The new �35m college will house 1,000 students

The university wants to build a �35.5m accommodation block, bringing another 1,000 student rooms to the city.

It will be situated on the Howlands Farm site, off South Road, and will mean the majority of Durham's students will live in university accommodation.

But people living near the site have expressed concern that extra traffic will cause congestion in their streets.

Durham City Council has given its backing to the plans but the Government Office for the North East will be responsible for giving final planning application approval.

The university's unnamed 16th college has been designed by architects Gotch, Saunders and Surridge to enable the buildings to blend in with the surrounding landscape.

Small city

Features include special bricks and sloping green roofs covered with slow-growing plants for parts of the college complex.

Professor Tim Burt, Dean of colleges and student support, said: "The traditional Durham colleges have large shared dining facilities serving three meals a day, but an increasing number of applicants are attracted to the self-catering option, and the new college design will increase choice."

But some residents say they are concerned because Durham is a small city.

One said: "The student population has increased significantly over the past few years.

"All this is going to do is cause more problems for the residents. Not least the traffic. I think a lot of students tend to bring cars into Durham."

If the plans go ahead, the college could be completed in 2006.