MARLBOROUGH College is inviting people who are fighting its plans to build a new boarding house on land at Elmhurst Triangle to see the revamped plans, before it re-applies for planning permission for the 70-bedroom building.

Comments from nearby residents and Historic England, mainly focusing on the design of Dancy House, forced the college to withdraw the plans. Other issues raised in letters of objection included the extra congestion another boarding house would cause to local roads, particularly the already busy junction at College Fields and Barton Park.

Now the college has announced a public exhibition of the new-look scheme in two weeks' time, in a bid to get locals behind the plans.

Janet Gregory, of College Fields, was one of the original objectors, and said: “The main issue was the traffic that was causing congestion on the road. People who work in the town always park on the road. We always have to wait for people to leave.

"If they were to put yellow lines on the road then it would mean people would park further up and closer to the estate. When it was the end of term and parents were picking up their children it was chaos. My husband had to actually direct the traffic on the road,” she added.

Mrs Gregory, who learned of the public exhibition on the new plans from the Gazette, said traffic congestion wasn’t the only issue she had with the application, as she felt that the first design did not fit in with the rest of the college's architecture.

“The area is lovely and the building was modern and I believe that would detract from the look of the area. If the building had gone ahead it would have looked awful.

"I was one of two people from the immediate area that objected. Most of the surrounding buildings are owned by Marlborough College so I think people who live a bit further away should be able to have a say,” Mrs Gregory added.

Charlotte Frost, of Church Lane in Ogbourne St George, also objected to the original plans, and welcomed the chance to see the revised version.

"I am really glad they are holding the exhibition. I will be going along to have a look. My great uncle went to Marlborough College and so did a lot of my family," she said.

The college is applying for the new boarding house, named after former Master John Dancy, who first introduced girls to the formerly boys' college, so it can offer more boarding space for pupils. If it goes ahead Dancy House will be the 16th boarding house, bringing the number of boarders to 990.

Peter Bryan, director of corporate resources at Marlborough College, said: “We took the decision to withdraw the previous application for a new boarding house earlier this year to allow us time to take feedback. As a result we are now working with a new project team, which is being led by internationally acclaimed architects Allies and Morrison.

“We want to take this opportunity to consult with the local community so their views can help shape our plans for the new house. As part of this, we are holding two stages of consultation and during the first stage there will be an exhibition on October 6 where people can view and discuss our plans with members of the team.”

The exhibition runs from 3pm-8pm in The Marlburian Centre at Marlborough College on October 6. The college says that all comments made then will be considered before the final revised planning application is submitted.