Sir – Contrary to the views of Green Belt celebrants (Letters, July 30) the electors of Oxfordshire should be thankful that their representatives are taking a more balanced view of their interests as far as planning and development are concerned.

The notion that it is reasonable to constrain the growth of Oxford by a blanket ban on development on almost every acre of open land within about five miles of the city’s boundary is patently absurd given its current needs and prospects.

To continue with the ban damages the economy by adding to the exceptional pressures that have built up within the local housing market and on the county’s highway network as people are displaced to commute from affordable accommodation at ever greater distances.

The high housing costs and extended travel times blight the lives of thousands on a daily basis. To suggest that these problems might be resolved and economic growth accommodated by redistributing the city’s employment around the county (how exactly?) is simply fanciful.

To continue with a blanket version of the Green Belt is also unnecessary. There are many parts which do not have any landscape or other intrinsic value that warrants them being ‘protected’ from development where this is otherwise the most suitable location.

Unlike when the idea of Green Belts was conceived we now have a comprehensive system of regulation which prevents sporadic development and protects areas of special value.

Councillors should be encouraged to use their planning powers to help bring about sustainable patterns of development (including various kinds of protected open land) which best serve the needs of current and future generations.

This is a difficult enough task without having to operate within the straitjacket of a Green Belt designated in entirely different circumstances.

Peter Headicar
Oxford