CAMPAIGNERS have said they are grateful to the 460 Oxford University dons who voted to remove top floors of the controversial Castle Mill new student flats.

Save Port Meadow Campaign issued its statement following the vote by Congregation, Oxford University’s parliament, not to reduce the height of the blocks.

Dons voted 1,698 to 460 not to reduce the height of six of the eight Roger Dudman Way buildings last month in the row about the flats’ impact on views of the city’s dreaming spires from Port Meadow. The university said it would now pursue its favoured option, screening the student flats with trees and new cladding at a cost of £6m.

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Campaign member Nicky Moeran said: “The campaign is encouraged to see that such a sizeable minority of Oxford University’s congregation, over a fifth, felt strongly enough about the university’s failings to support the case for taking one floor off.

“It is now accepted by pretty much everyone that this development was a terrible mistake that has caused shocking damage to Oxford’s priceless protected heritage.”

She described the 460 votes in her group’s favour as a “slap in the face” to those who fought the campaign. She added: “At least the university has now given public assurances that they intend to do major mitigation works, though it remains clear their favoured Option 1 achieves virtually nothing.”

University spokesman Stephen Rouse earlier said: “The university remains committed to mitigating the visual impact of the buildings in a way that does not disrupt student accommodation and keeps within the cost estimated.”