Plans showing a controversial £29m university book depository in Oxford went on display today - just days before councillors decide its future.

Oxford University's Bodleian Library owns eight million volumes and is desperate for new storage space as it acquires 5,000 new books a week.

Planning officers are recommending the building in Osney Mead is given the go-ahead, but there is strong opposition from conserv- ationists.

At present, the university pays £360,000 a year to store millions of books at a disused salt mine in Cheshire, with the bill set to rise to £450,000 next year.

But the proposal to build the depository on the flood plain alongside the River Thames has prompted strong opposition since July's floods.

The proposed site for the building was not flooded and its design would ensure it was flood-proof, but opponents claim such a large structure could lead to a greater flooding risk for neighbouring buildings.

The planning application is being considered by the council's strategic development control committee on Wednesday.

Bodley's Librarian Sarah Thomas warned it would be a disaster for the library if the scheme did not get the go-ahead.

She said: "It would have dire consequences for us because we would not have a place to house our collection. We are bursting at the seams."

Ms Thomas added that if councillors refused to grant planning permission the university would appeal.

Oxford Preservation Trust is planning to oppose the university's plan, claiming it would have a devastating effect on views of Oxford's dreaming spires.

Tony Joyce, Oxford Civic Society chairman, said putting some of the most precious documents in the world into one of the most hazardous flood risks in the country was "incomprehensible".

The display at the Bodleian in Broad Street runs until the end of the month.