Sir, Oxford City Council astonishes me. On the one hand it raised my hopes hugely earlier this year by adopting first the Climate Change Action Plan, in February, and then, in July, the Natural Resources Impact Analysis (NRIA). Both measures demonstrated, it seemed to me, a real keenness to put Oxford at the forefront of climate change measures in the UK.

However, now the council is proposing to consider for approval plans for a huge new development, the new Westgate Centre, which completely ignore both measures, and the intention behind them.

In their 77-page report to the strategic development control committee and the central, south and west area committee, council officers make no mention whatsoever of the fact that the new Westgate plans fail to achieve even the minimum NRIA score. Only four per cent of the total energy demand for the whole development will be provided by renewable resources. Almost none of the massive energy demand of the retail development will be from renewables.

And yet the council's own Climate Change Action Plan states the absolute necessity of reducing CO2 emissions in Oxford by 15 per cent by 2010. This surely represents a huge missed opportunity for the city council to demonstrate its commitment to its own sustainability policies, and to the future of our children. In addition it exposes retail tenants unnecessarily to the continued rise in the cost of energy.

The final decision will be made by the council on Monday. If your readers feel strongly about this I suggest they write to their local councillor and to members of the strategic development control committee now.

This really is a time when those of good intention should stand up for our environment. Time is not on our side.

Simon Fisher, Oxford