Plans to demolish a crumbling Baptist church in Oxford and build a £1m replacement have been given the go-ahead.

Church leaders are hoping work on the new building in Old High Street, Headington, will start later this year.

Members of the Friends of Old Headington residents' group had objected to the plans for Headington Baptist Church, claiming the new building would not fit in with its historic surroundings.

Planning officers had recommended plans be refused, because they felt the conservation area around the church would be affected.

But the council's north-east area committee approved the design on Tuesday night.

Speaking at the meeting, John Coyle, of the church, said: "We are working with a restrictive site and making the best use of the space we have."

He pointed out the diversity of the buildings in Old High Street, including The Black Boy pub, which he said dated from the middle of the last century, and The Priory, which had been built in the 1880s.

He said: "What we expect is that the new church will be a building of its era, which will enhance the conservation area and character of the area."

Plans for a new Baptist church had been given the green light three years ago, but structural problems meant architects had been forced to come up with new designs.

Philip Allison, Liberal Democrat councillor for Quarry and Risinghurst, said: "In time it will grow into a wonderful building and hopefully a church that is well used by local people."

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