Developers have one last chance to convince Oxford city councillors to allow them to build a major housing development in the heart of Jericho.

Berkeley Homes and W Lucy and Co want to build 249 homes at the site of Lucy's former Eagle Iron Works in Walton Well Road.

At first, residents were concerned about the size of the development, which includes a large underground car park, six three-storey and five-storey blocks on either side of the Oxford Canal, plus an office block.

But developers scaled down their plans and now want to build 186 flats on the ironworks site with another 63 homes on the west side of the canal.

City councillors at two area committees have backed the plans and their recommendations will now be considered by the council's Strategic Development Control Committee on Wednesday, August 25.

Jean Fooks, North ward Liberal Democrat city councillor, is substituting for fellow Lib Dem Clark Brundin at the SDCC and has been told she will be eligible to vote.

She said he was prepared to give developers one last chance to convince her that the development should go ahead.

She added: "Oxford desperately needs more housing, particularly affordable homes, but we need to ensure that the people living there have decent living conditions.

"There may be more that developers can do to improve these buildings and their surroundings, and I will listen carefully to what they have to say.

"I am still not convinced that we need to provide so many parking spaces."

At the north area committee earlier this month, Mrs Fooks voted against the development proposals because she said developers had not done enough to make the buildings more environmentally-friendly.

Councillors on the SDCC, which deals with major planning applications, will have to take note of what their area committee colleagues recommend but could still over-rule them when they make the final decision on the long-standing application, which now includes 40 per cent social housing.

Developers have promised to "investigate" providing some homes with renewable energy devices such as solar panels.