AFTER last January and February floods along the Abingdon Road, into Oxford city, it seems unbelievable that planning permission for a Travelodge was approved by a government planning inspector Alan Wood. Permission for the 83-bed hotel near the Redbridge park-and-ride is to be a four-storey Travelodge. So, despite all the talk, building on a floodplain seems perfectly acceptable? First the flats in place of the previous flooded Rivermead Hospital, then Tesco Express (higher than was thought) – what other plans are there? The old petrol station along the Abingdon Road was only ever one storey high.

My objection is not just about the flooding displacement that will be caused but also the height of buildings which take away our light from the sun and increases traffic parking problems and extra traffic to our already over-polluted area, where NO2 is far too high. Please planners, sort it out.

We used to have a lovely orchard at the bottom of our garden and now there is talk of building there. Maybe the Government thinks the Travelodge is so we local residents can get above the future flooding.

SUE SMITH Peel Place Oxford

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