YOUR article about community involvement in the Oxford City Council plans for Jericho (September 6) is welcome, but does not go far enough.

Involving the local community should be mandatory from the very start of any development or redevelopment process. This is the only way to resolve the conflicting roles that local councils have as planners and landowners.

Every week your newspaper offers examples of how these conflicting roles adversely affect community relations: Jericho is a high-profile case, but in Botley the residents and community groups are no less anxious to be properly consulted and to contribute ideas about the future of their neighbourhood. The project to redevelop the West Way area has so far been shrouded in opacity. So-called ‘public consultation’ has taken the form of a PR exercise by the developers selected by the Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC).

Unsurprisingly this ‘consultation’ has addressed none of the issues that concern the local community: what is to become of Elms Parade, which is Botley’s landmark, its ‘boatyard’ so to speak? What is going to happen to Field House, a unit of sheltered housing for seniors that belongs to VWHDC? And how do the plans of the developers fit in with the redevelopment of the neighbouring Seacourt Tower area?

At any rate, addressing community concerns must be one of the main roles of a local council, so let’s hope that VWHDC learns from Jericho and Oxford City Council and puts consultation at the heart of its projects for West Way.

Genny Ramirez

Cumnor Rise Road

Oxford