PLANS for up to 190 new homes at Wolvercote’s former paper mill site were approved tonight. 

Permission for the redevelopment of the site off Mill Road was given to Oxford University by Oxford City Council’s west area planning committee.

The scheme includes a GP surgery, office buildings, a community centre and a lagoon, with half of the homes set to be affordable.

The university will not develop the site itself. It is instead expected to sell it to another developer, with more detailed plans brought forward at a later stage.

The approval brings to an end a decade of uncertainty around the site, after Oxford University first proposed the scheme in 2005.

It originally proposed to build homes for its staff there, but abandoned the idea due to housing policies in the city which it argued made the project too expensive.

In a report to the west area planning committee tonight, planning officers said the paper mill site – one of the largest set aside for housing in the city – was “crucial” to the supply of new housing.

The report added: “The site and remaining buildings are of a poor appearance and... their replacement represents an important opportunity to improve the appearance of the area.

“The development will bring much-needed new housing, along with new employment, open space and improved local facilities.”