Sir – In response to the article in your paper (February 5), Oxford Cohousing group hopes that Friends of Quarry will choose us as their development partner, as part of their bid to save Stansfeld Outdoor Education Centre.

We are a community group wanting to buy land and build houses, and we are seriously interested in Stansfeld OEC.

Like Friends of Quarry, we want to preserve the woodland for educational use by local schools. But our best guess is that, when the whole site is put on the market, developers will be queuing up to pull down the existing old buildings and replace them with new houses for sale to make big profits, with little concern for the woodland.

A  partnership between Oxford Cohousing, Friends of Quarry and a wildlife management organisation would ensure the continued management of the woodland for community use. Our cohousing project will have environmental concerns as a priority – a car-sharing scheme will avoid increased pollution and traffic congestion in the neighbourhood, our houses will have low carbon footprints, and we will be keen to be good neighbours with the existing community. Cohousing is all about living collaboratively and cooperatively. So, choose us!

Anyone interested in learning more about Oxford Cohousing group is welcome to attend our AGM this Saturday, in Florence Park Community Centre, at 11am. You will hear all about our work during the last year and have chances to ask questions and find out whether cohousing is for you. Go to our website for contact details and more information www.oxfordcohousing.org.uk

Sarah Westcott, Oxford Cohousing Group