Oxford tower blocks makeover: Extra £1.75m funding approved

The 1960s-built Evenlode house will be upgraded

A multi-million pound scheme to refurbish five 1960s tower blocks in Oxford has got the green light after extra cash was approved.

In June work to revamp Evenlode and Windrush towers in Blackbird Leys, Wood Farm's Foresters Tower, Cowley's Hockmore Tower, and Northway's Plowmans Tower, was put on hold.

The city council suspended it because costs increased from £18m to over £20m.

Councillors have now agreed to fund the extra £1.75m needed.

The upgrade includes "enhancements" to the tower exteriors, as well as new roofs, windows and heating systems.

Refurbishment work is now expected to start in January 2016 and will take about three years.

The city council previously said the "complexity" of the Hockmore project was partly to blame for the increase in cost.

The plans, which were approved by the council in November, are expected to extend the lifespan of the towers by about 30 years.