Oxford City Council’s planning panel has given initial backing to plans for the historic Warneford Hospital site in Headington, with members voting in favour on 21 April.

The application, submitted during the previous year, seeks to replace the two-century-old mental health institution, which no longer satisfies modern healthcare standards, with purpose-built facilities.

Final consent is still subject to negotiation of the Section 106 planning obligation and related conditions with the council.

Further amendments, overseen by David Butler, the authority’s planning and regulation director, include adjustments to the footpath connecting from the northern access point.

The scheme emerged from a partnership between the University of Oxford and a private donor, with architectural services provided by Eric Parry Architects.

The replacement accommodation will prioritise contemporary mental health treatment, featuring healing spaces that open onto natural settings to support recovery.

The project is anticipated to strengthen specialist mental health provision across Oxfordshire and the wider area.

A leading research hub will be established to tackle neurological and psychiatric conditions through the development of novel clinical approaches.

The surviving Victorian building, protected at Grade II, will be repurposed as a graduate college, representing the inaugural institution of its kind in Headington.

Newly designed outdoor areas will create an improved environment for clinical services, research programmes and teaching.

Combining laboratory-based investigation with patient care on one site could accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into clinical practice.

Specialist accommodation is projected to attract senior clinicians, research students and junior researchers focused on early identification, intervention and management of psychiatric conditions.

Last year, Dr Karl Marlowe, a consultant psychiatrist and medical director at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, described the transformation as creating a centre of national importance for mental health services and research.

He observed that individuals receiving treatment would access cutting-edge research within a supportive environment, academics would benefit from direct exposure to clinical realities, and students would train within a genuine integrated medical research setting.

The planning decision marks a major milestone for the scheme.

Subject to obtaining financial backing and finalising detailed technical specifications, groundwork could potentially get underway by 2028.