Sir - As the local councillors for Alexandra Courts, we support very strongly Paul Blay's call (Letters, June 6) for this area to be retained as a public park, not handed over to a private club.

Summertown is short of accessible green space, and with more and more flats being built to replace houses and gardens, it is more important than ever to retain open green spaces.

We have been very impressed by the efforts of the newly-formed Friends of Alexandra Park, who are working to improve the playground and basketball area to the west of the courts.

People living round the courts, and further afield, have been horrified at the proposal to hand over the courts to a private company - with loss of public access as well as the suggestion of a large building housing four indoor tennis courts. Undoubtedly there is demand for better tennis facilities both grass and hard courts outside and perhaps indoor courts as well.

But this is not the place to provide all these facilities, with the attendant increase in traffic and loss of public green space.

We are not reassured that the private operation would provide sufficient casual public access. While recognising that Wildwood do want to improve the courts, we note the concerns from the city tree officer about loss of shrubs and damage to the roots of surrounding trees posed by the first phase to realign and resurface the existing courts.

There is understandable great concern about the second phase, involving erecting a ten-metre-high building and floodlighting the outdoor courts. The local community should be allowed to decide what they want in their local green space.

Once we know that, we can work out how to provide it.

The city executive board should be considering how to provide for the tennis needs of the whole city at a site readily accessible to all.

Jean Fooks, Stuart McCready, Liberal Democrat councillors for Summertown