Oxford City Council, together with Goodman, Kier Property and Merton College plans to build a one hundred acre office and retail park: the Northern Gateway next to Wolvercote. It is intended to provide space for 4,000 office workers, large retail space and some housing.

It is being built on Greenfield land between Wolvercote and Pear Tree, large parts of which are Green Belt. The land owners who have entered into agreements with Kier and Goodman are St John's College, Oxford; Merton College, Oxford; Worcester College, Oxford and Oxford City Council itself. St John's and Merton are the wealthiest two Colleges in Oxford - they have made no statements nor given any explanations to the people of Wolvercote and North Oxford.

The original boundary of the proposed development covered:

1) Common land in Wolvercote - Goose Green
2) Listed and historic buildings
3) Large parts of the Conservation Area of Wolvercote and Godstow
4) 42 private family houses

More Reading

The plans and proposals that detail the Northern Gateway are part of the Core Strategy of Oxford City Council. They are a long read and filled with Planning jargon. Each document can be accessed here:

Oxford City Council Website - Core Strategy