Neighbours furious at ‘ugly’ ultra-modern copper-clad yoga studio built among Victorian cottages
NEIGHBOURS living on a mid-19th century street are furious at a new ultra-modern copper-clad yoga studio built among Victorian cottages.
The "ugly" reflective building sticks out like a sore thumb and will cause irreparable damage to the up-market area, according to angry residents.
Plans for the plush studio in Osney Island, Oxford, were approved in 2019 before instructor James Pritchard got the final go-ahead in February 2021.
But locals have been less than impressed by the development, reports.
Designer and neighbour Bianca Elgar said: "It will disturb the lovely peaceful life here on Osney.
"There'll be constant coming and going from 7.30am until past 9pm seven days a week."
Another neighbour, retired vicar Vernon Orr, said when the project was finalised: "To knock down [the current building] and replace it with a two-storey house or studio is wrong.
"The design is very unusual. It's copper-cladded, chocolate-coloured with the most unusual placement of windows and doors."
He later added: "I pray for the owners every day. I don't want to make enemies and I wish them well.
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"We are a very happy lot here and we're blessed with our street, but we were surprised by the [planning] decision.
"This is a great street – Oxford's best residential street, we think.
"It's a free country and the council, the owner and everybody in authority seems to think it's an acceptable development."
One critic even said it would "change the nature of the street forever".
A man living next-door to the building is so opposed to the design he has put up a passive aggressive poster with a Dolly Parton quote, reading: "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap."
The new yoga studio, which is still being developed, replaced a dilapidated workshop on East Street, where houses sell for upwards of £650,000.
Council officers insisted the proposal "would accord with the special character and appearance of the conservation area".
And owner James, who has been teaching yoga for more than 20 years, stands behind his design, claiming copper was chosen as the building will "disappear" into the background as the material ages.
He also suggested it was council officials who told him to keep the design modern, stating it provided an "important break" in the brick dwellings.
The 68-year-old told MailOnline he plans to open his eco-friendly base Monday to Sunday to "bring yoga to the wider Oxford community".
