Oxford Brookes University is to be commended for its willingness to compromise and to have another look at plans for its new campus.

We fully expected the university to launch an appeal against the decision of city councillors to reject the last scheme.

As we reported previously, council planning officers had advised that the scheme was acceptable. The appeal, which the university must have felt it had a good chance of winning, would have been expensive for all, particularly the council taxpayer.

Debate over the previous plan was acrimonious. We hope it will be different this time. We want to see Brookes able to provide the first-class facilities that its students deserve and for it to co-exist happily with its neighbours.

Some may say that achieving both of these is not possible. That can only be the case if views remain entrenched on both sides.

The city council’s own planning policies provide for the rebuilding of the Brookes campus. That means this scheme will ultimately go ahead in one form or another.

Councillors will have to look at the scheme on its planning merits but it is important to note that, as before, it will allow them to address some of the wider issues, particularly concerns about expansion in numbers, as part of any planning permission.