Sir – I would like to add to the discussion regarding the proposal to develop some of the fields belonging to Ruskin College in Headington.

Obviously, Oxford is short of affordable housing, I doubt anyone would dispute this, and the development of West Barton on the opposite side of the ring road is important in this respect.

But, surely, this development means that the green spaces we have currently become more important, not less important. As the Ruskin Fields are part of the Old Headington conservation area, their place in Headington and their significance in the area as a whole has been examined and deemed sufficiently important to merit their inclusion.

Building nearly 200 houses on them does not seem to fit well with a policy of conservation. From where I stand, whether there is public access to the fields or not is not the issue (although it would be nice if there was). Nor is whether or not they are of special significance for historical or ecological reasons. What is important is that we should have breathing spaces in our cities, pauses in the otherwise endless run of housing estates, shops, businesses and other buildings.

The Ruskin Fields were included in the conservation area presumably because it was felt that to some level they should be protected as they are, and whatever they may not be, they are a green space, restful to the eye and calming to the soul in what is soon to become an increasingly built-up area.

Judith Craft, Headington