We are saddened to hear that the Botley Baptist minister has received “hate mail”, due to the Baptist Church agreeing to sell their land into the proposed Doric development. Such cowardly and offensive behaviour is unacceptable.

However we dispute his claim that objectors to the plans are “determined to camouflage facts”” or “driven strongly by political compulsions”. West Way Community Concern is a non-partisan organisation of local residents; our event on October 11 was attended by both local Lib Dem councillors and our Conservative MP, who all oppose the Doric plans. His claim on the numbers at the event is simply in error.

Two people independently counted a figure of c.750 people.

An Oxford Mail journalist attended the event and reported that figure, which was additionally verified by signatures collected launched that day. Pictures and a video are on our website: westwayconcern.

wordpress.com/ All of the facts supporting people’s objections to this development are also available there.

Easier to count, and more significant, are the numbers who have formally commented on the development via the Vale Council’s planning office: 1,077 objectors compared to 153 supporters versus (For comparison, the Bury Street redevelopment in Abingdon received just three residents’ comments.) Neither the minister nor Doric can accurately claim that the “silent majority” supports these plans, when all the evidence indicates otherwise.

This is not a community that has been “bullied into silence”, but one that is speaking up for itself at an unprecedented level.

Chris Church Lorna Berrett Caroline Potter West Way Community Concern co-chairs