Sir – It is sad news for Science Oxford, and for Oxford itself, that the Magnet project has been scrapped.

Five years ago, my practice and another local architecture practice were asked by Science Oxford to design sketch proposals for the site to test its feasibility. We both succeeded in fitting all the space they needed — including the planetarium — on to the site, leaving the register office intact, preserving all the views of the Mound, and doing it all within an achievable budget.

Science Oxford then commissioned a grand London practice, Fosters, and things got bigger: the Register Office site was absorbed, the planetarium popped up on the roof (something we advised against right from the start), the building expanded, views got obscured and the budget doubled then trebled. Everything mushroomed then went pear-shaped.

Watching from the sidelines, we kept wondering how the expanded proposals could ever be approved or afforded. It was all so sensible and commendable at the start.

We can’t help feeling if they had stuck with a good local practice five years ago then the project could be complete by now and a real boon for the city: and having seen Foster’s design we are certain we could have delivered a much better building.

Adrian James, Director, Adrian James Architects, Oxford