A public consultation was held on the 27th September at Wycliffe Hall for the local community and other stakeholders regarding our proposals for a new entrance, new dining hall, improved facilities, and general accessibility enhancements.
Founded in 1877 and being a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford, Wycliffe Hall is a Christian academic community in Oxford offering theological study at undergraduate and postgraduate degree levels. Student and staff numbers were currently 120 and 40 respectively, but with an expectation that this would increase in the coming years. These aspirations and indeed our current activities were hampered by the main campus building at 52-54 Banbury Road and its limited range of facilities.
This public consultation event related to proposed improvements to the facilities at the Hall. The proposals included the following elements:
- Improving the entrance area and reception, which were currently uninviting and inaccessible.
- Improving the quality of student bedroom accommodation in the main hall.
- Replacement of the main Dining Hall to address capacity and quality problems.
- Making accessibility improvements throughout the main hall, including the addition of a lift to the first-floor level.
- Addition of railings to the boundary walls on Banbury Road.
Wycliffe Hall had been working on design proposals that were shared with residents and key stakeholders. In doing so, we were keen to showcase the building, describe our exciting plans, including our hope to reinstate many of the original historical features, and explain our overall vision for the site to attendees.
