Hundreds of Corpus Christi students, including many finalists, have been told that they face significant disruptions to their living situation over the coming year as the result of delays on a major college property development.
In a circular e-mail sent to the Corpus JCR on Monday, the Domestic Bursar Colin Holmes informed undergraduates that building work on the New Building on Magpie Lane had been delayed until perhaps as late as January 2015. The interruption has been attributed to efforts by the 20th Century Society, who have successfully applied to have the building listed with English Heritage.
The plans for refurbishment had originally included a completely redesigned floor plan and a modernisation programme for some of the older rooms within New Building itself. In order to accommodate the building work, most 2nd years and a large number of finalists were due to be moved to offsite accommodation during Hilary and Trinity of 2014.
Whilst it has been confirmed that accommodation for fresher undergraduates is ring-fenced by the college for the entirety of 2013/14, the majority of 2nd and 3rd year Corpus students have now been told that they must re-enter a fresh room ballot on Monday of 2nd Week in order to select alternative accommodation for the coming Hilary and Trinity terms. The extra rooms have mostly been collected from those on the main college site, whilst some students will be offered college-owned properties in Summertown and Jericho.
In the e-mail sent to the Corpus JCR early on Monday evening, the Domestic Bursar Colin Holmes expressed his considerable displeasure at the delay, saying, “This is extremely annoying and frustrating for those of us who have been working hard on the project and will mean that the College incurs considerable extra expense and that the modernised rooms will not be available as soon as we hoped.”
Many Corpus students, however, have responded more positively to the news. One Corpus finalist said, “The delay in the building project has actually come as very welcome news to me and to most other Corpus students – under the plans, finalists, who normally live in the nicest rooms in college, were going to be forced to move out to offsite housing. The delay means we get to stay in college all year.”
Corpus JCR Accommodation Officer Vicki Halsall said, “The response to the news of a delay to the developments of Magpie Lane have generally been met with positive responses from many students, particularly to those finalists who will now be able to live in college the duration of their final academic year. College have been very accommodating in trying to ensure this delay has as little impact on the students as possible, and the fact the ballot will be happening so early this term reflects their desire to ensure certainty and clarity for all students affected.”
She added, “The delay makes the job of organising housing for the subsequent terms of this academic year less stressful than it was anticipated to be, as the finishing of the Lampl Building on Park End Street means that Corpus is able to offer a higher quality of accommodation to a greater number of students.”
Magpie Lane runs south from High Street to Merton Street, between Merton and Corpus Christi. Whilst the street itself dates from at least the 13th century, almost all the buildings in the alleyway date from after 1900. Corpus Christi owns the majority of the property on the west side of the street, most of which was demolished in the 1960s to make room for more modern student accommodation.
The application to acquire listed status for the New Building was submitted by the 20th Century Society, an organisation who describe themselves as existing to “…safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards,” and “…protect the buildings and design that characterise the Twentieth Century in Britain.” Other recent successful listing projects by the 20th Century Society include the recently vacated BBC Television Centre and the iconic red telephone box.
Whilst nobody was available to comment on the individual case involving the New Building, a spokesperson for English Heritage said, “Fewer than five percent of properties listed with English Heritage date from the post-1914 period. Listed buildings from the 20th century are relatively rare, and are usually of exceptional value or historical significance. Listed status is not the same as a preservation order, it does not prevent any change indefinitely. Where listed status is conferred during the planning stages of construction this usually means that consent must be sought from local authorities and plans have to be redrawn in accordance with a building’s special interest.”
