A CONTROVERSIAL application to transform a former East Oxford primary school into a community centre and church has been withdrawn.

Plans were submitted by Magdalen Road Church for the Hertford Street Irvine building in October but a formal notice that the current plan had been removed was updated on Oxford City Council’s planning portal on Friday.

Along with the notice dozens of letters both for and against the proposal posted on the application are also no longer visible.

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Pat Brittenden, a leader at the church, explained the decision: “For technical planning reasons and in order to continue working with others in our community we have decided to withdraw and resubmit our application.

“We want to pause the planning procedure clock and continue processing feedback we’ve received and then appropriately modify our plans.”

He added the broad vision for the space – creating a hall for the church’s congregation as well as renovating the former school for community groups, small businesses and charities – had not changed.

The Victorian building was sold by St Mary and St John Church’s Parochial Church Council, which has acted as trustee since the property was vacated by St Mary and St John’s Primary School in 2017, with all classes moving to one larger site at the end of Bedford Street.

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Among the objections was adjoining nursery Comper Foundation Stage School, with staff and parents worried about what the scale of the development would mean for children there.

In an online objection headteacher Chris Warner said: “Our duty of care to [pupils] is to provide the highest quality and safest experience possible – MRC’s plans would compromise and restrict our ability to do so, not least through the myriad of safeguarding issues that may arise as a result of the various uses proposed for the new building. The changes envisaged would cause irrevocable damage to the experience of Comper children.”

There had also been opposition from residents on nearby streets who worried about the size of the development, which included an extension to seat an 180-strong congregation and seven houses, as well as an increase in traffic.

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The church had written to residents in December to try to alleviate concerns but the decision was taken last week to withdraw the application in the short term.

Jesper Ekelund from the Friends of the Irvine building community group, which supported the church’s original bid for the building, said: “I’m really pleased that MRC have withdrawn the application and are listening to comments from the community. We are not against housing but I think there was concern about overdevelopment, especially the impact on the Comper school.”

For more information and to keep up to date with the scheme visit oldschoolhouseoxford.org