Sir — It was heartening to read Reg Little’s report and the subsequent correspondence (Report, January 30, Letters, February 20) on the current threat to the unique character of Holywell Cemetery. The cemetery is a repository of our shared history.


It is also a place for quiet contemplation in the heart of the city, where space and stillness are at a premium.


Open freely throughout the year, it welcomes visitors from around the world, as well as the many local people who appreciate its natural setting, its history and its wildlife.


A number of the proposed buildings will be three or four storeys high, and one section, up against the cemetery wall, will impinge on its seclusion and its view of the meadows.


The influx of almost 300 students will have a profound impact on the peace of the site and its surrounding area and will reduce its amenity.


Merton College, the owner of the site for the last 750 years, is entering into an agreement with a property developer which will have a free hand in renting out the accommodation on the open market and will not be accountable either to the college or to Oxford University for its management and supervision.


The proposed large-scale residential complex is not a response to any demand on the part of the university or any of its colleges.
It is not intended to contribute to the subsidised housing stock which both universities make available to undergraduates and graduates.
It is a speculative project which should be opposed.


Rev Canon Brian Mountford, Curator, Holywell Cemetery; Janet Keene; Naomi Freud; Martin Murphy, Trustees of the Friends of Holywell Cemetery