Sir – Our elected leaders at South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) show a worrying complacency which endangers our quality of life.

Like us, the council believes that the number of planned new homes for Oxfordshire is excessive and unachievable – an incredible 100,000 homes, 40% more than now.

The council is changing its Local Plan to 2031 to include SODC’s share, knowing that many of these houses will not and cannot be built.

These meaningless plans open the door to developers who are entitled to build outside the designated areas, if planned houses do not appear.

The council has failed in its responsibility to tailor the projected number, to one that is both desirable and possible.

Its leaders say there is nothing they can do. Why not? Surely it is in SODC’s power to make their own plans? Wallingford’s share, if proportionate, would be a further 400 homes. This would be on top of the 140 ex-Habitat homes, the 555 homes behind Wantage Road and Fairmile’s 354 homes, as well as all the other speculative developments taking place.

These homes are not for us; global investors have infinite resources to buy and prices will stay high. Oxfordshire has 4.5% empty homes, and 78% underoccupied homes.

We would need an influx of a quarter of a million people to Oxfordshire to live in these homes. Is that what we want?

If you are concerned about irresponsible planning, please contact your district councillor and link up with those groups who work to protect us from urban sprawl.

Professor Richard Harding (CPRE Wallingford)
Dr Sue Roberts (Ecomorph)
Reading Road
Wallingford