Sir – The plan to replace St Clements car park with student accommodation has been revised and is once again open for comment from the public, until 24 May. The application reference is 11/01040/FUL.

The revised proposal calls for three substantial buildings, having ‘an industrial/wharf type feel to their design’ (to quote the design documents), housing 141 students in en suite, self-catering ‘studio’ rooms of ‘about’ 18 sqm each on floors 1-4; parking for 72 cars, 118 bicycles, and 12 motorcycles; collection bins for bottle, paper, clothing, and aluminium recycling; eight public toilets; road access to the buildings and parking spots, plus rubbish collection for the existing restaurants, businesses, and flats on St Clements Street; and finally, the Penson Gardens path into Angel Meadow.

All of this is to be crammed into an area of less than one acre. There is no room for trees: a single row of seven modest saplings is planned to line Penson Gardens, in an attempt to make this narrow path between two high walls a more inviting access to Angel Meadow.

And high the walls will be: their roofs are planned to top out at between 75 to 80 feet; the average height of the St Clements roof-line is roughly 69-70 feet. They are as tall and taller than the Florey Building.

This project, if built, will surely crowd out the Florey Building — but with something far, far worse. It is too big, too tall, and too dense for the site.

It will disastrously affect the privacy and amenities of every residential property adjacent to the car park. St Clements is not only for short-term student residents.

The project should be rejected before it ruins one of the few open areas remaining in the Plain.

Diana Hutcheson (Mrs), Chairman, Angel Pavement Residents’ Association, Oxford