A “BRUTAL” and “ugly” plan to cut a library into the lawn of Magdalen College will go ahead after councillors reversed a decision.

Oxford City Council’s planning review committee has overturned refusal of the High Street plans made by another committee.

The refusal had been “called in” for reconsideration by 14 councillors over fears the council could lose a costly appeal.

Critics branded the design “brutal” and “ugly” and the plan was thrown out by the west area planning committee last month.

Members said it would have an “inappropriate visual relationship” with the neighbouring Grade II library.

But the college said the mid-19th century library was vital to create more space for its 600 students.

Its plans to make internal alterations and build the library in the neighbouring quad were approved by review committee members on Tuesday night.

They backed council planning officer Angela Fettiplace who said the scheme was “sympathetic and in keeping with the street scene”.

College investment bursar Charles Young welcomed the news.

He said: “We are very pleased, they have taken the right decision. The current library provision is quite inadequate. It was established in the 1920s when the college had 200 students.

“We need to have a library suitable for the 21st century.”

He said: “If you look around Oxford, over 500, 600 years, change has always been the way of keeping buildings alive.”

The Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society had criticised plans to remove elements of the old library added by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in the late 1920s.

Peter Howell, secretary of the society’s Victorian Group, said: “We made quite a strong objection and were very pleased when it was turned down so we are disappointed it has been reversed.

“We don’t like the regeneration of that quad and the proposed new design.”

And The Victoria Society said the original library was “particularly fine” and “the proposals would significantly damage its setting and special architectural interest to too great a degree”.

Internal alterations will create book storage, reading rooms, staff accommodation and seminar rooms.

The college could not give a date for when work would start and finish.

West committee planning committee member Colin Cook, who supported the college’s plans and was among those who called in the decision, backed the latest news.

He said: “It is a good decision both for Magdalen and for the city. I wish them well with the project. I thought it was a reasonable scheme.”