A GLASS elevator planned for outside Oxford University's Museum of Natural History is 'daft' and will be too reflective, according to a conservation group.

The lift would serve the two-storey basement of the Radcliffe Science Library, in South Parks Road, which is set to be repurposed to house more of the university's museum collections.

New plans have been sent to Oxford City Council this month, with the pattern on the lift said to be inspired by the museum's famous glass tile roof.

But the Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society criticised the design and warned it would spoil views of listed buildings, such as the Grade I-listed natural history museum, the Grade II-listed Dyson Perrins Chemistry Laboratory and the Grade II-listed science library.

The society's group secretary for Victorian areas of the city , Peter Howell, said yesterday: "There is clearly a practical use for this lift, but taking a pattern from the museum's roof and putting it on a glass box outside seems irrelevant and a bit daft.

"People seem to think that because something is made of glass it is invisible but that couldn't be further from the truth.

"Glass structures are very reflective and so this would probably be more intrusive than if they just used a matte surface."

Mr Howell pointed to a 'glass link' built to connect two sections of the science library in 2007 as an example, claiming it was an 'unforgivable mutilation'.

The lift design was inspired by the overlapping glass roof tiles of the natural history museum, documents submitted to the city council said.

In a letter, planning agent Savills said: "This will provide a beautifully-crafted finish within the box which will create visual interest in the structure without distracting from the physical fabric of the stonework behind."

There is already a lift to the science library's basement – located underneath the museum's front lawn – but a bigger one was needed due to the 'varied size, shapes and weights' of artefacts set to be moved there, plans explained.

The museum service currently stores collections at several locations around the city, including the former power station in Mill Street that has been eyed as a future expansion site for the Said Business School.

The science library basement was being used for storage by the Bodleian Library but the opening of the Weston Library, in Broad Street, just under two years ago has freed up space there.

Historic England, the government-funded heritage body and a statutory consultee, has raised no objection to the lift plans but admitted it would cause 'some harm'.

It said: "Inserting a glazed lift, which would be visible from South Parks Road and a number of other viewpoints, would cause some harm to the significance of [surrounding buildings] because of the incongruous relationship between glazing and the traditional muted materials of each building.

"However, having discussed the proposal at length, we are content this is justified as this is the only practical site to locate the lift and there is a clear need to install it."