A BRIDGE over Oxford's medieval city wall will be created in a £17m expansion of Pembroke College, Oxford, approved by councillors.

The bridge will link the college's main site to two new quads in Brewer Street. The scheme will create 91 ensuite bedrooms and six flats, a theatre/auditorium, an assembly room, seminar rooms, an art gallery and a café/common room.

The Bannister Building in Brewer Street, which is listed, will be incorporated into the scheme, developed by Oxford architects Berman Guedes Stretton. One new quad will provide views of a Campion Hall building designed by Lutyens.

Pembroke Bursar John Church said: "This will enable us to offer 25 per cent more accommodation for our students, all of a high quality."

He added: "We also believe that the design of the new buildings and, in particular, the bridge linking the new building to the college's main site are striking and will contribute to the regeneration of the West End of Oxford."