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Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Old Gaol, Abingdon

Plans to transform the Old Gaol site in Abingdon were given unanimous approval on 26 January 2009 and work will begin in the coming months.

In January 2008, Cranbourne Homes was chosen by the Council to transform and revive the Old Gaol site in Abingdon.

The deal not only opens the site up to the public with plans for cafes and shops on the ground floor and unprecedented access to the riverside gardens, but also includes provision for 24 affordable homes at two other sites in the town and space at the Old Gaol site for the Abingdon Bridge youth support project, which currently occupies the site.

Cranbourne Homes is owned and run by father and son team Mick and Shaun Dominic. They already own Twickenham House in East St Helen Street, which is next to the Old Gaol, and plan to redevelop the entire site to allow public access from East St Helen Street right through to the riverside gardens.

The Old Gaol site will include 61 homes with underground parking provision, five to six shops and restaurants and an on-site manager. The scheme incorporates sustainable features including solar power, grey water recycling and “green” roofs.

More information about the plans can be found in the leaflet, map and information pack which can be downloaded from the right of the page. See also our Frequently asked questions about the Old Gaol.

More details about the site can also be found in the press releases listed below:

Please also see the Development Brief and Planning Brief, which were issued as part of the information pack for potential developers when the Old Gaol was put on the market for development bids in February 2007. These two documents can both be downloaded from the right of the page. 

For more background information see our page on the Old Gaol feasibility study which was commissioned in 2004 to research the possibility of using the building for community use, including space for a cinema, theatre, museum and library, as well as commercial space.

For details of the history of the site see The history of the Old Gaol.