Clarion Weekend, 9 October 2026

Oxford is changing fast and this weekend’s edition demonstrates it: new university buildings on Little Clarendon Street and Osney Power Station, a stunning glass dome at the EIT, new social housing in Blackbird Leys, and a very welcome return for the Turl Street Kitchen. Plus your essential events roundup and more news from around the county.

This week’s top stories

Oxford University’s plans for new offices and academic space on Little Clarendon Street, demolishing the existing 1970s building, have been narrowly approved by city councillors. The plans also envisage refurbishing the Western Terrace of Wellington Square for graduate accommodation.

Locals had objected to construction traffic and the potential loss of two community venues, Common Ground and the Nest, describing “the negative impact this is going to have on Little Clarendon Street – the beating heart of Jericho. The street becomes a hard surface canyon, a conduit to travel through, not somewhere to spend time.” Oxford University Developments’ Anna Strongman countered that the new building, replacing a time-expired 1970s construction, would ‘open up’ the street:

“A new public square around the London plane tree retained at the corner of Little Clarendon Street will open this area up. An improved link between Little Clarendon Street and Wellington Square will be a better environment for pedestrians and cyclists. There will be enhanced paving and significant tree planting at Wellington Square. Active frontages will bring character to Little Clarendon Street and supporting retail there.”

She said the university was working to find “alternative provision” for Common Ground – which she said had originally been let on a temporary, peppercorn rent basis – and specifically discussing “opportunities close to their current location”. However, since the new development would still offer provision within the same planning ‘use class’ (E(a) shops, and E(b) food & drink), councillors were told that planning permission couldn’t be refused on that basis.

The 1970s building, designed by Modernist/International Style architect Leslie Martin, was vacated in 2023 due to fire safety concerns. Anna Strongman explained they had looked into reuse, but low ceiling heights meant it could not be made energy-efficient. (Another Leslie Martin design, the Tinbergen Building, was demolished in 2020 after asbestos was discovered in its structure; it has since been replaced with the Life & Mind Building. His St Cross Building, however, survives and celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2024.)

Councillors also debated the loss of trees on Little Clarendon Street – “you could be building around the trees like other world-leading European cities” – and asked for extra conditions to be imposed on construction traffic. The application was passed with 6 votes for, 5 against.

Turl Street Kitchen is to make a comeback. The owners of Pierre Victoire on Little Clarendon Street are to open a new venture at the site of the much-missed restaurant, cafe and bar just off Broad Street. They say TSK was “a kindred spirit” to Pierre Victoire and that they hope to “bring back a place we loved”, and are talking to the operators of the former restaurant.

Plans submitted to Oxford City Council envisage making full use of the five-storey building, which the council itself recently sold on a 125-year leasehold. The ground and basement floors would principally operate as a restaurant and bar, with private dining, events, and staff/guest accommodation on the upper floors. The food offering would be “like Pierre Victoire, but for British cuisine”.

As we reported recently, Pierre Victoire itself celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, together with receiving a coveted AA rosette.

The former Osney Power Station has reopened as an outpost of the Saïd Business School, the Global Leadership Centre. Rebuilt at a cost of £70m, it provides residential accommodation with 120 bedrooms, flexible teaching and meeting spaces, a dining room and gym. It replaces the former Egrove Park site at Kennington. Interim dean of the Saïd, Mette Morsing, said:

“Leadership is a learning experience and the GLC is the perfect location for leaders to come and stay and learn, away from their busy roles, and work with Oxford professors, experts and each other to find the next steps, be challenged, identify the optimum strategy, and the most effective way forward for themselves and for their organisations.”

The power station, which opened in 1892, was the first electric power plant in Oxford. Coal was brought by boat along the Oxford Canal and River Thames, as well as by rail. It was taken over by Oxford City Council in 1932 and finally closed in 1969. Hilaire Belloc hymned it in verse as an Oxford undergraduate:

Descend, O Muse, from thy divine abode,
To Osney, on the Seven Bridges Road;
For under Osney’s solitary shade
The bulk of the Electric Light is made.

Here are the works; – from hence the current flows
Which (so the Company’s prospectus goes)
Can furnish to Subscribers hour by hour
No less than sixteen thousand candle power,
All at a thousand volts. (It is essential
To keep the current at this high potential.)

The Government has signalled* that it remains committed to the Oxford–Cambridge Corridor despite Andy Burnham’s focus on the North. Treasury growth minister Dan Tomlinson has promised “a continued focus on the need for scale and investment across OxCam”, writing on X:

“There is much more to do for this part of the country to reach its full potential. Lord Vallance and I will be convening local leaders, Ministers, and others in the coming weeks to discuss the key actions that will turn this ambition into reality. This is about unlocking growth in places like Milton Keynes (an economic powerhouse of a city!), Bedford and Northampton as well as Oxford and Cambridge. Excited to be working on it.”

The national press has inconclusively speculated the Starmer administration was trying to attract investment from the UAE into the corridor, but that the Manchester City finance row has put this at risk.

* East West Rail red signals notwithstanding

Around the city

• The glass and timber observatory dome at the Ellison Instute of Technology has been unveiled. The centrepiece dome, at Littlemore Brook, tops the Observatory Hall – set to house EIT’s pathogen scientists when the campus opens in 2027. Contractors Seele, who specialise in glass facade construction, marked the unveiling by donating £20,000 to John Henry Newman Academy, one of Littlemore’s primary schools. The donation will go towards a new play area and trim trail. JHNA head Rachel Weston said: “We are looking forward to developing educational opportunities with EIT so the children can see themselves fitting into a science organisation that is literally on their doorstep.” Matt Abney at EIT said he hoped the observatory would be an inspiration to students.
• Long-stay parking spaces at Thornhill Park & Ride have been approved, so you can leave your car at the P&R and catch the Airline bus to Heathrow or Gatwick. Charges will be £15 for 8 days, or £30 for 15. The plans were strongly supported by Airline bus operator Oxford Bus Company, though several objectors worried about holiday parkers crowding out Oxford commuters.
• Last night was the annual CEO Sleepout, an event where Oxfordshire business leaders sleep in the open air at the University Parks to raise funds for homelessness charities including Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, Aspire Oxfordshire and Homeless Oxfordshire. As well as CEOs, volunteers this year included city councillor Mike Rowley, Cherwell councillor Chris Aramini-Brant, and University Church vicar Will Lamb. OHM director Yvonne Pinner said it was the organisation’s “biggest fundraiser of the year”, raising over £25,000 over the past four years.

• Oxford’s pizza pub, the White Rabbit, is proposing to replace its outdoor canopy with a glazed roof lined with semi-transparent solar panels. The owners say it will provide “improved weather protection, a more coherent architectural response” while remaining open in character. Founded in 2012 in the former Gloucester Arms (once a rock pub), the White Rabbit replaced its car park with outdoor seating in 2018. The area is covered with parasols “as a practical arrangement to Oxford’s climate and the exposed site”, but the application describes them as “visually fragmented”. The new roof would have retractable blinds for windy and rainy days. A planning application is with Oxford City Council and, although the Clarion doesn’t usually comment on applications, frankly if it makes it more likely we can get a table for a Molto Ben and a pint of Dunkertons we’re all for it.
• Refuse operators ODS have launched the DROPs (Driving Recklessly on Pavements) campaign to help keep their workers safe from dangerous drivers. It aims to remind motorists to slow down, be patient around working vehicles, and recognise that the people collecting waste and recycling deserve to do so safely.
       ODS crews continue to report being put at risk by dangerous driving behaviour while working on Oxford's streets. Between March 2025 and August 2026, 15 incidents of vehicles driving dangerously on pavements around recycling and waste collection operations were recorded and reported to the police. The campaign has been launched in response to these near miss incidents involving recycling and waste crews. To support the campaign, ODS has introduced new safety messaging on staff uniforms and collection vehicles designed to humanise crews and encourage greater consideration from road users.

• The first residents are moving into the new Chestnut Tower in Blackbird Leys. 61 homes in the nine-storey development have been allocated to local people on Oxford City Council’s housing register. Each home has its own private outdoor space, either a balcony or garden, alongside modern, energy-efficient interiors. Cllr Linda Smith said: “Watching the moving vans come and going outside Chestnut Tower this week has been really inspiring. Seeing the first residents get their keys, the first bicycles being stored, and the first balconies being used, is a real, tangible sign that the transformation of Blackbird Leys is happening.”
• Two men connected with a Cowley Road vape shop have pleaded guilty to illegal tobacco and nicotine offences following an operation by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team. Counterfeit cigarettes and non-compliant nicotine pouches were discovered at Dubai Shop during an inspection one year ago. Cllr Kate Gregory said: “The sale of illegal tobacco undermines legitimate businesses and deprives the public purse of vital revenue.”

• A reconstruction of a typical 1960s West Indian front room in the UK has returned to Fusion Arts on Park End Street (the former Office Outlet) as part of Oxford Black History Month. Created in 2018 for the Museum of Oxford, it has since been shown in Templars Square and Friars Entry. Events at the venue include a celebration of the UK’s first Caribbean publishing house, a poetry slam, AfroFusion dance, and a “build your own sound system” workshop for young people, leading up to a Halloween-themed carnival on 31 October.
• Books and food, food and books? Sounds peak Oxford to us! Treadwell and Blackwell's Oxford have come together to host a series of literary dinners in support of Sobell House (£10 of the £95 price tag goes to them). They start on November 20th with The Great Gatsby with a specially curated menu.

Around the county

• West Oxfordshire District Council's plans to build social housing on Witney's Woodford Way car park are moving forward. The council’s scrutiny committee is to discuss progression to design stage, whilst considering parking sufficiency within the local area. In West Oxfordshire, average house prices in the district are around £80,000 higher than the national average. Although the number of homes in West Oxfordshire has nearly doubled over the last 40 years, the number of affordable rented homes has actually fallen from approximately 6,500 to 6,300.
       Witney currently has over 1,800 free parking spaces in the town centre with surveys showing average occupancy of just 72%, plus on-street spaces and car parks associated with businesses. The Marriotts Walk multi-storey car park opposite Woodford Way operates under capacity, according to the council. Cllr Geoff Saul said: “We have a housing crisis. Every week we hear from local people who are struggling to find a home they can actually afford. By bringing forward this development on council-owned land, we have the chance to deliver homes for local people close to jobs, services and public transport."

• A 370-home development in Witney is headed for appeal after West Oxfordshire District Council failed to consider it in time. Hallam Land submitted plans for a site at Peashell Farm back in January 2025. Both Witney Town Council and Oxfordshire County Council, say they have no objections. WODC planners say they would have turned down the site because of noise from the A40: “A significant proportion of the dwellings would need to rely on mechanical ventilation, with windows to main habitable rooms kept closed, to achieve acceptable internal noise levels.” They also argue that “the site is not physically well related to Witney… its only connection is a roundabout providing access to the A40”. WODC has fallen behind on its housing targets (“five-year supply of deliverable housing land”) which could make the appeal more likely to succeed.

• CCTV across Oxfordshire is now being monitored by Thames Valley Police after district councils handed over management of their public space cameras to the force. A central hub at Abingdon Police Station promises “upgraded technology and enhanced monitoring”. Oxford alone has more than 90 cameras in operation. Eight CCTV operators and one supervisor will be employed in the Abingdon control room, which will be integrated with existing police systems so that officers can access footage remotely and share high-definition images across the area.
       In other 21st century policing news, Banbury police this week used synthetic DNA spray to catch a balaclava-wearing rider on an illegal offroad electric motorbike. By pulling alongside the bike and spraying it, officers were able to identify it when visiting an address linked to the suspected rider.
• Oxford University Hospitals are recruiting pregnant women and birthing people in Oxfordshire to join a world-first clinical trial testing a new vaccine which could prevent infant deaths and stillbirths from Group B streptococcus, a common bacteria that 1 in 5 adults carry. Volunteers are invited to contact the BEATRIX study. If confirmed eligible after their 20 week scan, they will receive a single dose of either the vaccine or a placebo between 24-36 weeks gestation, and both parent and infant will be monitored for several months after birth. The phase 3 clinical trial will assess efficacy of the vaccine, and researchers are particularly keen to hear from Black and Asian parents, as GBS disproportionately affects babies in these groups. For more information or to volunteer, contact clinicalresearchgroup@wrh.ox.ac.uk.
• Vale of White Horse District Council (VoWH) has given 15 grants totalling £100,000 to charities and community groups through the 2026/27 Vale Nature and Climate Action Fund, including to solar energy, heat pump and habitat restoration projects. Projects funded include community woodland recovery coordinated by Faringdon Folly Tower Trust; a nature recovery action plan for Wantage and Grove by Sustainable Wantage; reusing and repurposing equipment by 30th Abingdon Scouts; and installation of a heat pump at Stonehill Barn. Cllr Robert Clegg commented: "We’re proud to support organisations that are helping to build a greener future and make their communities better places to live, work and enjoy nature. We look forward to seeing these projects come to life and the benefits they will bring for years to come."

Walking, cycling and boating

• Woodstock has a new running race which organisers think could attract hundreds of runners. The Woodstock 4-miler around Blenheim Palace’s grounds takes place on Sunday 8 November. It joins the well-established Woodstock 12, which started in 1980. Neil Preddy, chair of Woodstock Harriers, said: “We think the 4 mile route will be ideal for runners who want to try a slightly longer race than a Park Run or want to really test themselves on this amazing loop of Blenheim. We’ve kept the 12 as it’s a unique and historic distance – and one that offers a real test of stamina and endurance with the hills that Blenheim’s grounds have to offer.” All finishers get a beer from Tap Social, and Preddy added: “They are also allowed to eat as much pizza and ice cream as they want for the week after.”
• Four students have succeeded in punting from Oxford to Cambridge, having skipped part of the Oxford Canal closed due to drought. The crew from St John's (Cambridge) left Magdalen on 23 September. They have so far raised over £10,000 for the Alzheimer's Society.
• Thames Valley Police have released an image of a person who they believe may have vital information following a serious injury collision on St Mary’s Road between a pedestrian and a cyclist. Anyone with information is asked to get in contact.
• A new plan sets out proposed walking and cycling improvements for the Charlbury area. It suggests discouraging through traffic from the town centre streets, improving routes to the primary school, and widening the narrow footway to the railway station. For cycling, it recommends upgrading bridleways out of the town, as well as the existing National Cycle Network route past Cornbury Park, to provide traffic-free routes to nearby villages and through to Woodstock. Consultation is open until 29 October.

This weekend

• Lady Ionosphere (£PWYD), Fri, East Oxford Community Centre. One-act play reading to celebrate the 70th birthday of Nigerian physicist Francisca Okeke.
• TRICH (£), Fri, Life & Mind Building. A 'super fun show about mental health', hair pulling, comedy, and recovery (coming to Abingdon on Monday).
• Plum Pudding Beer Festival (£beer), Fri/Sat, Milton, near Abingdon. 14 beers you won’t usually find around Oxfordshire.
• Celebrating 60 Years of New Beacon Books (free), Sat, Fusion Arts. Meet the director of Britain's first Caribbean publishing house for Black History Month.
• Verdi Requiem (£), Sat, Oxford Town Hall. Soloists from Oxford's twin towns join the East Oxford Community Choir.
• 1526: The Royal Wedding (£), Sat, Queen's College. Early music consort Contrapunctus go back 500 years for the wedding of Charles & Isabella.
• Oxford Half, Sun. Sold out long ago (of course), but we’re flagging it up here so you can come along and cheer the runners on closed roads through the city centre.

This week

• Magdalen Monday Movies (free), from Mon, Magdalen College. A term of 20th-century classics, open to all, some already fully booked (and not to be confused with Magdalen Film Society screenings on Fridays).
• Girl Group (£), Tue, The Bullingdon. Synthpop quintet performing 'Tell Me I'm Pretty' and 'SuperDrug'.
• Selene (£), Tue/Wed, The North Wall. From the storytellers behind Grandpa Poseidon and The Gods The Gods The Gods.
• Growing the Grass Roots (£), Wed, Museum of Oxford. Lunchtime talk about the Oxford Mayfly free festival and live music at Oxford Poly in the 1970s.
• The Thames Path: History, Nature, Poetry (free), Wed, St James' Church (Cowley). Celebrating 30 years of the Thames Path with its poet in residence.
• Silence Please (free), Thu, Weston Library. The author of Silence: A Literary History reads from her new thematic anthology of 'a poem for every kind of quiet'.
• Down to Chance (£), Thu, Old Fire Station. The true story of the 1960s radio reporter who kept her cool in an earthquake, played as a two-hander.
• Travel, Flying, and the Climate Crisis (free), Thu, East Oxford Community Centre (or online). Why and how to fly less, with local speakers including Myles 'Net Zero' Allen.
• Eternity in an Hour (£), Fri 16 Oct, St Edward's School. Somerville College Choir perform a new 'electro-choral' work by Eric Whitacre.

Coming soon

• Next weekend: Oxford Unity March & Rally (Sat); Samuel Sebastian Wesley, Britten and Imogen Holst at St Mary Mags (Sat); Oktoberfest at Mount Place, Jericho (Sat); the Last Quiz Night on Earth at Flo Park (Fri–Sun).
• Closing soon: The North Wall exhibition of landscapes by three local artists, Rachel Payne (who runs the MA Education: Artist Teacher Practice course at Brookes), Ali Moreton and Laura Hodgson (who are also teachers of art) closes on 17 October.
• Catweazle: One Last Hurrah (£), Sat 24 Oct, Isis Farmhouse. Songs and poems from twelve years of the Catweazle Club.
• Electronic Against Hate (£), Thu 29 Oct, The Bullingdon. Julia-Sophie and Maria Uzor headline, with support from Octavia Freud, and in support of Love Music Hate Racism.
• Oxford Cider Club (£), Fri 30 Oct, Tap Social. “Like a fine wine event – Grand Cru, not Blue Nun.”
• Stand-up for Ukraine (£) is now on Thu 3 Dec, Cowley Workers Social Club. Postponed from October – thanks to the reader who alerted us!

Books

• Shakespeare, Sex and the Psychotherapist, Prof Michael Kerr Scott. The final instalment of an acclaimed literary trilogy that reimagines the life, loves and final days of William Shakespeare through the eyes of a time-travelling psychotherapist. Scott is the founding VC of Wrexham University and now Senior Dean at Blackfriars Hall.
• Oxford University's online magazine Quad reviews two new books on Ukraine by Oxford alumni, Ukrainian Lessons by Charlotte Higgins and Betrayal by Luke Harding.
• Bus to Queens Lane, Dave Gomm. A story of “working-class life in Cowley in the 1960s”.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

• The Oxford Sausage catches the Oxford Tube to explore the Ridgeway.
• Ox in a Box goes to Slice Golf in Botley for pizza and a laugh.
• Cherwell says antisemitism at UK universities is 79% higher than before the 7 October attacks.
• Daily Info reviews the Oxford Theatre Guild’s King Lear (“fun for all the inheritance-hungry family”) and the Ibsen-reimagined Burning Down the House at the Schwarzman.
• Oxfordshire Music Scene’s October issue is out featuring local indie folkers Mazawattee and five pages of live reviews.
• The Water Road podcast finds out about the life of the Abingdon Lock keeper.
• This animated visualization of the growth of Oxford, from new Instagram account 'History Mapped', portrays 1300 years in 3 minutes.

Notes from Clarion HQ

Once again, thank you for keeping our inbox full of interesting tipoffs, suggestions, photos and events. We’re at news@oxfordclarion.uk should you want to add to the pile! Whether you’re PB hunting around the Oxford Half on Sunday or simply standing at the sides and cheering, have a great weekend.