WITH reference to the letter from Adam Rankin (October 30), where he states: ‘Work with Doric for future good of us all or your voice will be lost’ in connection with the West Way development at Botley, I strongly object to being told to vote for Doric, or in fact any other conglomeration which wishes to impose its will on me.

It seems you have not done your homework sir, as I would say some 80 per cent of Botley/North Hinksey residents hold dear the memories that Doric would savagely destroy if it had its selfish way.

Not everyone in the parish can afford meals out, or a visit to the flicks, or are those facilities only being proposed for the convenience for the 600 (yes 600) students that they want to impose on us?

I did read in the national papers recently that a house of 32 students over one week created a mountain of waste, including 500 empty cans of lager and hundreds of other items including in the main, Pot Noodle cartons, pizza boxes and baked bean tins. Just think what 600 students can do.

I hope the Vale in its wisdom has considered these figures in its waste storage and collection proposals for this new student campus.

Then there is the morality of developers in general. I have personally witnessed the site clearances at the Lime Road development and the plight of the wildlife there was pitiful when their habitat was ruined in one fell swoop and animals from there were discovered dead or dying in the surrounding area – not very nice for the children finding them in the Louise Memorial playing fields. The Doric proposals will be doing the same sort of thing to the residents of Field House.

The only reason that this scheme has come about is the Vale’s desire to get rid of the maintenance costs of the existing properties which they own at West Way.

I also see that this proposal is supposedly ‘sustainable’ (meaning supportable?) a much abused word bandied around by councillors and politicians to baffle the public into believing that it is the right thing to do. Clearly trying to squeeze a quart into this pint pot is not ‘sustainable’.

Yes Mr Rankin, we the long-standing residents of North Hinksey Parish do have feelings and our own thoughts on the proposals but be warned, to accept them as they stand will be at your peril.

Politics should not be allowed to come into this scheme and common sense must prevail. Any influence that the people of this parish can impose to get what we want, not what Doric or the Vale of White Horse District Council think we should have, must be supported.

J BUTLER, Sweetmans, Road Botley