I THOUGHT the whole idea of building Barton West was to provide affordable homes for the people of Oxford. It does not seem so at £600,000 for a threebedroom house. I expect the others will be just as expensive.

I would ask the following Oxford Councillors Mike Rowley, Alex Hollingsworth and the leader Bob Price who they think can afford that sort of price working in Oxford and surrounding areas.

Property buyers will make a killing and then rent them out making vast profits. This will not benefit genuine house buyers one bit or people trying to get on the housing ladder, surely the whole idea, I think not.

I would also ask my council Cherwell why they propose to build 1,950 homes in our village on Green Belt Land plus others in nearby areas when Oxford is not doing anything to help within its own boundaries. Build on their Green Belt, allotments and university land first, the old greyhound stadium and the Kassam as I am sure that’s what the owner really wants to do if he has his way, being the reason why he does not wish to sell to the football club.

The infrastructure is just not there for these proposals and I’m not convinced they will be when you see what has taken place at Cutteslowe and Wolvercote roundabouts.

Why do the traffic lights need to work 24 hours a day? Surely only at peak times is necessary. Other cities do it, some not far from Oxford.

Last, but not least, I now read a 7.5-tonne weight limit is proposed for Burford. Good luck to them, but one of the proposed diversions is the A44 from Pear Tree – yet more heavy traffic through our congested village.

DAVID WINTERSGILL

Begbroke