OXFORD Brookes University has revealed it was planning to submit a sealed bid for the £4.85m Plater College site by Friday's noon deadline.

If successful, the university, which has campuses close to the site in Pullens Lane, Headington, would use the building for student accommodation.

The 2.67-acre campus went on the market in February, a year after governors agreed to close down the Catholic residential college amidst falling rolls, funding difficulties and a damning inspection report.

The Catholic Education Service is continuing to draw up plans for continuing the Plater mission in Oxford, either by creating a Plater Centre, investing in the teaching of the church or setting up Plater scholarships.

Plater's former buildings provide about 30,601 sq ft of teaching and living accommodation but need updating.

Although there are some planning constraints on the site, which is in a residential area, planning permission for a further 32 study bedrooms, staff flat, office and teaching facilities has been secured.

Oxford Brookes University vice-chancellor Prof Graham Upton said: "The Plater site would be a challenge in terms of what we would do with it.

"But we do need another 1,000 student beds and Plater would be one opportunity for providing some of those."

Savills, which is marketing the site, had expected strong interest from the education and healthcare sectors.

Shelley Stephenson, of the company's development department, said: "There has been a lot of interest in the site but I don't want to comment on who is submitting a bid."