Sir, Every time I see a reference to the city council's plans for housing at Grenoble Road in the Oxford Green Belt, the number they are seeking to build seems to grow.

What started at 2,500 homes has now apparently grown to 8,000 homes (Report, May 12). The city council's Local Plan would require half of these to be affordable which, in the city council's book seems to mean overwhelmingly social rented. If the city council thinks that building 8,000 homes half of them social rented in a single location and close to Blackbird Leys will create a safe and sustainable community, I think they need to think again. I don't dispute the need for more affordable housing in the city and the county. Where I part company with the city council is in their desire to create a single, huge estate in Oxford's Green Belt. I also think we need to look to much more affordable housing for people to buy rather than to rent. This is a view that seems to be increasingly held by the Blair Government, but not yet by Oxford City Council.

Most councils with housing responsibilities have taken a huge stride in tackling housing need by transferring their housing stock to a housing association or arm's length management organisation, thus raising millions of pounds in the process which can be reinvested in improving the existing public housing stock and building new homes.

In Oxfordshire, the city council is the only housing authority not to have followed this route. This is a vital issue far too important to become hidebound by social engineering and political dogma.

Keith R Mitchell, Leader of the council, County Hall, Oxford