Key Points
- Vale of White Horse District Council is due to reconsider plans for Peking University HSBC Business School at Foxcombe Hall, Boars Hill.
- Planning officers recommend refusal after delays following an approval in 2022.
- The proposed expansion includes a 200-person lecture theatre, 60 student bedrooms, a library, gym and dining hall.
- Officers cite an unsustainable location and insufficient ecological information, with the site located in the Green Belt.
- The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government previously decided not to call in the application after finding no evidence of national security concerns.
Oxford (Oxford Mail) October 28, 2026 – Plans to expand Peking University HSBC Business School’s campus at Foxcombe Hall in Boars Hill, outside Oxford, could be refused after delays prompted Vale of White Horse District Council to reassess its earlier decision. Planning officers have recommended refusal ahead of the council’s meeting and vote on Wednesday, October 28.
The proposals would redevelop the former Open University site to provide a 200-capacity lecture theatre, 60 student bedrooms, a library, gym and dining hall. Peking University HSBC Business School purchased Foxcombe Hall in 2017.
Why are the expansion plans being reconsidered?
As reported by the Oxford Mail, the plans were initially approved by Vale of White Horse District Council in 2022, but uncertainty remained until December 2024 while the possibility of a central Government review was considered.
A planning officer’s report said the time since the original resolution made it necessary to examine whether material changes in circumstances or policy affected that decision. Officers subsequently concluded that the proposal’s harms outweighed its benefits and recommended that permission be refused.
What reasons have officers given for recommending refusal?
The report identifies the site as an unsustainable location and says insufficient information was submitted to assess impacts on protected species and whether the development would comply with the ecological mitigation hierarchy.
Officers also raised concerns about whether ecological mitigation would be acceptable under Green Belt policy constraints. The report said these matters were particularly significant because of Foxcombe Hall’s Green Belt location.
What was the Government’s position on national security concerns?
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government previously decided not to call in the plans. A ministry spokesperson said that, after consulting relevant agencies, the Government found no evidence of national security concerns.
The immediate issue before the council is therefore the planning merits of the delayed application, including sustainability, ecology and Green Belt considerations. The final outcome depends on the committee’s decision.
What is the background to the Foxcombe Hall proposal?
Peking University HSBC Business School bought Foxcombe Hall from the Open University in 2017. The school then proposed redeveloping the Oxfordshire campus to add teaching, residential and support facilities. Vale of White Horse District Council approved the plans in 2022, but the decision remained unresolved for an extended period. The council’s latest report says that delay requires the original resolution to be reviewed against current circumstances and policy.
What could the decision mean for the proposed campus?
A refusal would prevent the expansion from proceeding in its current form and could require Peking University HSBC Business School to submit revised information or a new application addressing the council’s concerns. The decision could also prolong uncertainty over the future use of Foxcombe Hall and maintain scrutiny of the proposed Chinese university expansion among Oxford Mail readers. If permission is granted, the development would still be subject to the conditions and planning requirements imposed by the council.
