A NORTH Oxford college wants to expand its Banbury Road site, submitting plans to build six classrooms and a workshop.

St Clare’s, an international residential college, is seeking Oxford City Council approval to demolish a biology laboratory, prep room, workshop and two greenhouses on its main site at 139 Banbury Road.

The college, founded in 1953, caters for about 250 16- to 19 -year-olds from more than 40 different countries.

News of St Clare’s expansion plans comes after months of concern about the impact on Oxford of the Government’s drive to tighten up foreign student visas.

St Clare’s main Victorian building fronts on to Banbury Road, with more modern buildings behind. The proposed development would be to the west and north of the existing main hall, bordered by gardens and houses in Lathbury Road and Moreton Road. All the bordering land is owned by Williams College.

St Clare’s says an existing courtyard garden would be retained.

Oxford architects Berman Guedes Stretton said: “St Clare’s needs to proceed with the replacement of temporary maintenance accommodation urgently, as it is in a very poor state of repair and to provide a building appropriate for its setting in a conservation area.”

College bursar Nick Paladina said: “It will provide us with better teaching laboratories and three larger classrooms so that we can manage the numbers that we have and meet demand for more popular subjects.”

About 250 students are based on the Banbury Road site, which specialises in teaching the International Baccalaureate Diploma in Oxford. About 150 students attend its English language school and liberal arts school for American students in Bardwell Road.

Oxford’s language colleges are estimated to be worth £74m a year to the local economy.

But they have complained that the Government proposals could drive thousands of wealthy youngsters away from the UK.

Mr Paladina said: “We are presently in a state of flux. Our hope is that it will not have a negative impact.

“But it is something we are monitoring closely in conjunction with other schools in Oxford and nationally.

“If handled without care it could do a lot of damage to a very important industry.”