THE care facility in which Oxford teenager Connor Sparrowhawk drowned in a bath could reopen.

Slade House in Headington closed in 2014 following the preventable death of 18-year-old Connor who died in July 2013.

It triggered uproar over the care of people with learning disabilities and mental health problems at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and across the NHS.

There are now plans to 'gift' the site to the mental health trust, Oxford Health.

In a letter to former Oxford East MP Andrew Smith, regulatory body NHS Improvement said plans would be finalised by the local health service.

South central directors Amanda Lyons and Penny Emerit said: "Based on progress to date we understand Slade House will transfer to Oxford Health.

"Southern Health will not receive a cash consideration and will record a non-operating 'loss' item in its accounts."

The Evenlode medium secure unit in Littlemore, where safety fears were also raised by the Care Quality Commission in 2014, is also set to be transferred.

Oxford Health spokesman Lorcan O'Neill said the trust expected to be able to confirm the outcome this summer, saying it would ensure 'safe continuity of care'.

Mr Smith said: "It would have been totally wrong if Southern Health, which was negligent in Connor's death and failed so many other patients over the years, had profited from the disposal of the Slade site. I am pleased that this will now transfer to Oxford Health without charge."

After Connor's death came to light hundreds of people from across the UK backed the 'Justice for LB' campaign in memory of the teen, whose nickname was Laughing Boy.

In late 2015 a two-week inquest found his death was contributed to by neglect on the part of Southern Health, which continues to operate in Hampshire.

NHS England's Mazars report also revealed more than 700 people had died unexpectedly under its care over a four-year period.

Connor's mother Dr Sara Ryan has written a book about the saga and said she, the rest of Connor's family and Justice for LB were 'chuffed to bits' at the news on 15-bedroom Slade House.

She said: "There has been an awful lot done behind the scenes fighting for this and as usual Southern Health haven't disappointed in terms of behaving badly.

"But we are so pleased. We need this. We need as much resource as we can in terms of providing these services and I think it's brilliant Oxford Health will have this site."

Members of Oxford-based learning disability advocacy group My Life My Choice are reportedly in discussions with Oxford Health about a memorial for Connor.

Dr Ryan said: "That would be something. I think there's appreciation of the fact that we have campaigned our socks off. I was prepared to chain myself to the railings outside Slade House; we weren't going to give up on this one."