World-famous recording studios in Oxfordshire have closed due to lack of business, writes Nick Evans.

Just yards from the tea shops and antique dealers, the Chipping Norton Recording Studios welcomed a host of rock and roll stars from the past 25 years who hid themselves away to record their albums.

Radiohead, Status Quo, Duran Duran, Kula Shaker, Ride, Level 42, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Wet Wet Wet were just a few of the names on the gold and silver discs adorning the walls.

But now the studios, which were regarded as some of the best in the business, have had to switch off because of falling trade. Studio managing director Richard Vernon said the advent of computerised recording had meant keeping the studios running was no longer sound business.

West Oxfordshire District Council planning officer Jeff Lowe told the uplands planning sub-committee that the owners of the studio wanted change of use of the property.

He said: "They have told us that in recent times, as with a lot of other businesses, the technological revolution has radically altered the way music is recorded resulting in a dwindling demand.

"The business is losing money and they believe the sale of the property is the only real way forward," he said. "For these reasons, we believe this proposal to be acceptable."

The building was a house before it was enlarged into a school in 1854. The recording studio took up most of the ground floor with residential accommodation, including five double bedrooms above.

The property, a Grade II listed building in New Street, will now revert to homes.

Mr Vernon founded the studios with his brother Mike in 1972 after three years spent managing their own label, Blue Horizon, in London.

The pair famously signed Fleetwood Mac and it was the profits from the group's 1968 hit album Albatross that allowed them to set up the studio. The first big hit to be recorded at the studio was the Bay City Rollers' Bye-Bye, Baby in 1975.

More recently, Oxford's own stars Radiohead can trace the roots of their success back to three weeks spent in Chipping Norton in 1992.

It was there that the band recorded their debut album Pablo Honey, including the smash hit Creep.

Two years ago they returned to add guitar over-dubs to their album, OK Computer.

Story date: Thursday 10 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.