Sir – It is welcome news that following the Port Meadow flats fiasco Oxford University says it has improved public consultation for its major planning applications.

However, the information the University provides in its planning documents remains extremely unclear, making it very difficult for the public to make informed comments.

Regarding the expansion at the Old Road Science Park, it is stated in their planning application, 12/02072/OUT, that there are already 1,898 staff employed.

The Oxford Times tells us that this number will increase by over 400 at the Big Data Institute (BDI) plus an additional 640 employees at the Amenities/Bio Escalator Business Start-Up Building.

The total will then be 2,938 employees. However, the application states that overall there will be 2,850 employees — a total which will already be exceeded when the BDI and Bio Escalator Building are open. Yet an additional three buildings described in the planning permission (12/02072/OUT) have yet to be built. Are we to believe that these three buildings will contain no staff?

As regards parking, the total number of car park spaces for the whole Old Road Campus site was capped at 459, based on a ratio of one space per 6.2 staff. This number has already been achieved for the existing buildings and the BDI and Amenities/Bio Escalator Building.

Are we to believe that the three additional buildings will not only have no staff — but no car parking either?

These numbers matter because this Science Park, which at over 60,000 m2 will be larger than the controversial Northern Gateway Science Park, is going to have a significant impact on the community in Headington and surrounding neighbourhoods, particularly with regard to road congestion and pollution.

The University should be transparent about its long-term plans in Headington to allay the fears of the local community.

Sietske Boeles, Oxford