Oxford Castle Quarter: empty units back on the register

Two units at the Oxford Castle Quarter, one of them empty for a decade, are the subject of six planning applications now open for comment. One would become a cafe with motor racing simulators upstairs. The other would become a visitor attraction.

The city council validated all six on 10 August. Comments close on Monday 14 September 2026, and the council has set itself a decision deadline of Monday 5 October.

If this sounds familiar, it is. The council approved almost exactly the same scheme four years ago and nothing was ever built.

What is proposed

The applicant is Gateway Attractions Ltd, and the four venues it plans across the Castle Quarter would all trade under the name Oxford Unwrapped. The six live applications cover two buildings:

Building 6 was the Pizza Express, and the applicant’s papers describe it as long-term vacant. The heritage statement filed with the application says the ground floor would keep the existing pizza kitchen and food preparation areas, while the early-2000s extension on the first floor would house “a virtual Formula One racing experience” using free-standing simulator units. Modern partitions on the western part of the first floor would come out to form a VIP area.

Building 5 was La Tasca, which the applicant’s design and access statement says opened in 2006 and closed permanently in July 2016. The statement describes the unit as vacant since 2016. The signage drawing submitted with the advertisement application specifies gold aluminium lettering 3.4 metres long reading “THE SPIRIT OF OXFORDSHIRE”.

Across all four intended venues the applicant claims over 10,000 square feet.

The 2022 permission that lapsed

The covering letter, dated 6 August 2026, is unusually candid about what happened last time. It describes the applications as “the effective renewal of the earlier consented (but lapsed) consents” granted on 9 August 2022 for buildings 4, 5 and 6 and the former prison rotunda.

The council’s own register confirms it. Application 22/00132/FUL, for the same change of use at 6 Oxford Castle, was approved with the decision issued on Tuesday 9 August 2022.

According to the covering letter, what followed was:

• protracted discussions with the then landowner, Land Securities, about implementing the approved scheme
• no agreement reached within the statutory implementation period
• the permissions expiring before any work started

Why it has come back now

The reason the scheme has resurfaced is a change of landlord. In May the county council announced that it had agreed a deal to buy the Castle Quarter lease, returning it to public ownership. Oxfordshire County Council was already the freeholder, having sold the long lease in 2005 to fund the site’s redevelopment from a prison.

The council’s statement on 14 May said that while parts of the site such as the Malmaison Hotel “continue to perform strongly, others offer clear scope for renewal and further investment”. Cllr Dan Levy, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said the purchase creates “an opportunity to refresh and boost the Castle Quarter”. The announcement did not give a price.

The applicant’s covering letter says the county council “has reviewed the previously approved proposals and wishes to enter into agreement with Gateway Attractions to implement the holistic leisure and hospitality scheme”. Gateway Attractions is described in the letter as the prospective leasehold owner. That is the applicant’s account of the council’s position, not a statement from the council itself.

The letter states there are no material changes from what was approved in 2022.

Hours, security and school visits

A management statement dated 4 August 2026 sets out how the operator says the venues would run:

• maximum opening hours of 8.30am to 11pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 10pm at weekends
• a minimum of four managers on duty across the four venues at any time
• a security team branded “Concierge”, with CCTV recorded and held for three weeks
• visitors directed to the Westgate car park, with park and ride recommended at the point of online booking
• a schools offer designed for children from eight years old, with pre-visit packs

The statement also says the operator will work with the Oxford Preservation Trust on its vision for the Quarter.

What the consultees say so far

Historic England replied on 19 August and declined to comment on the merits. Its letter says that in this case it is “not offering advice” and suggests the council seek the views of its own specialist conservation and archaeological advisers instead. It asked not to be consulted again unless the proposals materially change.

The buildings are Grade II listed and sit within the Central City conservation area, next to a scheduled monument, which is why two of the six applications are for listed building consent.

What it means for you

Anyone can comment on any of the six applications, and the window closes on Monday 14 September 2026. Comments go through the council’s planning register, where the full document sets, including the plans and the heritage statement, are also published.

Comments carry weight when they raise planning matters: noise, hours of operation, effect on the listed buildings and the conservation area, servicing, signage and highways. Objections based on competition with an existing business are not planning considerations.

Two practical notes for residents nearby. The proposed closing time of 11pm on weekdays is later than the 10pm weekend limit, so if hours are your concern, the weekday figure is the one to address. And the applications are for the use and the fabric, not for a licence: alcohol and regulated entertainment would need separate licensing applications, which carry their own consultation.

We follow new applications across the city on our Oxford planning news page, and if you are heading into the Castle Quarter, our roadworks and travel page has the current closures on the western approach to the centre.