© 2021Friends of Boars Hill
Welcome
Friends of Boars Hill was formed in 2017 to coordinate opinion and pool
resources in responding to threats to our community
We are a group of local residents, committed to nurturing and growing this hallowed spot in
Oxfordshire, today and for future generations to enjoy. We value Boars Hill for its heritage,
peacefulness, beauty, and open rural countryside. We are a vibrant community, open to change
but keen to retain the character of the area.
Our focus now is on the planning proposals being considered at Foxcombe Hall, (the previous
Open University and Ripon Hall theological site). We think development should show sympathy
and real understanding of the Boars Hill settlement and the local Green Belt environment.
Boars Hill residents have for long had to stand up for the Green Belt and the contribution that
Boars Hill makes to the Oxford scene. For example, we successfully resisted a dramatic expansion
of the Open University at Foxcombe Hall in 1990’s and more recently prevented Richmond Homes
from building a mega retirement village overlooking the Old Golf Course.
We have not been alone. In particular, the Oxford Preservation Trust, with its goal to guide
development and ensure that Oxford’s rural setting is maintained for all to enjoy has made a
significant contribution in the preservation of notable green assets such as the Old Golf Course.
But recently, Peking University HSBC Business School has purchased Foxcombe Hall and its
grounds. They aim to develop the site extensively, exploiting the Oxford name, by creating a
significant commercial venture n the heart of our settlement which challenges the character of
Boars Hill. We believe we must be proactive to protect our unique local environment and its
setting in the Green Belt. Not only for now, but for the future, as those before have done for us.
Our aim above all, is for Boars Hill to remain a tranquil and rural Oxford community.
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Latest News
March 2022: The decision target date has
now passed but there is no news on the
application web page The change of use
remains an unnecessary intensification
inappropriate to the Green Belt; the
development leads to unsustainable levels
of traffic; there has been no consultation
on the change of use; and there are no
‘very special circumstances’ of any merit to
outweigh the inappropriate Green Belt
development. For more explanation of our
concerns, please see our checklist of planning
points here.