Work begins on housing development in central Oxford

Council housing company Oxford City Housing Ltd (OCHL) and developers Willmott Dixon have begun groundwork on a £10.9m project to redevelop the site of former homeless hostel Lucy Faithfull House.

The development will provide 36 new homes in a single block of four to six storeys, made up of eight one-bed flats, 17 two-bed flats and one three-bed flat.

The project is being supported with more than £1m in funding from the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal, and nearly three quarters of the development will be affordable.

The development will include 15 council homes let at social rent, three homes at affordable rent, and eight homes sold on a shared ownership basis, with the remaining 10 flats for market sale.

Cllr Alex Hollingsworth, cabinet member for planning and housing delivery, said: ‘Oxford needs new homes and this flagship project will see OCHL deliver 36 new low carbon homes in the heart of our city. And more than that, Oxford needs more new affordable homes, which is why I am delighted that this scheme is providing 15 council homes at social rent and another 11 sub-market homes for affordable rent or shared ownership.’

Helen Horne, managing director at OCHL, added: ‘Redeveloping the former Lucy Faithfull House site will provide much-needed homes in the city centre and OCHL are pleased to now be working with Wilmott Dixon to help deliver these. These are early days, but this project is an integral part of our plans to build nearly 1,900 sustainable new homes in the coming decade.’

The Lucy Faithfull House site development is aiming for at least 40% beyond current government carbon reduction targets, helping the city to reach its zero-carbon target for new developments by 2030.

The development will also be car free, with the exception of two parking spaces for flats that can be adapted for people using wheelchairs, and each flat will have two bike parking spaces and rooftop solar panels to help generate up to 40% of the development’s energy use.

In related news, the first low-energy properties in Bath are now on sale, as part of the Council’s commitment to build more affordable and sustainable housing.

Photo by Hannah Petersen