Sir – The Vice-Chancellor of Brookes University, (Letters, May 28), describes the growth in Brookes student numbers in the last ten years as ‘modest’.

City council statistics show that numbers increased from 10,500 in 1999 to 17,320 in 2006, an increase of 65 per cent in only seven years; this is a huge increase and one which has worsened the quality of life for Oxford residents over a wide area. In areas like my own, where students live in houses in multiple occupation, the impact has been felt in terms of the increased occurrence of litter, rubbish-strewn front gardens, vandalism, parking pressures, noisy overnight parties and general anti-social behaviour.

The city council has recognised that Brookes needs to provide more purpose-built accommodation to relieve the pressure that high-density student numbers has on residential areas.

The current Local Plan states that ‘planning permission will only be granted for additional teaching/administrative accommodation where the number of Oxford Brookes University full-time students living in Oxford, in accommodation not provided by Oxford Brookes University, does not exceed 3,500 in the academic years up to 2008, and 3,000 after that date.’ Yet, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor admitted in a meeting last week, that Brookes has not met the former target, nor will it meet the latter target this year.

Brookes has, therefore, failed to meet the Local Plan target for housing its own students necessary to enable it to obtain planning permission for additional academic accommodation. Yet, it has submitted a planning application for a substantial net addition of space at its Gipsy Lane site and is, therefore, asking the council to ignore the terms of the Local Plan.

Brookes clearly believes, contrary to what the Vice-Chancellor said in her letter, that it is not subject to the same planning rules as everybody else.

Peter Coggins, Chairman, Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association