A DECISION to allow a new student campus in East Oxford has come under renewed fire after St Hilda’s College pulled out of the deal.

Ward councillor Nuala Young said the college had served as “a Trojan Horse,” by helping to secure planning permission for the developers.

And she said the city had been robbed of a much needed site for affordable homes in Chapel Street, off Cowley Road.

She said a pledge by St Hilda’s to vacate homes on Iffley Road was crucial to planning permission being given for a scheme to create accommodation for 166 students, The development on the site of the Travis Perkins builder’s yard upset local residents, who said that the three and four storey blocks were too big in a residential area largely made up of two-storey Victorian properties.

But with planning permission granted in the autumn by Oxford City Council , St Hilda’s pulled out of the scheme.

The college wrote to developers Ardant Ltd/WW Black to say that its governing body had decided that it did not want to commit “to such a large financial risk.”

It has left developers having to market the site nationally and locally in search of another educational body wishing to take it on.

Ms Young, the city councillor for the St Clement’s ward, said: “I am deeply disturbed by this.

“The site had been allocated for housing and creating employment in the previous housing strategy plan.

“This was overturned by a council planning committee in favour of student accommodation.

“The council was told St Hilda’s would release a number of houses on Iffley Road. At the time there was some scepticism because there was no legal obligation for them to make sure any houses went back to family occupation.

“We feel let down by St Hilda’s. They should have thought through the financial situation before the planning application went through. It is like planning permission was acquired under false pretences. But I don’t believe we have the ability to change things now.”

She fears developers would be increasingly providing accommodation for students studying in Oxford for a year, rather than university students.

East Oxford campaigner Sietske Boeles there was a real possibility that the Chapel Street site would be used for language school students or others, swelling further the student population in East Oxford.

Richard Gamlin, a director of Ardant, said: “We had been working with the college on this scheme long before it received outline planning consent. But St Hilda’s says an internal decision has been taken not to proceed.

“We have already had a lot of interest in the site. We might develop it ourselves or sell it for another party to develop. We are presently just looking at what opportunities there are.”

St Hilda’s bursar Richard Berry said: “We are very disappointed that we are unable to continue with the graduate centre but the future of the site is not in our hands.”