AddThis SmartLayers

£20m press hall plans agreed

Newsquest Oxfordshire has been granted planning permission to build a £20m press hall at its Osney Mead base.

Oxford City Council has given the newspaper publisher the go-ahead for the development which will see a new press replace outdated machinery.

The new printing press will allow faster production and increase the quality of type and colour in the titles printed at the Osney Mead site.

These include The Oxford Mail, The Oxford Times, Oxford Star, Swindon Evening Advertiser, Herald series, Bicester Advertiser and Witney Gazette.

Before allowing the development to go ahead planning officers looked at how the new building would affect the views of Oxford, the green belt, a nature conservation area, and the flood plain.

Planners decided that the new 19.75m high building would not obstruct views of the city from Raleigh Park and Boars Hill, and the impact on the floodplain would be offset by a flood compensation scheme.

Councillors also asked that landscaping at the site be improved and recommended that a £5,000 contribution towards pedestrian and cycle links be used to improve a lane opposite the site.

Welcoming the decision Newsquest Oxfordshire managing director Shamus Donald said: “This has given us the opportunity to really secure and develop our business and newspapers for Oxford and Oxfordshire.”

  • The new press hall will extend the existing building and take in the area currently occupied by the staff restaurant and as part of the work a new restaurant and replanned car park will be created.

    Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
    e-mail [email protected]