Sir – I am duly amused by the cries of shame by Cage member Adrian Hatt (Report, August 25) over the inclusion of Cholsey as a prospective gravel site in some eight years’ time. West Oxfordshire, or to be more specific the Lower Windrush and Evenlode Valleys, has taken the majority of excavation in Oxfordshire since the Second World War and continues to be targeted in the present consultation document.

So what you may say, all sites have infrastructure problems, flooding, archaeological, ambience and cumulative effect reasons why they should be excepted from excavation — correct.

However, most gravel should be excavated close to where it is used; the majority of use in the next 20 years will, on present plans, be south of the River Thames — such as Didcot, Harwell, Wantage, Grove among others.

The only access bridges from the gravel areas north of the Thames are the Swinford Toll Bridge built in the mid 18th century, and Newbridge built in the 12th century by monks. Both are unsuitable for HGVs but the latter is legally closed to all lorries with a capacity of carrying over 18 tonnes.

This points very strongly to the incontrovertible conclusion that not only should Cholsey in due course be dug for gravel but that Oxfordshire County Council should be concentrating its permissions on sites south of the River Thames in its current 2030 Core Strategy deliberations.

Charles Mathew, Oxfordshire county councillor for the division of Eynsham