WITH a severe housing shortage in and around ‘The City of Dreaming Spires’, you’d have hoped that the local authorities – in this case Vale of White Horse District Council – would have seen the adaptation of a shipping container into a home by landlord Les Wells (October 8) as an inspiration and, possibly, a short-term answer to the dire housing crisis; but no.

Instead, the legal wrangling over whether it was an unlawful development goes on – costing the landlord tens of thousands of pounds in legal and planning fees and undisclosed amounts to the authority .

The unfortunate tenant, to whom the container has been home for several years now, faces the nightmare prospect of being made homeless. So, as far as I can tell, it’s a lose-lose situation for all those involved.

A bit of creative thinking and a sympathetic hearing could turn this around positively. Are these shipping containers plentiful? If so, perhaps our local authorities should look into the possibility of using this ‘crate home’ idea spawned by Mr Wells. Perhaps that would be too much thinking outside the box?

ALAN POTTER, Warren Crescent, Headington