Sir – The report in the December 17 edition of the Bicester Advertiser suggesting that “Bicester shows Climate Conference the way forward for sustainability” conveniently left out the parts that would apply to the rest of Bicester.

How can Bicester, and Barry Wood in particular, boast about showing the world just “How advanced the work in Bicester is and how we are at the forefront of sustainability” when the town is to be ringed by massive, polluting warehouses and distribution centres?

There is nothing “eco” about taking large areas of productive farmland, building huge eyesores that will dominate the town and are planned to operate hundreds of polluting diesel HGVs and vans 24 hours a day that will add to the already gridlocked town roads.

It might have been more eco-friendly if the district council had used the rail network that the military have been using for the last 70 years at Graven Hill for this purpose but they have chosen not to do so.

Future generations will have to put up with the town being surrounded by 750,000 sq ft at Akeman Park nearly 60 feet high, right next to Graven Hill.

Another surrounding the new care home at Launton Road / Skimmingdish Lane and a further 53,000 sq ft eyesore on the junction of Middleton Stoney Road and Howes Lane; right next to the supposed “eco-town” the council is boasting about.

They might even have to build a whole new road just to feed these unwanted warehouses. The only jobs that will be produced are for truck and van drivers who are unlikely to live in Bicester as modern warehouses are close to fully automated.

Even the Government Inspector at the Local Plan Inquiry made the comment that warehousing is only appropriate at major road or rail junctions and quoted the huge development at Crick as an example.

Bicester is supposed to be both an “eco-town” and a “garden town” but these warehouse plans will just make it into an ecological nightmare without any semblance of a “garden”!

John L Broad
Mallards Way
Bicester