Oxford green land sale will make ‘significant’ money

Oxford City Council is the freeholder owner of around 80 acres of land to the south of Grenoble Road between Littlemore and Blackbird Leys.

The land, which falls in the South Oxfordshire District Council area, is subject to a live planning application for 3,000 new homes.

Dubbed the South Oxford Science Village, it will deliver crucial housing delivered via a partnership between Oxford City Council, Magdalen College (owners of The Oxford Science Park), and Thames Water (which also own part of the land earmarked for development).

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Emma Gubbins, corporate asset lead at Oxford City Council, said in a report ahead of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, April 15 that the “disposal” of the land should be approved.

She said: “The council intends to dispose of the land by way of option agreement and ultimately freehold transfer.”

Grenoble Road site (Image: Damian Halliwell)

Grenoble Road site (Image: Damian Halliwell)

Essentially, this means a contract giving the developer the right to buy in future (option agreement). Then, if that right is used, a permanent sale of the land itself (freehold transfer).

Ms Gubbins added that the terms of the deal are confidential and subject to a non-disclosure agreement.

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As such, details of how much the land is valued at and how much the council could make from a potential sale are not known publicly.

What is known is that Oxford City Council would disposing of easements with a value more than £750,000 and/or rental value more than £250,000 each year.

Ed Turner, cabinet member for finance and asset management (Image: Ed Nix)

The report which the council’s cabinet will discuss, and make an ultimate decision on, says a sale would generate a “significant capital receipt” for the council despite it being just a “small part” of its total land portfolio.

“The other benefits the disposal could achieve via development would further benefit the local area and, as such, it is considered that on balance the disposal should proceed in order to achieve the significant positives for the council, future council and local areas,” Ms Gubbins’ report added.

Sam Casey-Rerhaye, Green South Oxfordshire district councillor for Sandford, said: “I hope this means that work to start this development will now get going and that the essential infrastructure upgrades are funded and get started in good time for the first new residents.

“What no one in the area wants is another development where health, transport and other infrastructure lags years behind. This includes essential work from Thames Water of course.”

Sam Casey-Rerhaye (Image: Green Party)

The site south of Grenoble Road has been earmarked for development since 2019, when an agreement was made with Oxford City Council and Oxford University’s Magdalen College.

As green belt land, the site was incorporated into South Oxfordshire District Council’s Local Plan 2035 in 2020 as a ‘strategic allocation’ for thousands of new homes.

But one stipulation of the deal was that at least half of them need to be of affordable tenure.

Cabinet members on the city council previously said they hoped a planning application would be submitted by the end of 2023, but the long-awaited proposal is only beginning to emerge now, three years later.

Ed Turner, the city council’s cabinet member for finance and asset management, is expected to be at the meeting to decide along with other senior councillors on Wednesday evening, April 15.