December 2024

OUD completes second project – Court Place Gardens delivers new graduate homes 

Oxford University Development (OUD), a joint venture between the University of Oxford and Legal & General, has reached practical completion at its £26 million Court Place Gardens development in Oxford City. The scheme, delivered by the main contractor, Feltham Construction, consists of 70 two- and three-bedroom houses for graduate students as well as 10 refurbished study rooms in the Mansion House for single students.

This is the second project by OUD to reach practical completion since the joint venture was formed five years ago. The first, two new science buildings at Begbroke Science Park, won Commercial Project of the Year at the UK Property Forums’ OxPropFestAwards24. OUD’s third project, the Life and Mind Building (LaMB), is due to complete next year delivering circa 268,000 sq ft of research space and academic facilities in what will be the largest building project completed to date by the university.

Anna Strongman, CEO of OUD said: “These new homes, located within the city, will support Oxford with continuing to attract global talent by providing high-quality places for graduates to live. Alongside our other completed, underway and future projects; they form an important part of our overall mission to deliver sustainable communities in Oxfordshire that will enable world-leading research and innovation to continue alongside much needed new homes.”

Court Place Gardens’ completion has transformed the site in the south of Oxford City, where the previous 1970s semi-detached housing had reached the end of its useful life. The high-quality homes designed by fjmtstudio have improved environmental performance, with energy efficiency and green technologies such as air source heat pumps and sustainable drainage systems.

The site incorporates landscaped courtyards, play areas and other communal facilities to encourage a sense of community and increase biodiversity on-site, as well as providing plentiful cycle storage and electric vehicle charging points to enable residents to travel more sustainably.

Jeremy Titchen, Project Delivery Lead, commented: “The delivered scheme followed extensive consultation with the local community, heritage and ecological experts to ensure they respected the local built environment and ecosystem. Access to the nearby University-owned woodland has also been maintained for local people, and careful planning will ensure there is no negative impact on the wildlife there.”

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The first graduate families are set to move into Court Place Gardens in early 2025.