MULTI-million pound proposals for a new accommodation are set to be put forward by New College.

The new buildings would include 70 student rooms on its Savile Road site, with a new entrance created on Mansfield Road.

It would also provide new facilities for New College School.

The college is due to hold a public exhibition about the scheme on Wednesday and Thursday, when it will display early designs to residents.

New College warden Miles Young said: "This is a genuinely exciting plan and it will relieve pressure significantly on Oxford's housing market.

"It also dramatically improves the facilities at New College School, while giving both college and community a new multi-purpose lecture hall.

"The plans are both striking and sympathetic."

The proposals have been drawn up by David Kohn Architects, which won a private competition ran by the college last year.

They would see the creation of the college's first new quad in more than a century, albeit not on its main site.

Others include the Front Quad, finished in 1386, the Garden Quad, built in the 1680s and the Holywell Quad, built in the late 19th Century.

The Front Quad was an architectural first in Oxford, with the rest of the college designed around it.

It is understood the Oxford Design Review Panel, which vets planning proposals for the city council, has backed the new designs for Savile Road.

The new buildings would sit next to the Grade II-listed 1 Savile Road, a former used to house academics, and would be just over 100 metres from college's main site in Holywell Street.

The college has not yet submitted its plans to Oxford City Council and a spokesman said it was seeking feedback from local people.

But Alex Hollingsworth, the city council's executive board member for planning, said the scheme could help reduce pressure on the city's housing market.

He added: "The council's planning policies support the provision of more purpose-built student accommodation, in order to reduce the pressure on housing across Oxford.

"While this scheme will eventually be judged on its merits, it is always good to see proposals of this kind come forward."

The college said its exhibitions next week will take place between 3pm and 7pm at its Holywell Street site.