Sir — It is good to see ministerial recognition of Oxford’s potential for economic growth — and that it has planning implications! (Report, October 10).

But however well backed the prospective development of the University’s Begbroke site, I would query whether responding to major proposals like this on a one-off basis is the right way to proceed.

There are already large-scale employment and housing proposals in the corridor stretching from Harwell to Bicester, including within Oxford itself, which will inevitably lead to increased travel.

As frequent comments in your letters column testify, the A34 is currently plagued by congestion and unreliability. It is neither realistic nor desirable to imagine that this national trunk road should be developed in order to facilitate a lot more commuting journeys by car.

There are many opportunities for improving public transport in the corridor, particularly through greater use of the rail network for local journeys.

The various development possibilities throughout the area deserve to be identified and appraised as a whole and form the basis of a strategic plan. This will ensure that employment, housing and transport needs are considered together and that proposed developments are linked in a way which encourages the maximum use of modes other than the car.

Such a framework will also enable the available infrastructure investment to be deployed to best effect. Any redrawing of Green Belt boundaries will obviously provoke controversy. Hence it is vital that the process through which this is considered is conducted openly and enjoys public confidence that environmental assets are being protected.

The long-term development of central Oxfordshire is far too important a matter to be reduced to the product of local skirmishes. Consultation on a strategic plan for the area is the appropriate mechanism through which choices can be properly debated.

Peter Headicar, Oxford