Oxford City Council has rejected the Bodleian Library’s controversial plans to build a £29million book depository at Osney Mead, as well as a major redevelopment of the new Bodleian library in Broad Street.
Despite approval by the city’s strategic development control committee, the plans were rejected due to flooding fears and the “sensitive location” of the proposed depository, with critics worried that the famous dreaming spires skyline would be ruined.
The rejection of the Bodleian’s plans puts the future of the library in jeopardy. With Bodleian Library’s collection currently growing at a rate of three miles of shelving per year, the depository plans would have helped to keep the texts close to the central site. The library now faces placing more of their collection in expensive, inaccessible rented storage space outside of the city.
While the oxford skyline is safe for the time being, James Lamming, Vice President of OUSU, said that “students will be very disappointed”. Dr Sarah Thomas, the Bodley’s librarian has described the Osney depository plans as “the only viable option” to preserve the Bodleian’s reputation as one of the “best university collections in the world.”
