Sir – The recent Northern Gateway “exhibition” at the Oxford Hotel actually showed us nothing that we haven’t already seen many times before. I was expecting, at the very least, some sort of visual mock-up of how this huge, new development might look, which I think local residents should be entitled to see – particularly in view of its close proximity to Port Meadow, and the recent debacle of the Castle Mill student blocks.

Moreover, the serious issue of increased pollution levels was inadequately addressed. Quite apart from the effects of this on nearby areas of SSSI, I would fear for the health of the residents of the 500 proposed new houses, sandwiched between three heavily congested arterial roads and two railway lines.

It is also blindingly obvious that improving the already overloaded road system hereabouts should take place before any development is even contemplated. 90,000 sq m of offices and 500 homes will inevitably generate a massive increase of traffic on to an already heavily congested road system.

The proposed on-site link road and a few “Green linkages” would be a wholly inadequate solution to this problem.

The exhibition simply reinforced my belief that the Northern Gateway AAP in its current form is by far and away too large, has been woefully ill thought out, and should be abandoned.

Unfortunately one has the helpless feeling that one can point out its glaringly obvious flaws until one is blue in the face – but it will be steamrollered through regardless.

Harriet Milles, Wolvercote