Sir – Last year, the first scheme for the redevelopment of St Clements car park (Plan A) was narrowly rejected at a meeting of the area planning committee by the casting vote of the chairman, who had the courage to break party ranks.

Speaking for the Labour majority, councillor Cook voiced the opinion that any scheme was better than no scheme and that in any case, all judgments on matters architectural must be purely subjective. At a subsequent meeting of St Clements residents, held earlier this year to consider a second scheme, a representative of Watkin Jones, the developer, had the courtesy to attend a public meeting and the courage to admit that the design of Plan A had been sub-standard. For this he apologised to residents. No such apology was forthcoming from councillor Cook and his colleagues who, if they had been allowed to have their way, would have left a permanent blot on the landscape. Now, following the rejection of a second scheme, councillor Cook has engineered a ‘call-in’ of its decision, referring it to a higher committee packed with his supporters. At no point has councillor Cook volunteered to meet the local community face-to-face in order to justify his conduct in forcing through a scheme which is opposed by the vast majority of residents (including its Labour councillor). Instead he has preferred to work behind the scenes. What has become of accountability and ‘localism’?

Martin Murphy, Oxford