Merton College has submitted an application to conduct the refurbishment of Grade I and Grade II listed buildings. The application includes the renovation of student accommodation, as well as the Middle Common Room (MCR) and facades of the buildings facing Merton Street.
According to the application, both buildings currently have a poor heating system “due to the thermal inefficiency of the historic fabric”. The existing end-of-life electrical installation is “not suitable for the current building use” so the buildings would have to be completely rewired as well.
The project proposal includes a “full strip of all existing furniture” in accommodation, replacement of fire alarms, hot water and floor finishes, and refurbishment of washrooms. In addition, the college is planning to redecorate the MCR by improving access with a platform lift and installing new secondary glazing.
Ridge, the company conducting the works, submitted a request to Oxfordshire City Council and Historic England to review the project. The proposal claims that “[T]he ‘special interest’ and ‘heritage significance’ of the parts of the College affected by the proposals have been respected.” The Heritage Impact Assessment concluded that the proposed works “can be achieved without impact on historic fabric, character or significance and ‘special interest’”.
Front Range No.4, originally the 13th Century Warden’s Lodgings, contains the MCR, the Games Room and College Store. Front Range No.5 was rebuilt in 1904, when St Alban’s Quad was reordered. The building currently contains ten ensuite study bedrooms and a bridge link to the MCR.
