THOUSANDS of students at Oxford Brookes University will suffer after £150m plans to redevelop the Headington campus were thrown out, the student union president claimed last night.

Abeiku Sarbah, 29, accused Oxford city councillors of trying to curry favour with “friends and family in the area” and ignoring planning regulations when they voted on Thursday night.

The proposals for a new library, IT suite, lecture theatre and student union on the campus were rejected by 20 votes to 13 — despite planning officers recommending the scheme for approval.

Councillors said the development would be “overbearing and have adverse impact on the conservation area”.

Mr Sarbah, who was at the vote, said: “This is very disappointing — it was a development to enhance facilities and increase learning spaces. Now thousands of students in the future will miss out, for the benefit of a few residents in the area. It is very unfair.”

He added: “Councillors were debating with their hearts, not their heads, and were overlooking the planning laws and recommendations which quite clearly backed the development.

“I would call it social voting “They seemed more interested in pleasing friends and family who live in the area than doing what is undoubtedly best for the city.”

Despite the decision, Mr Sarbah said he was confident the university would get its new buildings before long.

He said: “This has set us back a little bit and the development will now take a little bit longer.

“There certainly needs to be further discussions.

“But I am very confident that our students will soon be enjoying these top class facilities.”

The university was last night unable to say whether it would lodge an appeal against the decision.

Thursday’s meeting was sparked after city councillors “called in” the application, after members of the council’s strategic development control committee voting seven to five in favour of the plans in August.

Nearby residents handed in a 1,064-name petition opposing the development, claiming the new six-storey student centre would create light and noise pollution, and “totally dominate” the area.

Green Party councillor David Williams voted against the plans.

He said: “We all want Brookes to succeed, but this building would look like the Kwik Fit headquarters.

“We all want what is best for the students but this was not something to be proud of in terms of a prestigious development.

“It was like something out of the 1970s.

“What the university really needs to do is rebuild the entire Gipsy Lane campus and create something on a more human scale, that will provide the best possible facilities for students.”

dhearn@oxfordmail.co.uk