Residents have welcomed development guidelines designed to protect Oxford's Milham Ford School site.

The girls' school is one of ten schools due for closure under the city's reorganisation of education.

From 2003, a three-tier education system will be scrapped in favour of a two-tier system, to bring the city into line with the rest of the county.

Oxfordshire County Council will sell the Milham Ford site, in Marston, and pupils will move to Oxford School in east Oxford.

At the council's executive board meeting, councillors agreed to adopt guidelines to protect the environment of the site, in Harberton Mead. The guidelines suggest that the main school building is kept, and open spaces surrounding the school are maintained.

Cllr John Goddard, who holds the planning portfolio for the city, welcomed the guidelines.

He said they were good for people living around Milham Ford, and good for the ecological management of the area.

He added that the executive board should present the guidelines to a full meeting of the city council for approval.

Dr Roy Darke, committee member of the New Marston Residents' Association, told the board that residents welcomed amendments to the guidelines, following public consultation.

He said it was important the guidelines recognised the necessity for some sort of community facility on the site - a creche, nursery or family drop-in centre.

Dr Darke said: "We welcome the recognition of the need for family facilities by the city council and ask them to help make that vision a reality."

Mr Goddard said earlier this week that the development guidelines would have "some force" when planning applications for the site came to be considered.

The county council hopes to sell the site, partly to finance the reorganisation.