Oxford University submitted a proposal to partially demolish and refurbish the Sherrington Building, located in the Science Quarters on Parks Road, as the current infrastructure is deterring senior faculty from being recruited.
According to the planning statement, “the building is currently in a critical state of disrepair, the mechanical and electrical ventilation systems are in a dangerously poor state and there are leaks in the roof. Approximately 25% of the main building is uninhabitable and remains vacant.”
The Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics have claimed they are “failing to recruit to senior posts” because the accommodation and infrastructure are not up to standards.
Sherrington Building is a four-storey 1940’s Art Deco structure. The proposed plans include demolishing part of the third floor to construct a new academic hub, which will feature flexible seminar rooms, innovation spaces, open laboratories, support areas, and research offices. Additionally, the University will construct an external terrace with new plant room enclosures, flues and risers.
Construction is broken down into four phases due to difficulties with alternative housing for the whole department. Phase one was completed last year, and phase two – which includes the demolition – has already been approved. The current proposal seeks approval for phase three and phase four, which involve the reconstruction and refurbishment.
As such, the department hopes to revamp the building to a “usable, flexible state that is suitable for modern scientists” – with hopes to combat its current faculty recruitment difficulties.
The charity Oxford Preservation Trust commented that it is “wary” about increasing the size of the building due to “potential harm the proposal would pose on Oxford’s historic skyline”. Its assessment reasoned that effectively adding a storey to the building may obstruct short and long distance views.
Nevertheless, Oxford Preservation Trust is “encouraged” by the plan’s commitment and “[does] not object in principle to the modernisation of the facility”.
The University has been consulting with stakeholders and opening up to public comment as it is “committed to engaging with the local community regarding the development proposals”, according to the statement.
