Developers have been allowed to build flats in Temple Cowley after councillors reluctantly gave permission.

Oxford City Council's Cowley area committee approved Wyatt Bros (Oxford) Ltd's bid to create 12 flats in a three-storey development along Oxford Road after officers warned the council would face substantial costs if it lost an appeal.

Old Temple Cowley Residents Association member Judith Harley, of Temple Road, told the meeting too few residential parking spaces were proposed.

She said the scheme would mean a reduction in parking for nearby offices and a health club.

Ms Harley objected to the idea of only one access road, arguing this would become too busy. Under the plans, a second access road is to be closed.

However, highways experts were in favour and planners said there were insufficient grounds for refusing the application, which met criteria laid down in the council's Local Plan, which helps shape the city's development.