Sir – For many years I used to pause when walking up the Thames Path opposite Port Meadow and marvel that such a wide, unspoilt landscape could have survived so long the greed of developers and the crassness of planners — no longer.

The new student barracks tower over the skyline and worse, open the way for others to do likewise. A uniquely beautiful space has been betrayed by those whose job it was to protect it. A sad day for those who love Oxford, who seemingly do not include the city’s planning department.

Let us hope they will now plant the tallest possible trees to mitigate this blight.

Julian Le Vay, Oxford