Sir – Last week’s editorial — All Change? — seriously misrepresents the reasons why the local community in Botley are so strongly against Doric’s proposal for the West Way, even in its slightly modified form.

We are not against development on the site: what we want, however, is something more rationally scaled, that does not destroy what we value particularly Elms Parade.

This building is far superior, architecturally, than anything in the banal proposal put forward by Doric, however it is cosmetically remodelled. Your editorial implies that local people believe that all that is needed to improve the existing centre is a ‘lick of paint’. This is simply not true. We all recognise the need for an updated local centre, that meets the needs of the current community, but not one that is so out of scale in size and use with its context.

There is a middle way between the Doric proposal, and keeping the existing, albeit given a fresh coat of paint, keeping what works, and redeveloping what doesn’t.

To argue that because Mace has been involved in developing quality buildings elsewhere in Oxford, means they will produce something worthwhile in Botley, goes against the evidence: we can clearly see the poor quality of what is proposed in the re-submitted plans.

Mace may be competent to deliver this, but that doesn’t mean the scheme has any design merit. In addition, to state “far worse things have been done and more precious architecture lost” is hardly a winning argument in defence of demolishing Elms Parade.

No. The vast majority of objections (about 800) against the original scheme were based on its inappropriate scale and its set of unsustainable uses. Tinkering with the massing and the finishes does nothing to recognise or respond positively to these deep concerns.

Dr Alan Reeve, Oxford