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A PLAN to build new council-owned homes on the site of a former Royal British Legion club will be discussed tomorrow.
Seven homes could be built on the site of the Barton Royal British Legion club on Edgecombe Road, and there are plans to etch a poppy symbol into the brickwork of the new builds to commemorate the club.
The plan needs to be discussed by Oxford City Council’s east area planning committee latest meeting tomorrow night because it is a council building project.
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The site of the club highlighted in red. Picture: Google Maps.
A planning application to demolish the former RBL club on Edgecombe Road in Barton was submitted in late October by Oxford City Housing Ltd, a company wholly owned by Oxford City Council.
The council set up Oxford City Housing as a non-profit company which could build new genuinely affordable homes in the city.
Under the plans set to be discussed, four two-bedroom homes, two three-bedroom homes, and one four-bedroom home could be built on the club site.
The site would also have parking spaces, bike and bin storage, and gardens.
The council wants to make three of the houses available for social rent, while the remaining four would be sold into shared ownership.
A design drawing showing the poppy etched into the brickwork. Picture: Oxford City Council.
The British Legion club was built in 1963 and has been derelict for approximately five years.
As part of the development, the council wants to commemorate the history of the club.
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This is likely to include a symbol or writing in the brickwork on the side of one of the new homes.
A design drawing shows that this memorial could include a poppy symbol in the wall, created through recessed brickwork.
How the club currently looks.
A series of public consultations have already taken place to ask what people living nearby think of the plans.
A council report raised concerns that getting rid of the club would deprive Barton of a community building, but added that no-one had been willing to take it on for years.
At a full city council meeting in December a public speaker, Chaka Artwell, also raised concerns about removing the club, suggesting it could be brought back into use for the community rather than used for housing.
For more information about the plans, visit Oxford City Council’s website and search planning reference 19/02660/FUL.
