CITY council bosses have been told to think again on controversial plans to knock down an Oxford office block.

Residents of the Northway estate lobbied councillors over plans to demolish the Northway Centre, in Dora Carr Close, after the council’s executive board voted in favour of the action.

The decision was called in and a scrutiny committee voted six-five to send the decision back to the executive board to reconsider.

Headington councillor David Rundle welcomed the decision.

He added: “At this point in a recession, deciding to dispose of the Northway Centre on the open market seems to me crazy.

“What we could as easily be doing is using this empty building to help community groups.

“It would be much better than putting a bulldozer to it.”

The offices adjoin the Northway Community Centre and a small sports hall — which are not affected by the proposals.

About 25 people are still based there, according to the council, 10 of whom working for the Oxford Sports Partnership and the rest for the council.

The scrutiny committee’s recommendations, which include noting that there was a need for improved facilities in the Northway area, go before tomorrow's executive board meeting, where a final decision will be taken.

Northway Residents’ Association chairman Betty Fletcher said she was pleased the plans were going to be looked at again — and called on councillors to listen to residents’ concerns.

A petition against the proposals is being circulated around the estate.

She said: “It would be brilliant if the decision could be changed.

“My recommendation would be to drop it and build us a nice leisure centre, something that Northway and Marston could be proud of.”

She said people living in the area feared that the removal of the Northway centre and replacement with houses could threaten the viability of the attached buildings — leaving the estate with more housing and less facilities.

Mrs Fletcher said: “We are just being hemmed in and we feel we have had everything taken away from us, swiped from under our feet.

“I am sure they could come up with something better for the site, maybe some kind of compromise with a leisure centre and some housing.”