Sir – On November 18 last you were kind enough to publish an article describing our suggestion that the best (perhaps only) way in which the proposed new housing development to the west of Barton could properly be integrated with the existing communities south of the Northern Bypass, would be by creation of an ‘urban boulevard’, much like Sunderland Avenue, which carries substantially the same traffic, four miles further west.

This suggestion would involve one or two roundabouts, a reduction of the speed limit to 40mph, and extensive tree-planting, in order to transform the appearance of the road and thus driver behaviour, and to provide good access, particularly for cyclists and pedestrians, to the new community.

Our suggestions specifically related to the A40 road itself, rather than to the nature of building developments adjacent, and were made in our submission last July to the formal consultation by the city council on its proposals for the provision of new homes, a school and community facilities to the west of the existing Barton development.

As part of that same city council consultation, Ruskin College suggested that it might also make available part of its land for development. Of course, parts of the Ruskin property are already designated as a development site, and all of its land falls within the conservation area for Old Headington. Whilst the availability of some of this land might facilitate the creation of a boulevard in place of the present ‘motorway’ (for example by tree-planting), and pedestrian and cycle access to the new housing north of the road, I should make it clear that the Oxford Civic Society is not in any way proposing or advocating building development on this site.

We fully recognise that much of the land owned by Ruskin College, and others, to the south of the A40 fulfils a vital function in preserving the unique heritage of the Old Headington Conservation Area, and the amenity of adjacent communities.

It is, of course, essential that this function is not only maintained, but reinforced. Indeed, improvement of the environment for the existing communities must be at least as important a consideration as the creation of satisfactory conditions for any new development. This was a major part of the raison d’être for the suggestion by us of the transformation of the A40 into a boulevard.

Peter Thompson, Chairman, Oxford Civic Society