The conversion of town centre offices into flats has been going on for a while, but is becoming more and more common. The Solicitor’s Office in West St Helen Street are advertised as being ‘To Let’, or having been Let. So their conversion is nearly complete.
While the conversion of Publishing House, at the bottom of the Vineyard, is just beginning. There is agreement to turn the offices to flats. Work has already started, before the detailed plans are approved by the VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council). Details still to be approved include adding balconies to the first and second floor windows, and creating a small amount of amenity space to the rear for bins and cycles.
P.S. The Abingdon Blog reported in November 2014 that exploratory work was underway by Oxfordshire County Council to allow work to progress on reinforcing the River Stert in February / March 2015. The barriers are still there, and we are at the end of May.
How long have the Publishing House offices been empty? 10 years?
I still wonder if Stert Street is going to collapse before t gets fixed.
I thought this was going to be knocked down in way for a supermarket? who would want to live in flats next to such a busy road!
Well, if Stert Street totally collapses into the underground river, at least then the highways authority will HAVE to fix it toot-sweet. (as Chitty Chitty bang bang spelled it).
The authorities are just waiting for Stert Street to collapse into the river Stert and the resultant traffic chaos will force them to do something about this aweful chicane eyesore on one of the town’s busiest streets.I agree that no business in their right mind would want to move in to that office block.The only mystery is why no development company has yet tried to turn it into flats.
Having looked closely when the various works have been carried out, the Stert culvert is quite literally being shaken apart by the traffic which is very close above it. I would think that they would like to close Stert Street to carry out major works and insert pre-cast concrete sections. Abingdon lacks an alternative river crossing so the alternative would be re-route everything via Oxford or Sutton Courtnay/Didcot OR install some kind or 2-way system in High Street, I can’t imagine the chaos that would follow in either instance.
I think if they build Balconies on the first and second floors of these Flats,it should be written into the contract that NO Washing is allowed on the Balconies……can you imagine driving into Abingdon on Thames and seeing washing on these Balconies,it would look dreadful
If they are to be turned into flats, to which I have no strong objection, they must design the exterior appearance to comply with the look and feel of the town. This is a golden opportunity to rectify a historic planning blunder and deliver an attractive frontage which can be seen by all those entering the town.