CAMPAIGNERS who fear a planned probation centre could bring hundreds of criminals to an Oxford street called on councillors to block the plan tonight.

Dozens of families protested outside the Town Hall, in St Aldate’s, before raising their concerns at a full meeting of Oxford City Council.

The Ministry of Justice is in talks to lease offices at Trajan House, in Mill Street, West Oxford, as part of a major reshuffle of the county’s probation service.

But residents claim it would be inappropriate to put services for the county’s criminals, such as sex offenders and people convicted of domestic violence, in a residential area.

Matthew Savage, who lives in Barrett Street, said the group would be challenging the Government’s ministry of Justice and Probation Services to find out if they were getting value for money by renting the offices – which he claimed were 30 per cent bigger than required.

He said: “We ask you to work with us to prevent the Probation Service from signing a lease on the site.”

Francis Melvin, who also lives in Barrett Street, said: “We feel passionately this is the wrong location for a centre of this size and function.

“Three nurseries and a primary school are within 600 yards of the site and it is a significant distance from other relevant services, such as the magistrates’ court and police station.”

About 30 people were in the hall and greeted the speakers with applause.

The plan is for the county’s probation services to be centralised at the new Oxford centre, with probation offices in Abingdon, Cowley and Banbury set to close.

An office in Bicester would be kept, and a new one opened in Banbury. But Trajan House would be the main centre.

Since the scheme first came to light at the end of March, a campaign group formed to fight the plans has collected about 1,000 names on a petition against the proposal.

The group has gained the support of Oxford West and Abingdon MP Evan Harris, who met representatives from Thames Valley Probation Authority with campaigner Dan Rawstorne on Friday. Lord Mayor of Oxford Susanna Pressel is also backing the campaign.

The key aim is to stop the lease being signed and force Thames Valley Probation Authority to look for alternative sites.

The centre would not require planning permission as it would not be a change of use, but Ms Pressel said it was something that should be looked into.