IT IS disappointing to hear the new houses in Lambourn Road derided as eyesores.

Five bungalows in the Rose Hill development to replace the old Orlits homes are completed and this is surely a step forward.

Yet Peter Wilkinson, chairman of the Rose Hill Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, is unhappy with the social housing scheme, saying Oxford City Council has ignored neighbours’ opinions.

And, saying housing of a high standard was needed, he has labelled them ‘a complete eyesore’ and unsuitable for Rose Hill.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they don’t look like eyesores to us. A house is a house is a house, in the main. And they are better than what was there before.

Building these homes was an important step forward and – given the current financial climate – it is fortunate the decision was taken many months ago rather than now.

What will be the true test of this development will be how the new neighbourhood grows now.

A friendly area with neighbours who take pride in their new homes can only add to Rose Hill’s vibrancy.