England, with a skyline of world renown. If the present proposal was to happen it will become a famous skyline set over boxes."
Opponents of the library building fear that the Newsquest printing press in Osney Mead, where The Oxford Times and Oxford Mail are printed, has set a precedent that could result in more large buildings on the industrial estate, affecting views of Oxford from the west.
A university spokesman said: "We're trying to offset its size by the curved and reflective frontage of the building. But obviously it would have a functional purpose, in the same way as the Newsquest building does." The university promised that the depository would bring important "paybacks" in terms of allowing the New Bodleian to be substantially redeveloped and helping proposals to improve Broad Street to move forward.
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