Councillors have given the go-ahead to build homes on the site of a school in Oxford, when it closes under reorganisation, but the original buildings must be kept.

Oxfordshire County Council proposed two planning applications to develop the site of Windmill First School, in Margaret Road, Headington. The school will close next year as part of the city's schools reorganisation.

One scheme would retain the Edwardian red-brick school buildings, but a second proposal would demolish the buildings.

The council's north east area committee approved outline planning permission for the first application because members felt the buildings should be integrated into the final housing scheme.

Committee chairman Maureen Christian said: "A lot of people would be sad to see the buildings go. Where schools have been converted into buildings in other parts of the city, it has worked very well." Other planning conditions imposed on the developer are that 30 per cent of the development should be social housing, £17,000 should be given to community facilities, £25,000 to secondary school education, £5,000 to library facilities, £6,500 to improving Margaret Road Recreation Ground, £20,000 to cycle safety measures and £6,500 to public art projects.