Sir – Can I put one thing right regarding the article (March 12) about the Gormley sculpture. Firstly we did put in a planning application in plenty of time.

It is not our fault that, at the last minute, the application was called in, after we had made an application for a Street Closure Order so that we could install the sculpture with minimum disruption to the Broad Street traders.

The councillor who did the calling in did not bother to turn up to the meeting in the end. A lot of time and money has been wasted by the council playing petty politics that we as a college would rather keep out of.

Eric Bennett, Home bursar, Exeter College, Oxford