Sir – I read (Report, January 23) that the Planning Minister had said that the city and county councils should be “profoundly ashamed of the design” of the Castle Mill student blocks.

I think if he had seen the Wavy Gate development for students on the Travis Perkins site behind Tesco’s, Cowley Road he would have seen a worse design. It certainly looks like a prison.

It has the feel of a prison with its locked gates and solidly unattractive four-storey regimented blocks and bright security lights that blaze into our windows.

No one cares about us, the residents here, who have not only had our views of the dreaming spires removed but our sunlight, our privacy and our living space reduced by this monstrosity.

I would suggest Bob Price and the planning committee, who agreed this crass development, take a walk down here some time soon and certainly before they allow any further building on the Tesco car park in front of these hideous blocks. These blocks are by no means fully occupied.

Originally it was to be — with a smarter design! — a graduate residence for St Hilda’s College.

Now it houses Brookes University and foreign students. Low-rise housing should have been built on the Travis Perkins site. It is ridiculous to think now of building houses on Tesco car park and further cluttering up this overcrowded area.

Penelope Newsome, East Oxford