A protest took place today outside Oxford Town Hall against Oxford City Council’s plan to sell 11 New Road to St Peter’s College, which would convert most of the building into student housing. The protest, organised by the campaign group Save Our Spaces, was held at 5.30pm, ahead of the Council’s Cabinet vote on the sale of the building.

The Council-owned building, a mixed-use property on the edge of St Peter’s estate, houses a six-bedroom flat leased to the College and three other businesses: Castle News, Classy Barbers, and American Nails. Under the College’s plan, it would convert all but the ground floor into 24 student rooms and add an extra floor. The proposal is subject to planning permission. 

A petition opposing the sale of the building, launched on 11th September by the campaign group Save Our Spaces, has gathered over 400 signatures by the time of publication. A spokesperson for Save Our Spaces told Cherwell: “Once again, the City Council is selling off community space to serve the University’s land grab. These three businesses serve thousands of local people and are much loved by the local community. But they have been treated with total contempt by the Council and St Peter’s College, who have been drawing up plans behind their backs to kick them out.”

The spokesperson added that selling a publicly owned building that brings in “well over £100,000 per year in rent”  is “an incredibly short-sighted strategy”.  

The Council told Cherwell: “St Peter’s College… approached the Council with a proposal to acquire the property, and terms have subsequently been negotiated. The decision to dispose of the freehold title will generate a capital receipt that can be used to support the provision of investment in and services for communities in Oxford which otherwise would not be affordable.”

They added that the sale would “remove future liabilities associated with the property”, as a “significant future expenditure would be required” if it kept the property. 

In their statement to Cherwell, the Council disputed “misinformation” and claims that have “circulated online about the loss of community space as a result of the sale”, as the building is part of its commercial portfolio and has only commercial tenants. 

The proposal would also see two of the three businesses continuing to operate, as St Peter’s is “proposing modifications to the upper floors and basement, not the retail on the ground floor”, according to the Council. St Peter’s similarly told Cherwell that it “plans to retain the business tenants, Castle News and Classy Barbers, occupying the ground floor of the building”. However, the floor occupied by the third tenant, American Nails, would be converted into student accommodation. 

St Peter’s added that “this project is in line with the College’s strategic commitment to increase the amount of College accommodation available to students who would otherwise be out on Oxford’s private rental market”. The intended purchase follows St Peter’s recent expansion on New Road, including Castle Bailey Quad, a 54 en-suite room Passivhaus development, which the College opened in 2024. 

The College’s plan is the latest in a series of disputes over college and University developments in Oxford. In February, residents objected to Oxford University Development’s plans for redeveloping 25 Wellington Square, which houses several independent businesses. In April, the Council rejected Regent Park’s plans to convert the Oxfam Bookshop on St Giles’ Street into its Middle Common Room.

It feels like only days ago that I was walking through the University Parks, ringed by waves of the greenest grass, the shiniest puddles, and the healthiest plants. Despite the occasional shower or muddy shoe, everything in the world seemed in order. That oh-so-familiar smell of dampened greenery was always a comfort to a countryside girl like me. The knowledge that all growing things could thrive was something that, only now, in hindsight, I feel unbelievably nostalgic for. The early spring sun marked a warm greeting to what I thought would be another hot but usual year in the UK.

Oh, how wrong I was.

The summer of 2026 was set to be, according to the Met Office, the hottest since records began, primed to beat the already record-breaking heat of 2025. That statement feels like gospel truth. Sticky, sweaty, endless nights of useless fans, gaping windows, and ice-cold flannels are just a small testament to the intense annoyance of what is likely to become an everyday occurrence in summers to come.

There has always been a national obsession with the weather for us Brits, as it does make a fantastic icebreaker for small talk. But like the Old Man in Aesop’s Fables, in our constant wishes for a hotter and less rainy climate, we’ve been lumped with the very extreme of our desires. Air-con-less buildings, hosepipe bans, and unprepared UK infrastructure have proven, this year much more than others, that we are currently unequipped to handle this rapidly changing climate.

Those daily walks through the parks, meticulously cared for by the University’s groundskeepers, became, over July and August, a stark warning of a bleak and barren world, dulled by crusted, broken ground. I keep being reminded of the 2008 Pixar film WALL-E, which so brilliantly depicts a future devoid of the very things we are losing in this daily heat. It has never been clearer that the climate crisis is a very real and very present threat to the structure and upkeep of our lives.

But not all is doom and gloom. Just like WALL-E, there is a silver lining to be found within the lack of clouds. No year has been more powerful in showing individuals how a changing climate affects us daily. Our farming industry has taken a huge beating, visible in the rising prices of supermarket essentials such as meat, grains, and produce. Our transport industry has been thrown into disarray, with the growing heat torching rail tracks and softening road surfaces. Even our retail industry has been hit, as higher temperatures deter the ‘mooch’ culture we, as Brits, so love. As these changes become non-negotiable and so clear to the pedestrian eye, a new wave of discussion and fresh ideas for change are inevitable. A drive from individuals and local councils that filters all the way up to government and global schemes is a clear necessity now in our fight for a safe and sustainable climate. 

Bicycle rides down Broad Street, afternoons in the Radcliffe Camera, and punting trips down the Cherwell have never felt quite so anxiety-inducing. At the student level, these changes are already altering daily life. I have never experienced heat like this. While trying to get my hard-earned beauty sleep, I found myself constantly between my bed and the sofa in the living area. Although the rest of my house felt very much the same, the sauna upstairs proved to be beyond taxing. It was the most surreal and clammy game of musical chairs I’ve ever played. Top-floor rooms in student accommodation or houses bake like ovens long past midnight; our moods begin to drop, our energy drains and our bills rise. It shapes how we study, how we sleep, and how we move through the term. Eco-stress is far less a twee turn of phrase than an imminent reality. Fearmongering is not my game, but when your senses are this attuned to the problem, you feel compelled to act.

At Oxford University, we are surrounded by the smartest minds from across the globe. There is no better place to experience and take part in the momentum of grassroots campaigns and student-run organisations. The Oxford Climate Society, led by students sitting next to you in lectures or halls, is the central hub for making real and lasting change at personal and systemic scales. One of my oldest friends is a key committee member, focusing her time on the education section. It was through her passion for the society and her captivating debates that I knew I wanted to get involved. Through campaigns, events, workshops, and courses, the society offers an inclusive and student-led space ready to challenge, educate, and inspire. Not only that, but they are also warm, kind friends to make whilst at Oxford, who, unlike our current climate, are always steady. 

Small, seemingly trivial choices can absolutely build into lasting differences. We can demand smarter and more environmentally conscious food options in college dining halls. We can push for green initiatives, better energy investments, and stronger funding opportunities in JCR and MCR meetings. We can build our moods back up, recharge our energy supplies, and get those bills back to a level of mutual comfort. Despite feeling like a needle in a haystack, a student amongst many, we truly do have the power to create enduring effects. And we can hold institutions accountable and make a real difference within our university walls. 

WALL-E was ultimately a love story, not just between two robots, but between humanity and the earth. The course of true love never did run smooth. But with education, understanding, and active engagement with our changing environment, there is always hope. We don’t have to settle for enduring the summer heat; together, we can build a future where we don’t just survive, but we live.