As a former resident of East Oxford, now living in Manchester, who likes to keep in touch with Oxford, I was interested to see the comparisons drawn between Wilmslow Road in Rusholme and Cowley Road (Oxford Mail, October 30).

Many councils have a great deal to learn from Manchester City Council, which is known for being highly entrepreneurial, and promoting economic development, and the city is rightly famed for its unique and diverse culture and nightlife.

But flagstone design and banners are not always the key driver of such development in areas such as Cowley Road.

It is not enough to 'look continental'.

One of the attractions of continental 24-hour cities is feeling safe at night.

I visit the curry mile in Rusholme regularly, and while I love the vibrancy and colourful restaurant and store fronts, I also appreciate the visible police presence as well as crime prevention measures such as extensive use of CCTV.

This helps ensure that the area is lively rather than hampered by antisocial behaviour, and that the council acquires evidence of environmental crimes such as graffiti, vandalism and littering, as well as ensuring that traffic flows easily and safely.

Most people appreciate attractive design, of course, but it isn't a short cut to a flourishing community - security and safety underpin communities in which people want to live and socialise, and where high-quality businesses want to locate.

Under those circumstances, it is ironic that the Green Party city councillors are not fully backing the police on the use of CCTV in Cowley Road.

SM McAndrew, Firswood, Manchester