DORSET HOUSE, a large Victorian property in Headington, could be demolished to make way for accommodation blocks for 363 students.

A planning application has been submitted to erect five blocks of student accommodation on the site of the red brick London Road property, dating from 1886.

The major property and development company Quintain is behind the application, with the accommodation expected to be taken up by the fast expanding Oxford Brookes University.

The news was greeted with anger by local residents, who have already been protesting about an over-concentration of students in the Headington area.

Residents had complained about the erection of ugly hoardings around Dorset House, which some had hoped might be home to a re-located Headington Library.

But the prospect of new three- and four-storey buildings accommodating hundreds of students confirmed their worst fears.

Harry Edwards, planning secretary of the Highfield Residents' Association, said: "This is coming on the back of large proposed developments at Warneford Meadow, Warneford Hospital and Park Hospital." The Warneford scheme would create accommodation for more than 2,000 students.

He said: "The general view of residents will be that here we have yet another fragmented development being proposed. There simply doesn't seem to be any master plan that is taking into account traffic, transport and the needs of residents."

Diana Chandler, chairman of the association, earlier warned that the huge amount of residential accommodation being created for students and the NHS workers, was changing the character of Headington.

Ian King, Oxford Brookes' Director of Estates and Facilities Management, said: "Dorset House has been acquired by private developers who have approached Oxford Brookes to ask whether we would be interested in using the site for our students. No agreement has been reached.

"Oxford Brookes is keen to look at a variety of ways of expanding our student accommodation. We are committed to increasing the number of student beds we offer by 1000 as part of the local plan process, in order to relieve pressure on local housing."

Oxford Brookes, which never owned the site, had occupied Dorset House until two years ago as tenants. It was home to the University's School of Occupational Therapy, which was relocated to Milham Ford School.

Hugh Mellor, of the Planning Consultants Kemp and Kemp, said: "Dorset House is not listed or in a conservation area. There are no statutory planning controls to prevent its demolition."

Quintain is also applying to convert the nearby 60 London Road into two self-contained flats.

One Headington resident, who asked not to be named, said: "Headington gets nothing at all in return for having to put up with hordes of students and hospital departments. We just keep losing facilities.

"Many nice old houses are being demolished to make room for flats. Properties are left to become run down so that everyone forgets what fine houses they once were. The hoardings surrounding Dorset House are now a real eyesore."

Dorset House was the first property to be built on the land of old Highfield Farm. From the late 1920s to 1961 the house was part of Headington School.