OXFORD could soon be listed as one of the 500 most important places on Earth.

The city council and University are applying for the right to be named alongside the Taj Mahal, Victoria Falls and the Grand Canyon as one of the world's greatest attractions.

But there's no shortage of buildings that many would happily see blown off the face of the globe.

And some believe Oxford would be better placed in an eyesore contest.

Top of the eyesore hit list is the Westgate multi-storey car park, pictured.

It is a building many people felt deserved the accolade of Oxford's biggest eyesore.

Hedda Beeby, co-director of the Oxford Playhouse in Beaumont Street, nominated "that horrible ball-shaped thing on the corner of the Westgate car park, that awful round thing in particular".

John Tanner, vice-chairman of Oxford City Council's planning committee, had difficulty deciding on the worst offender in the ugly stakes, but even he could not find a kind word for the car park. He said: "I don't know - I even like the ice-rink. But I would like to blow up the Westgate car park. It is one of the ugliest buildings in Oxford."

For Gill Fagan, of The Moors, Kidlington, it had to be the University of Oxford's engineering department in Banbury Road - closely followed by the Westgate car park. "Every town has them but, the thing is, they sort of grow on you," she added.

The engineering department also got the thumbs-down from Jennifer Linsdell, of Alexandra Road, Oxford.

"I'd like to demolish that nuclear power station," she said.

And Andy Clyde, who works for Oxford's Shifty Disco record label, was another person who would like to see a few friendly bombs dropped on the engineering building.

He told the Oxford Mail: "That is my least favourite building in Oxford."

Rowena Seymour, of Ridgefield Road, said: "The ice-rink - that's pretty ugly, and so is the bingo hall in Cowley Road."

Salvage specialist Andy Richens, of Oxford Salvage Company, was practical in his choice of building for the big bang. "The old prison site in New Road could go - so we could get the gear out of it," he said.

Former Lord Mayor John Power nominated "probably the new building of Exeter College in Broad Street - they put a new block up there and I'd blow that up."

Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter said: "That red brick car park in St Clements should be blown up. I wouldn't mind a bomb on that at all, though I wouldn't mind blowing up any of the stuff that went up in the 60s."

Chairman of the Oxford Preservation Trust Moyra Haynes said there were many monstrosities that would not be missed, including County Hall and Magdalen College's Waynflete Building.

"My least favourite is the British Telecom building in Speedwell Street, opposite Speedwell House. The one that has the most crushing effect on its surrounding is probably County Hall but that one is the worst."

Octogenarian Sonia Keates, of Bedford Street, Oxford, said: "I think the Porphyrios building at Magdalen College and also the student accommodation buildings at Worcester College, on the corner of Hythe Bridge Street." The ugly list 1. Westgate car park

2. The University's engineering building in Banbury Road

3. Oxford College of Further Education

4. Westgate shopping centre

5. Waynflete Building

6. BT building, Speedwell Street

7. Clarendon shopping centre

8. Oxford Brookes campus, Gypsy Lane

9. Seacourt Tower

10. County Hall

What is the ugliest building in Oxford - or Oxfordshire? Tell us what you think. Write to: Ugliest Building, Newsdesk, Oxford Mail, Oxford OX2 0EJ. Or you can e-mail us on nqonews@nqo.com

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.