Sir, I read with interest about Oxford Brookes ambition to create an iconic site in Headington with the pledge that it will meet the needs of the local community.
Whilst student numbers are up by three per cent this autumn (Report, October 20) despite Brookes liaison officers assuring the Divinity Road Area Residents' Association meeting on September 27 that this year's roll was down, pressure on the locality will further increase by imposing a large public square on the site.
Astonishingly, academic space will be reduced by ten per cent. By setting itself the goal of increasing its students in halls of residence by an unbelievable 25 per cent, Brookes confuses the word iconic with grandiose.
To compound this further, the university promises to include public green space.
If Brookes is genuinely serious about these matters, it must not seek to have student accommodation on Warneford Meadow, an exemplary public green space in its vicinity. As it is, Warneford Meadow is the very definition of a health zone.
Prof Floris van den Broecke, Oxford
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