OXFORD'S police headquarters and fire service could move out of the city centre to a new business park as part of a scheme to create a 'Northern Gateway'.

The idea of closing St Aldate's Police Station and creating an emergency services base, and modern research and business units, at Pear Tree is being explored by city planners.

Police, fire and ambulance representatives have been in talks about moving their bases to a large parcel of vacant land near Pear Tree. And the public is shortly to be asked for its views, with Oxford City Council preparing to consult on the issue.

It is believed that moving out of the congested city centre to an area beside some of the county's main roads could significantly improve emergency response times.

The relocation would also free up valuable city sites for development in St Aldate's and Rewley Road.

However, new police and fire service headquarters would only fill part of the large college-owned site, between the Wolvercote and Pear Tree roundabouts.

The city council says the site could be turned into a new 'gateway' to the city from the north, featuring modern research and business units linked to Oxford University. The site is designated as land for development in the Local Plan.

City council leader John Goddard said: "This is a piece of land within the city boundary that is dominated by major roads and is currently not doing much.

"It could be developed to be some sort of business park and to accommodate the county emergency services. It is under consideration."

Mark Jaggard, the city's planning policy manager, said consultation documents were now being drawn up, with the scheme included in a soon-to-be-published strategic plan for the city. "We want to hear what people think about it," Mr Jaggard said. "No decisions have been taken yet. But it is an interesting idea that we will be examining further."

Mr Jaggard said central Government is to make millions of pounds available to improve access roads into Oxford. The city believed this investment would trigger an impressive northern entrance to the city, rather than simply expand the park-and-ride at Pear Tree.

Oxfordshire's ambulance service, with bases at the Churchill Hospital and near Oxford Airport, at Kidlington, while interested, is understood to have most difficulties with the idea.

Most of the land is owned by St John's College, with Arlington, owner and developer of the Oxford Business Park in Cowley, holding an option on the site. Worcester College also owns land in the area.

If the scheme were to go ahead, the police would maintain a small base in the city centre, possibly attached to council offices. The St Aldate's police headquarters site is classified as a development area in the Oxford Local Plan for 2001-16.

The leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Keith Mitchell, said: "We are very much at an exploratory stage with this. However, there is a general willingness to look together at what all of the parties would like to achieve and how a plan might be developed to improve what is becoming known as the 'Northern Gateway'.

"This would consider the area in a comprehensive way with appropriate land uses, improvements to the transport infrastructure, and suitable protection of land, particularly to ensure the integrity of the Green Belt."

John Parry, the county chief fire officer, said: "In any proposal for redevelopment or relocation, the continuing provision of vital emergency services will be the priority."

Angus Lachlan, of Arlington, said: "Oxford Business Park has been a very successful scheme in the south of the city. We have about four years' development life left there, so for the last 18 months we have been keen to secure a replacement business park site in the Oxford area. Last year we reached an agreement to bring forward land at Pear Tree in this time frame.

"There is a significant amount of uncertainty as some land has Green Belt designation and will depend on any Green Belt review, which is currently being debated at a public examination in Reading."