Sir – Is this government out to destroy our ancient market towns and villages? It’s building programme certainly gives that impression. My own village of Milton-under- Wychwood is at present battling against a development of 70 homes which could rise to many more if an option for an extra 25 acres is taken up.

The proposed development is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, supposedly protected.  The road structure cannot cope with this many houses and neither can the existing infrastructure, but is anybody listening?  The plethora of’No’ posters in the village leaves no doubt as to what most of the  villagers think.

A development of this size will adversely affect the lives of a great number of people, as well as changing the character of the village. Few people have much faith in the ‘local democracy’ the Government espouses as developers usually seem to get their way irrespective.

This kind of battle is being repeated all over the country.

The need for more housing is clearly understood albeit that the numbers are in dispute, but inappropriate development in inappropriate situations cannot be the answer.

Villages can accommodate small numbers of houses (as the Princess Royal has pointed out) but not large developments.

So what about redundant airfields? There are many of these scattered across the country, particularly in Oxfordshire that could accommodate large numbers of houses-new towns/villages — without disrupting the lives of local people and without seriously damaging our fragile rural environment and our precious villages and market towns.

Brian Sinfield, Milton-under-Wychwood