Plans for a motorcycle park outside an ancient building sparked a wave of protest from civic leaders and historians today, writes Mark Templeton.

Oxford City Council wants to create a parking area for 20 machines in front of the University Museum of the History of Science in Broad Street.

The museum's keeper, Oxford's Lord Mayor and Oxford Civic Society are all lodging objections to the scheme.

They said the museum, housed in the 17th-century Old Ashmolean Building, would have its appearance destroyed by motorbikes. Lord Mayor Maureen Christian said she would fight the plans all the way.

She said: "I think the city council is mad and I'd love to know the reasoning behind this.

"This is a grade-one listed building. Just what are they thinking of? This area may become pedestrianised and yet they want to stick motorbikes on it. It's terrible and completely farcical."

Museum keeper, Dr Jim Bennett, said the 50,000 visitors to the museum each year would be disappointed to see the front of the building turned into a motorcycle park. He said: "This was the world's first purpose-built museum and is of great historic value. If I was visiting another world-famous museum, the last thing I'd expect to see outside is a motorcycle parking area.

"That area also serves as a dropping-off point for coaches bringing schoolchildren to the museum. We have already lodged our objections."

Civic society chairman Tony Joyce is urging the council to rethink its plans. He said: "I don't see the difference between a car and a motorbike, so why are they allowing one into Broad Street and not the other?

"Having 20 bikes in front of this building will destroy its appearance. I know there has to be motorcycle parking in Oxford, but here is not the place."

The scheme is being submitted as part of plans to refurbish and pedestrianise Broad Street under the Oxford Transport Strategy. The county council's principal engineer, Dariusz Seroczynski, said as a result of other works in the city, motorbike parking was being "reshuffled" to continue to provide spaces for bikers.

The building was chosen as a permanent site for the University's collection of scientific instruments 75 years ago.

The museum, closed for refurbishment until October, houses one of the world's most important collection of telescopes, microscopes, orreries, astrolabe and early medical instruments. The plans come weeks after a controversial scheme was submitted to provide coach parking in St Giles, which also met with widespread opposition.

A University spokesman said they were unaware of the plans.

The Broad Street building dates from 1683.

The University built it as the first Ashmolean Museum, and it was the first public museum in Britain. Later it became too small and the University built the present Ashmolean in Beaumont Street.