Sir – Back in January I wrote to you expressing my disquiet at the planning application to build retirement flats on Wantage Police Station and magistrates’ court, not least because there was 22 retirement apartments on the market at that time, with some of them having been for sale for over a year.

The good news was the application was refused, but unsurprisingly the developers came back for a second attempt and consent was granted.

I don’t understand the thinking behind this, on several counts: i) There’s still lots of retirement apartments for sale elsewhere in the town, many of them the same ones when I wrote in January ii) Our local councillors voted against the development, but non-local councillors voted for – why on earth don’t they take the lead from their peers?

iii) How is it public service land and property paid for by taxpayers is sold to private developers ?

I am pig sick of hearing the “planning officer” recommended the support of such an application because it met planning criteria.

It might be they can only deal with the “small picture”, but where on earth are those who should be looking at and influencing the “big picture” – like our MP for example?

Mark Rowe
Highclere Gardens
Wantage