Protesters will get the chance to voice their objections to county council staff over plans to move a school.

Residents of Jericho, Oxford, are worried about plans to relocate SS Philip and James First School to Aristotle Lane because they fear a narrow Victorian bridge, which would be the only access route, would be unsafe for the 420 pupils expected to use it.

Following protests, the county council has now promised a public meeting would be held before the planning sub-committee considered the application. But David Young, environmental services director, said it could be some time before the meeting took place.

He said: "We understand local residents have worries about the proposal, particularly in terms of access.

"We are also aware of the pressing need for a new school. The current site in Leckford Road is very cramped, with little space for outside play and no room for expansion.

"We have some more work to do in looking at possible solutions to the problem of access to the Aristotle Lane site and this could take some time.

"However, I can assure people that the county council will call a public meeting before this application is considered, so views from that meeting can be taken into account in reaching a decision."

Guy Williams, chairman of Hayfield Road Residents' Association, said they also feared that if former plans to build a new road from north Oxford to the site were resurrected, it could be built over the habitat of some rare species of wildlife and plants.