Sir - By using land within the ring road more effectively there would be much less pressure to build on Oxford's Green Belt.

Instead of encouraging, our local planners obstruct the efficient use of land. I could cite dozens of examples but I give just one.

I gained consent for a garage/workshop but, to help a friend in need, constructed it as a highly insulated, level access bungalow, ideal for a retirement.

Like many people, my friend hated gardening so the modest 4m x 6m was ideal but that small garden alone is the reason that bureaucrats have refused planning consent and caused this nice little bungalow to sit empty for 18 months.

The Barker Report merely recommended reviewing Green Belt boundaries and, if developed, balanced by environmental projects such as creating woodlands.

Urban sprawl is as bad as the Green Belt leapfrogging Barker was trying to address. By contrast, filling the nooks and crannies within the ring road makes efficient use of space, smartens up neglected places, and makes local services such as buses, shops and schools more viable.

Meanwhile, I am being threatened with criminal prosecution for building a simple, socially responsible, and much-needed home for an elderly person. Surely the planners' proper role in society should be to find ways of accommodating the extra homes so badly needed.

One third of Oxfordshire jobs are in Oxford, which houses just one fifth of Oxfordshire's population. Little wonder that we suffer so much polluting traffic. 'Town cramming' is an official pejorative but many of Oxford's most wonderful and vibrant places have resulted from squeezing buildings into tight spaces.

Nigel Cowell, Old Marston