Sir – We were not surprised to see that councillor Gillespie, South Oxfordshire District Council cabinet member for development and building control, is now on record as challenging the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) figures (Report, February 29).

The Liberal Democrat groups have raised concerns about the figures this at Cherwell DC, Vale of White Horse DC and West Oxfordshire DC council meetings.

Although we recognise that Oxfordshire does require more housing, we believe the number of additional houses proposed in the SHMA is unsustainable and excessive, and it has been described by professionals as “incredible” and “absurd”.

The SHMA was conducted on behalf of all the district councils, the city council and the county council by GL Hearn, a consultancy firm that specialises in property development. We do not agree that the SHMA numbers should have been used without challenge by the councils – particularly as some of the underlying assumptions of the study, particularly about employment growth, were very optimistic.

And although we respect the district councils’ duty to co-operate with Oxford City Council, we believe that Oxford city should utilise identified sites within the city before asking for further co-operation.

We also believe that we should do everything we can to halt the proposed piecemeal development in our Green Belt, and call on all the councils to ensure that any review of the Oxford Green Belt is conducted in public with a transparent consultation process.

Layla Moran, Lib Dem PPC for Oxford West & Abingdon