Students have been delayed from moving into newly renovated accommodation in St Anne’s College. After a two year renovation project, 82 bedrooms across eight Victorian houses on Bevington Road were meant to come into use, however residents in one of the houses have been placed in temporary accommodation due to an issue identified in a final inspection.
A spokesperson for the College informed Cherwell in September that the houses would be completed by the beginning of the academic year, however completion of 8 Bevington Road has been postponed for several weeks. Two additional houses, 9 and 10 Bevington Road, are on track to be completed at the end of Michaelmas term but will be used as conference stock for the rest of the academic year.
One of the students impacted by the delay explained that those who balloted for the rooms “were aware there was a tight deadline” and “that the completion of the work would be close to the start of term”. They added that the process was executed “without fuss” and that they are grateful “to move into brand new properties within the College campus”.
Other students living near Bevington Road complained about the “loud building work outside [their window]”, and an intermittent loud whirring noise which was reported throughout the night.
A spokesperson for St Anne’s told Cherwell: “Contractors have been working on the Bevington Road houses for two years, and unfortunately it is not possible to renovate 10 Victorian houses and transform these into sustainable accommodation fit for future generations of students without there being a degree of noise.”
The renovated accommodation was designed to bring the building into the 21st century, whilst maintaining its Victorian heritage. St Anne’s Domestic Bursar, John Banbrook, told Cherwell that the removal of gas boilers will “contribute to the college’s sustainability goals and will ensure the Bevington Road houses are eco-friendly and fit for the future”. He added that “maintaining the character of many Victorian features” was carefully considered.
Prior to the renovation, access to the buildings was through “ad hoc infill structures…in a poor state of repair”, whilst the landscaping did “not contribute positively to the appearance” of the local area. The original buildings’ rooms were also described as “outdated” and the heating system was “inefficient”, with kitchen and bathroom provisions “below par”.
The St Anne’s spokesperson added: “The renovation of our Bevington Road houses was a matter of necessity, not choice, as the houses were in urgent need of renovation to make them fit for future generations of students. A key factor in our regeneration was to increase our existing housing stock, increasing the number of rooms available for students and providing accessible rooms where needed.|
The final cost of the project was £14.8 million, with funding provided through a combination of donations and the College’s own funds. The College told Cherwell that the rooms would cost students the same rate as the other rooms in College, which is currently £1,974.90 per term for an ensuite room.
In November 2022, Cherwell reported that the Bevington Road renovation would create a room shortage. This resulted in St Anne’s requiring more students to live in accommodation in Summertown, 25 minutes away from College, and many others to arrange their own accommodation.
At the time, one St Anne’s student expressed their frustration to Cherwell, saying: “Many people applied [to St Anne’s] as one of their big selling points was three years of onsite accommodation.” Since then it has become policy for the majority of second years to arrange their own accommodation, often privately renting. Students privately renting have had to arrange second year housing and find a group to live with as early as Michaelmas term in first year, and have reported issues with high rent and bills, mould, and damp in rented properties.
In reply to concerns about the costs of private rent, Mr Banbrook said that the College “provides grant funding for those that need financial support as well as advice on renting in the local community”.
The College spokesperson added: “Unfortunately there was no way to achieve this [the renovations] without taking these rooms out of circulation while the work was being done. College has provided extensive support to assist students with finding other accommodation, including housing students in off-site St Anne’s buildings like Robert Saunders House, usually graduate accommodation, and providing financial aid.”
