Sir – The recent planning consultation by the Westgate Alliance left me bewildered — the issue of car parking being one of the main concerns.

The multi-storey car park in Oxford has room for 1,200 cars. The temporary solution during construction of the new Westgate development, the nearby Oxpens Road car park, has room for 32 cars and 30 coaches at present. Then is a temporary (as stated) replacement car park going to have to be 12 storeys high?

With the weight of the average car being 1-1.7 tonnes, minus building weight, wouldn’t any structural or civil engineer express concern over collapse due to already sodden land, with possible loss of life?

Calculating a £25-£30 parking fee generating revenue for the city council, say at full capacity on any given Saturday from the existing multi-storey (1,200 cars) and a conservative half to three-quarters full the rest of the week, then over the 18-month period of construction the city council stands to lose a shortfall of about £30,000,000 (or more, dependent on delivery time of the project).

If Crown Estates et al agree to fill this shortfall, then fine. Otherwise could every citizen of Oxford (150,000 inhabitants) be possibly looking at a rise in council tax of £180 during this period ? I’m not geographically affected by the new development, but wonder if Plan ‘B’ exists ? Could one buy out Poundland and relocate John Lewis there ? Three floors already exist, two with Next Clearance — build on top of it until capacity to John Lewis’s requirements is reached?

An amusing thought: does the new underground car park, and that at Gloucester Green, replace the lidos at Blackbird Leys and Temple Cowley?

Daniel Perry, Oxford