Sir – Like Virginia Moffat (Letters, June 3), I am outraged by the city council’s plans to close Temple Cowley Pool and gym (TCP), and the way the council has utterly failed to consult local people about it.

East Oxford and Cowley are amongst the most deprived areas in the city and we would have no swimming or gym facility should the council close Temple Cowley.

There are hardly any play spaces in this area and yet more than 10,000 people live here with three of the city’s biggest secondary schools. In this year’s council tax notification the city proudly announces it is “investing over £2m in leisure facilities such as Ferry, Barton and Blackbird Leys pools”, but noticeably omits to mention Temple Cowley pool. Knocking down and not replacing TCP would give the council a large prime site to sell off to developers.

This plan is simply a ploy to obtain a huge windfall. For people in East Oxford and Cowley they wish to simply remove our only facility. City planners have consulted 15 national and statutory bodies over the last 18 months, but couldn’t talk to local people who actually use the pool until March. Despite no invitation for comment on the city leisure website there is in fact an online consultation until June 23 at: http://consultation.oxford.gov.uk/consult.ti/leisurefacilities/consultationhome and I urge residents to respond.

I also trust the local councillors we have just elected will not disenfranchise the children and adults in East Oxford from being able to swim or attend a gym locally.

Tony Williams, East Oxford