PLANS to build a “monolithic” student block in a residential street in West Oxford have been thrown out.

The scheme to build 74 student rooms on waste land in Osney Lane was originally given permission by Oxford City Council’s west area planning committee two weeks ago by a vote of six to one.

But councillors called in the application and at a meeting of the planning review committee on Wednesday it was unanimously rejected.

Amanda Whiting, 45, who has lived in nearby Mill Street for 22 years, said residents were “ecstatic” about the decision.

She said: “It was such a strong victory, seven votes to nil.

“The development was a ridiculous idea and was completely in the wrong place.”

Ms Whiting said the accommodation, which was for students at nearby Bellerbys College, would have changed the mix of residents in the area to 56 per cent students which she said was “just not right”.

She said: “It’s a normal Victorian street, and we would have had a massive monolithic structure which would not have been in keeping with the rest of the street.

“I don’t have any problems with students at all, it was just too big.”

Ms Whiting pointed out the site was home to breeding hedgehogs, foxes and badgers. As well as changing the mix of dwellings, she said it would also cause loss of privacy and amenity to residents nearby.

She said: “You ask anyone in Mill Street or the surrounding area and everyone was anti the building, with maybe the odd exception.

“There are lots of other, better areas around West Oxford for this development.”

More than 200 people signed a petition against the development and five spoke in opposition to the plans at Wednesday’s meeting, which was attended by about 30 residents.

They claimed the three-storey building would stand a metre higher than their own homes, blocking views from their gardens.

The application was made by WE Black with the intention being that students from Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for foreign students, would be based there.

John Phillips Planning Consultancy acted as agents for the application.

Principal planner Nik Lyzba described Wednesday’s decision as “odd” following the earlier vote at the west area planning committee.

He said: “The client will decide over the next few days and weeks what action to take.

“It may well involve an appeal and a potential claim for costs against the council for the unreasonableness of the decision.”