| Title: | Oxpens, Oxford UK |
| Markets: | Mixed-use |
| Client: | OxWED, a joint venture between Oxford City Council and Nuffield College |
| Services: | Landscape architecture |
| Region: | United Kingdom |
| Team: | Gillespies, Hawkins/Brown, Gardiner + Theobald, Prior + Partners, Kevin Murray Associates, Max Fordham, Fourth street, Glanville, AKSWard, Bidwells , SLR, Stantec, Carmargue |
Oxpens is a new, sustainable, low-carbon, mixed-use neighbourhood and innovation district in Oxford. Our landscape plans will open up the riverside, creating nature-rich, healthy, and inclusive public space open to all.
The Oxpens project for client OxWED, a joint venture between Oxford City Council and Nuffield College, aims to revitalise a 15-acre area in the West End of the city, located between Oxpens Road and the River Thames. The development will bring new life to unused land by introducing a diverse mix of homes, workspace, hotels, shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as new high-quality public spaces, designed by Gillespies.
At the heart of the project is a new riverside landscape and the Oxpens Amphitheatre, a dynamic, flood-resilient public space centred around a large, stepped amphitheatre, capable of hosting a range of cultural, art, and community events. The development will also offer improved views of the river, better connections to Oxpens Meadows and an activated river edge.
Our primary goal has been to develop a unique and recognisable area of Oxford that highlights the combination of lush greenery, water, flood meadows, and well-planned architecture and streets, to improve the natural environment and biodiversity. The new quarter will have limited vehicle access and will include upgrades to Oxpens Road edge, improvements to cycling and walking connections in the vicinity, and integration of the proposed new Oxpens River Bridge to create a secure, connected, accessible, and inclusive space for all.
The development is poised to create a vibrant innovation district that builds on the West End’s rich history of industry and enterprise and contributes to the city's future long-term economic growth and prosperity, while providing a more nature rich, healthier, and interconnected setting for future generations’ stories.
