OXFORD Brookes University will redraw its designs for a revamped Headington campus in a final bid to rescue the controversial £150m scheme.

The university will seek to appease residents opposed to the Gipsy Lane redevelopment by lowering the height of part of a centrepiece library building which would face residential properties.

It is determined to avoid a costly planning appeal following the rejection of its scheme by Oxford city councillors in September.

The new plan would see the section of the library building facing Headington Hill reduced to four storeys above ground – down from the six storeys which were originally proposed.

There would also be a significant cut back in the amount of glass used in that side of the building.

To compensate for the loss of space, the university will seek to enlarge a planned basement library. The changes would add at least another £1m to the overall cost, but the university hopes building work will still be completed by its target of September 2013.

It is planning to present its ideas to residents’ groups in Headington over the next few days and will hold a public exhibition of the designs on December 4 and 5.

It is also expected to have a separate meeting with the residents of Headington Hill, who successfully orchestrated the campaign against the previous application.

If the new plan is greeted approvingly, the university will submit a new planning application.

Paul Large, the university’s acting registrar, said he believed the modifications addressed residents’ main concerns without abandoning the original vision of a modern campus that created a new gateway into Oxford.

He said: “Rather than rush to a decision, the governors decided to have a period of reflection. We estimate that an appeal would cost the university £200,000.

“There are better things for both Brookes and the city council to do with their money. We would not want an appeal to happen if there was any other way.

“We cannot compromise on our vision by coming up with some new configuration that we would regret in five years time.

“But we think that there are things we have to do on the western side to make a re-submission possible – and have some chance of getting support.”

However, Susan Lake, chairman of the Headington Hill Residents’ Association, said: “It sounds disappointingly like these are the same designs and they are still tinkering around the edges.

“We had hoped that Brookes would go back to the original masterplan, have a rethink and come up with a more balanced approach.”

Tony Joyce, of the Oxford Civic Society, said: “Everyone hopes that Brookes will be able to produce revised designs that will meet the criticisms of the previous proposals, but will still contribute usefully to the university’s development.

“We all want to avoid the lengthy, time consuming and expensive process of an appeal.”