Castle Mill

[3] Graduate students with children benefit from priority access to lower-cost accommodation, alleviating the over-stretched housing market in Central Oxford.

The Council was encouraged by local lobbies such as the East Oxford Residents Forum to use planning permission as an enforcement mechanism.

[9] Since 2012, the Oxford University Estates Directorate, with the help of Longcross, have been developing the 2½ acres (one hectare) Castle Mill brown field site, north of the existing accommodation, between the Cripley Meadow Allotments and the railway tracks, close to the southern end of Port Meadow, to meet the need for graduate places.

[10][11] The development has been controversial, since the four to five storey blocks overlook Port Meadow, an historic open area to the north with views of some of Oxford's skyline.

[22] There was a protest and picket of Congregation, the University's formal assembly of senior members, at the Sheldonian Theatre in central Oxford.

An internal report of 24 January 2012 at Oxford City Council[27] stated "Photomontages show that from some parts of the meadow the view of the St Barnabas campanile will be obscured with the long unrelieved roof line cutting across in front of it."

The Director of the Oxford Preservation Trust has said, "I don't think we have the guidelines in place which allow for a development like the one near Port Meadow to be properly assessed.

It is described as "a deeply unimaginative and impoverished design which would lower the spirits whatever its setting, but on the edge of one of central England's most important and ancient landscapes, it is an outrage."

In July 2013, an independent inquiry into the student blocks and how the University was allowed to obscure historic views of Oxford was announced.

[39] October 2014 was the second anniversary of the issue, still raising anger from local campaigners, with a retrospective environmental impact assessment in progress.

A subsequent postal vote, triggered by critics of Castle Mill, rejected the proposal to reduce the height of six blocks by 1,698 to 460.

In response to the two votes, Oxford University stated that it would pursue its favoured option, screening the student flats with trees and new cladding at an approximate cost of £6m.