Freedom of Information request - Northbrook House and Windale House
Case reference FOI2026/00977
Received 2 September 2026
Published 15 September 2026
Request
Please provide copies of all documents, statements, webpages, press releases or other substantive content concerning Northbrook House and Windale House that were previously published on the Oxford City Council website but are no longer publicly available. This includes content that has been removed, unpublished, withdrawn, archived or otherwise made inaccessible, including where the original URL remains active but the content has been removed. One example is the webpage "Statement on Northbrook House and Windale House", formerly available at: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1636/statement-on-northbrook-house-and-windale-house For each item, please provide: 1. A copy of the content; 2. Its original publication date; 3. The date it was removed or made unavailable; and 4. Any recorded reason for its removal. Please also provide copies of all recorded correspondence and communications concerning the decision to remove, withdraw or otherwise make unavailable Council website content relating to Northbrook House and Windale House, including emails, internal communications, instructions and decision records. If any information is exempt from disclosure, please provide the remainder and identify the exemption relied upon. The time frame to consider is the past two years.
Response
The Council has searched its website and press release databases. The “Statement on Northbrook House and Windale House” is the only item identified within the scope of your request. 1. A copy of the content Statement on Northbrook House and Windale House Northbrook House and Windale House were originally built in the 1960s as sheltered accommoda tion and are two of the oldest schemes now used for over-60s housing. We told residents in 2018 our long-term plans were to demolish both buildings and redevelop the sites for new council homes. The condition of both buildings is deteriorating, including lifts and communal areas. While neither is yet at the end of its viable life, both blocks would require substantial and subsequent ongoing in vestment to prolong their current use. The blocks do not meet modern design and accessibility standards. Some homes are bedsits which we have been phasing out across our housing as they are no longer popular housing op tions. It also means they are not big enough for a wet room and their doors are not wide enough to provide wheelchair access. It would not be possible to bring Northbrook House and Windale House up to modern accessibility standards – including wheelchair access, bathroom design and adaptable kitchen layouts – without demolishing and rebuilding them. The housing crisis Northbrook House and Windale House are currently designated as housing for the over-60s, with areas like communal lounges built to 1960s requirements. In 2025, many people over the age of 60 don’t want to live in that type of communal setting and this is reflected in lower demand for this type of housing. We have a number of blocks of flats for the over-60s and the waiting period is often just a few months. In contrast, most people wait years for general needs council housing and there is no guarantee of a council home however long you spend on the list. In the last few years, the cost of living, record private rent rises and the delay in delivering a ‘no fault’ eviction ban first promised in 2019 have fuelled a sharp rise in homelessness in Oxford and across the country. We are dealing with spiralling demand for temporary accommodation for people who become homeless in Oxford. In January alone, we provided temporary accommodation for a further 63 households. We have had to house more than 120 households in bed and breakfast or budget ho tels as there is not enough temporary housing available. There are more than 3,500 people on the housing register waiting for a settled home. It would be better for us to invest our limited resources in meeting these urgent needs than in tem porarily extending the life of both blocks in a piecemeal and increasingly expensive way. Supporting people to move to a suitable new home We met with tenants at both blocks on Monday 3 February to discuss our plans and address con cerns about their future. While some people had understandable concerns about the upheaval this would mean, many residents took up our offer of one-to-one conversations about the support avail able to help them move. We will support everyone to move in a responsible, planned way, ensuring their new home is suita ble and meets their needs. This means somewhere with the same or similar secure tenancy rights and is therefore likely to be a council or housing association home through our transfer list. Two officers are providing onsite specialist support to help people move. Residents will be given high priority to bid for a new home of their choice and supported through every stage of the pro cess. All residents will receive a statutory Home Loss payment and we will provide extra financial and practical help with packing, moving and fitting out their new homes. Where people need support with other options like extra care housing, we will arrange this. What happens next? We aim to help everybody move out of Northbrook House and Windale House by the end of April 2026. When both blocks are empty – and not before – we will put them to meanwhile use as temporary accommodation while we make plans to redevelop the sites for new council homes. Who gets housed in temporary accommodation? We provide temporary accommodation to people who become homeless in Oxford – for example, because of a ‘no fault’ eviction from a private rented tenancy. With very few exceptions, we can only offer temporary accommodation to people with a local con nection. This usually means they must live in or have a recent history of living in Oxford, have a job here or close family in the city. People in asylum hotels are the responsibility of the Home Office, which provides them with ac commodation. Oxford City Council is not legally allowed to provide asylum seekers with temporary accommoda tion or a council tenancy. Northbrook House and Windale House will not be used by the Home Office. 2. Its original publication date 13 February 2025. The date it was removed or made unavailable 13 February 2026. 4. Any recorded reason for its removal Press releases are automatically removed from the City Council's website after one year. Please also provide copies of all recorded correspondence and communications concern ing the decision to remove, withdraw or otherwise make unavailable Council website con tent relating to Northbrook House and Windale House, including emails, internal communi cations, instructions and decision records. Information not held.
Documents
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