Residents near Plater College in Headington, Oxford, have expressed concern about a new influx of students after the college was sold for £5.6m to an international language school.

The 267-acre campus in Pullens Lane has been bought by EF Language Schools, the world's largest language school network, to expand its teaching operation in Oxford.

The former Catholic adult residential college is in one of Headington's most exclusive residential areas.

Residents' groups expr- essed disappointment that the college would see the arrival of another educational institution, which they said would accelerate the fast changing character of Headington.

In Oxford, EF Language Schools is largely associated with the teaching of teenage foreign students. Its Oxford headquarters are in London Place and it teaches youngsters aged from 13 to 21.

But the company said that it intended to use Plater as a residential college for adult students.

Tony Joyce, chairman of the coordinating committee of Headington Residents' Associations, said: "There is already an over-concen-tration of students in the Headington area. An institution that is going to bring more students in can only add to these problems."

He believed that the bid by Oxford Brookes University for the site had more merit.

Mr Joyce said: "It could have helped Brookes in its attempts to integrate their campus in the area more logically. It would also have helped to slightly relieve pressure on the housing market in the area.

"In Headington we are now seeing a large number of houses being split up for students and no longer occupied by families, which is sad."

Diana Chandler, chairman of Highfield Residents' Association in Headington, said: "There is already a huge amount of residential accommodation here, particularly educational and for the NHS. There's also a lot of office building going. Headington is changing from being predominantly made up of family neighbourhoods. "

She feared the language school would see more students "crammed in" than had been the case when it was a religious college.

Ms Chandler said: "A lot of people feel we are going to lose the community family feeling, with plans to build on Warneford Meadow and major changes proposed at Brookes.

"This language school is going to mean more students and people coming and going. I am sure there would be concern if this were to result in a large number of youths hanging around a language coll- ege."

EF Language Schools said it was too early to discuss its plans for Plater College.

The church's decision to sell the Catholic adult residential college in response to falling rolls and funding difficulties sparked strong protests. But it was put on the market in February.

A spokesman for the Catholic Education Service said the church was setting up a committee to see how money from the sale could be used to fulfil "the Plater vision."

There was speculation the property might have been bought as a home for the next Bishop of Oxford, or by an Oxford University college.