Public consultation event on 15 Norham Gardens

Anyone interested in the plans is welcome to come along to the cafe there between 2pm and 7pm, find out more about what is planned and raise any questions or concerns. The feedback received during the consultation will inform further improvements to the proposals before the University submits a planning application in 2026.

The project aims to make the facility more accessible to all users and provide better support for the work of the Department of Education, which has been based in the former residential property for more than a century.

The proposals include demolishing the existing caretaker’s cottage, an ancillary building that was added to the main house in the 1920s, as well as a newer structure linking the two.
These will be replaced with a new extension, in keeping with the architectural style of the main house and wider neighbourhood.

This will provide high-quality new teaching and office spaces and enable everyone to use the main front entrance on equal terms – at present, it is at the top of a flight of steps meaning wheelchair users and others with impaired mobility can only enter the building from the back garden.

The project will also improve sustainability. It is designed to be comfortable with limited energy inputs, reducing carbon emissions and helping achieve the University’s ambitious goal of reaching net zero by 2035. It will remove several car parking spaces but add more bike racks.

It will include landscaping to transform the front garden – currently tarmacked and used mainly for parking – into a lush, beautiful space that enhances the local street landscape.

The consultation materials are now available as a PDF here: 15 Norham Gardens Publc Consultation boards for the benefit of anyone who cannot attend on the day, and we welcome feedback via email to [email protected] by the end of Friday 10 October.

After incorporating any feedback received during the consultation, the University aims to apply for planning consent in early 2026.