OXFORD University has objected to controversial new rules set to be imposed on the city centre.

The public spaces protection order (PSPO) will ban activities including “aggressive begging”, remaining in a public toilet without “reasonable excuse”, or busking if it is branded a “nuisance” by council officers or police.

It could be enforced with £100 on-the-spot fines, or £150 fines at magistrates’ court.

It has now emerged that Oxford University made a last-minute request to have land it owns that is used by the public – such as Oxford University Parks – left out.

Civil rights group Liberty has already warned the powers are “dangerously broad and disproportionate” and is understood to be considering a legal challenge.

The PSPO was first proposed in March and was approved by senior councillors on Thursday, but the university said it only learned of the order at the start of this week.

University spokesman Matt Pickles added yesterday: “We have expressed our concerns to the city council that this order is not appropriate for university property.

“We are satisfied by how our property is currently managed.”

The university did not provide further information about why it had opposed the order.

Richard Adams, Oxford City Council’s environmental protection manager, said the university had been contacted about the PSPO and that the local authority would seek its co-operation if it wanted to enforce the rules on its sites. He said: “The council wrote to 3,000 landowners including the colleges and university.

“We will work closely with all landowners on the implementation of the PSPO and will not be issuing notices to people on publicly open land owned by other landowners without co-ordinating our approach with them.”

PSPOs were introduced by the Home Office under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to target anti-social behaviour. They allow local authorities to set out what activities are deemed a nuisance in certain areas.

The approved order in Oxford was amended to change “persistent begging” to “aggressive begging” – defined as sitting near cash machines or making people feel intimidated or harassed – after criticism from charities that it would criminalise being homeless.

Concerns were also raised about restrictions on buskers, with the original code of practice requiring performers to smile.

This was removed from later versions, but buskers now face penalties if they are a “nuisance”.

Liberty, the civil rights group, said the PSPO was “disproportionate” and the council had not considered existing powers it already had. It also claimed there was not enough evidence to show that activities banned by the PSPO hurt residents’ quality of life.

The council has rejected the criticisms. Chief executive Peter Sloman told senior councillors on Thursday night: “We have had a letter from Liberty challenging the legality of the order.

“The council’s monitoring officer and lead legal adviser informed me that the proposed order may lawfully be adopted.

“If it is approved, any party can challenge its legality by way of an appeal before it comes into force.”