Oxford Market Quarter: “We want to encourage people to explore further”

Four Oxford colleges have a plan to reinvent the city centre as a haven of independent retail. Alex Spain, Bursar of Lincoln College, explains the ‘Oxford Market Quarter’.

Oxford has always been a city where history and everyday life sit side by side. Nowhere is that more evident than in the streets around Lincoln College, where people have shopped, eaten, worked and met for centuries.

As one of the long-term custodians of property in this part of the city, we believe we have a responsibility not simply to preserve its historic character, but to help ensure it remains vibrant, relevant and commercially successful. That thinking is behind Oxford Market Quarter, a collaboration between Lincoln, All Souls, Brasenose and Oriel Colleges through the City Centre Group.

Together, our retail ownerships encompass much of High Street, Turl Street and King Edward Street, with more than 40 shops, cafés and restaurants across the Quarter. By working together, we have an opportunity to think about these streets collectively rather than simply as individual properties.

For Lincoln College, this is very much about long-term stewardship. Our connection with commerce in this part of Oxford stretches back to the College’s foundation in 1427. The businesses and buildings around us have changed enormously since then, but these streets have remained at the heart of Oxford life.

The question we face today is how we help them continue to evolve without losing the qualities that make them special.

Across the UK, there is understandable concern about town and city centres becoming increasingly homogenised. Oxford has something different to offer. Its smaller historic streets, unusual buildings and mix of independent and specialist businesses provide an experience that could not easily be replicated elsewhere.

Our ambition for Oxford Market Quarter is therefore not wholesale reinvention. We want to work with the existing businesses and build on what is already here, encouraging a strong mix of independent and specialist retailers alongside interesting food and drink businesses, while improving the experience for the people who use these streets every day.

We also want Oxford Market Quarter to become better recognised as a destination in its own right. A new website is being developed which will bring together and support the businesses within the Quarter through a tenant directory, imagery and links. In time, it will also feature offers, events and news, helping residents, students and visitors discover more of what is available. We are also planning a launch event and will continue working with businesses as the initiative develops.

Importantly, this is being backed by investment in the buildings themselves. At Lincoln, we are progressing investment in 123–126 High Street, while All Souls is investing in 10–15 High Street. These projects will revitalise important historic buildings and create new opportunities for retail businesses.

This is happening alongside wider investment in the city centre. Oxford City Council’s plans for the Covered Market and improvements to Market Street are particularly important because of the opportunity they create to strengthen connections between the market and the surrounding streets.

There is a strong economic case for doing this well. Oxford attracts around seven million daytime and overnight visitors each year, generating an estimated £780m annually for Oxford businesses. At the same time, more than 35,000 full-time students study at the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, accounting for approximately 21% of the city’s population.

But we do not see success simply as bringing ever greater numbers of people into the city centre. We want to encourage people who are already here to explore further: to turn into Turl Street, discover a business they have not visited before, spend time in the Covered Market and explore the surrounding streets.

That means increasing footfall and dwell time but doing so in a way that supports the independent spirit and authenticity of the area. Those principles are central to the City Centre Group’s approach.

Oxford’s history is one of constant evolution. Buildings have changed their uses, businesses have come and gone, and generations of students, residents and visitors have experienced the city differently.

As colleges with a long-term stake in Oxford, we can take a similarly long-term view. Oxford Market Quarter is about ensuring that this historic part of the city does not simply trade on its past but has a thriving future too.