Oxford City Centre Conservation Area Appraisal
Oxford City Centre Conservation Area Appraisal
We were appointed by Oxford City Council to prepare the first ever appraisal and management plan for the Oxford Centre (City and University) Conservation Area, which comprises the entire historic core of the city. This document supported the city’s emerging Local Plan and is one of the principal tools for managing the world-famous centre of Oxford for years to come.
Because of the richness and scale of the conservation area, we collaborated closely with the City Council to develop innovative ways of preparing the document so that it is easy to use and practically focused. We made extensive use of GIS mapping and layered pdf maps to present a wealth of information about the history and character of the City as clearly as possible. The value of this was demonstrated in consultation events and in contrast to many appraisals, there was also an emphasis on positive placemaking, developed inhouse with our urban design team. In this way, the document worked hand-in-hand with the High Buildings Movement and Public Realm Strategies that were being developed.
At completion, the GIS layers and management advice were made available to applicants, residents and officers through the Council website. We then integrated the two so that guidance could be accessed directly from the interactive mapping.
You can read the Appraisal here.
Client: Oxford City Council