AFFORDABLE city centre homes will be built on surplus land in Oxpens as part of the £86m redevelopment of Oxford and Cherwell Valley College campuses.

A masterplan to transform the college's ageing city site into state-of-the-art learning facilities has won the backing of Oxford city councillors.

And the college confirmed the sale of land for housing next to the Oxpens campus would go towards funding the scheme.

The college confirmed that more than 80 homes would be built, comprising 65 per cent townhouses and 35 per cent flats. Councillors have also been assured that "a significant proportion" of the new homes would be affordable.

The college development will be one of the largest undertaken in England and will take three to five years to complete. It is also viewed as one of the key sites in the proposed regeneration of Oxford's West End quarter.

Under the plan existing college amenities such as a restaurant and hair and beauty salons will be modernised. And the college sites will offer new community facilities including a café bar, entertainment hall, conference facilities and possibly a gym.

Most of the funding will come from the Learning and Skills Council and proceeds from the sale of surplus land. Sally Dicketts, the OCVC's principal and chief executive, said: " These are exciting times for Oxford and Cherwell Valley College and for the city of Oxford.

"Now we have the masterplan approved, we can get underway with making our vision to be an outstanding college of further education a reality.

"We want to deliver two campuses that everybody can be proud of and put OCVC well and truly on the map with an inspirational, cutting-edge learning establishment."

The the planning application for the Blackbird Leys campus is due to be decided by councillors next month.

Oxford Preservation Trust had urged councillors considering the Oxpens scheme to ensure views of the Thames from Oxford Castle' were protected.

Debbie Dance, OPT director, said: "We were concerned to ensure that the scheme fitted in with the west side of the city, and that the views of the river from the Norman Tower were preserved. This appears to have been agreed."

Oxford and Cherwell Valley College was formed in 2003 as the result of the merger of Rycotewood College in Thame, Oxford College of Further Education and North Oxfordshire College.