A new effort is being made to breathe life back into a scheme to revitalise Oxford’s historic Broad Street.

An ambitious master plan for The Broad was unveiled more than three years ago, at a launch attended by leading Oxford figures including Oxford University Chancellor Lord Patten and Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell.

But hopes of pressing ahead with proposals for a new public square in front of the Clarendon Building, overlooked by a terraced cafe at the New Bodleian Library, stalled.

Proposals to upgrade the Broad were further complicated by the failure of the Bodleian Library’s plans to create a book depository on the Osney Mead industrial estate, following a planning inquiry. The University had said its plans to refurbish the New Bodleian, the centre-piece of the Broad Street scheme, was dependent on it being able to find a new home for millions of its books.

But Debbie Dance, director of Oxford Preservation Trust, this week met Richard Ovenden, associate director of the Bodleian Library, and the leading urban designer and landscape consultant, Kim Wilkie, who three years ago produced a study showing how The Broad could be re-established as one of Europe’s great thoroughways.

Ms Dance said: “Kim Wilkie produced some exciting plans, but for various reasons we have not been able to move ahead. But now with the county council coming forward with its Transform Oxford scheme — to pedestrianise much of the city centre — it would seem to be the right time to make real improvements to Broad Street happen. We have asked Kim Wilkie back to see how he can take the study on from where it was.”

The preservation trust had strongly opposed the University’s plans to create a depository in Osney Mead, arguing that it would impact on the famous Oxford skyline. But both sides have signalled that they are now happy to work closely together with the county and city councils to pull together a new Broad Street scheme.

All of them backed the £35,0000 study by Wilkie, who previously produced plans for Hyde Park Corner.

As well as setting out plans for extensive repaving and planting trees, his Broad Street study also outlined proposals for Parks Road to be reduced in width and turned into a tree-lined boulevard.

Under the Transform Oxford scheme, Broad Street is due to be pedestrianised in 2010 or 2011, after George Street and Magdalen Street.

Oxford has been awaiting major improvements to The Broad since they were promised a decade ago, as part of the controversial Oxford Transport Strategy, which closed the Broad to through traffic, leaving angry traders complaining that the famous street containing many of the city’s best known buildings had been left to become a backwater.