I was interested to see the article in the business pages (February 27) in which an estate agent lamented the lack of prime office space in and around Oxford.

What an excellent opportunity for Doric, currently hoping to redevelop Botley’s shopping centre.

Instead of swamping the area with students, they could get ahead of the game and furnish much-needed office space. It is true that there are 4,300 sq m unlet at present but this is because they are anything but prime – not well-built in the first place and neglected for years.

The current plan to replace them with just 560 sq m of offices and hundreds of speculative student rooms is likely to unbalance the local demographic, always assuming students could be found to inhabit them.

I did suggest that offices would provide lunchtime custom for the local eateries at one of Doric’s consultation exercises. The response was: ‘Nobody is building offices right now’.

Clearly some forward thinking is needed and I have written to Doric to suggest this, citing your article. Thanks for contributing another dimension to the debate.

AG MACKEITH South View House Old Botley Oxford