Thank you for reminding your readers that, although many of them may think the future of Warneford Meadow as a Town Green is secure, this is not the case (Oxford Mail, January 14)).

The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Trust continues to spend money on a legal battle to free up the land to sell for development – money which could otherwise be used to improve facilities at the hospitals and in the community.

You quote Julie Waldron, the trust’s chief executive, as saying that ‘Selling the Warneford Meadow would release much-needed funds to upgrade our current in-patients’ units in Oxford’.

NHS budgeting arrangements make it unlikely that the proceeds of the sale of the meadow could be directly applied to service development for the local Oxford community.

Cash raised by the sale would risk disappearing into NHS funds, where the trust’s plans would have to take their chance against other competing priorities.

Once money raised by the sale of the meadow is spent, it’s spent.

Finances for any future improvements in 10 or 20 or 50 years’ time would have to be found from elsewhere. There would be no meadow to sell.

Nor would there be a precious open space available for the benefit of the local community, including hospital patients, as there will be – in perpetuity – if the trust abandons its ridiculous insistence on selling Warneford Meadow or if, as we expect, the High Court rules next month in favour of its registration as a Town Green.

Andrew Carter, Friends of Warneford Meadow, Hill Top Road, Oxford