ONE of England s most elite private schools is looking to majorly expand its boarding house accommodation in a controversial move hugely protested by its neighbours and town councillors. Abingdon School, which has just over 1,000 boys from age 11-18, of which around 140 are boarder, says it needs new and improved living quarters as part of its masterplan to evolve .
Vale of White Horse District Council planning committee debated two applications made by the private school, which has recently been embroiled in two high-profile scandals. They include demolishing existing extensions to Austin House and Crescent House living quarters, remodelling them and erecting three-storey linked extensions.
AN historic building in the middle of Abingdon which has lain empty for years is set to become a boutique hotel. Old Abbey House has been empty since 2014, and its future has been hotly debated by Vale of White Horse District Council over the last few years. Now, the council has revealed it will sell the building for £927,000 to a Witney-based development company called Ede Holdings. The company hopes now to turn the 18th century building into a 20-bedroom hotel. A press statement from the council said these plans will ‘create jobs for local residents and help to reinforce the historic town’s status as a tourist destination’.