Sir – Recent events show that it is now accepted by pretty much everyone on all sides that the Port Meadow flats development was a disastrous mistake that has caused shocking damage to Oxford’s priceless protected heritage, and the Save Port Meadow Campaign would like to thank all members of Oxford University who took the time to vote in the recent postal ballot.

It was encouraging that such a large minority – over a fifth – supported the case for lowering the buildings, in direct defiance of the university’s own intense lobbying about the alleged cost and loss of bed space this would entail. The result of the university’s vote is of course not the end of the story, because Oxford’s protected heritage is not the property of the university to destroy as it wishes.

When Oxford City Council asked the residents of Oxford whether the flats should be lowered, a record number responded and almost unanimously demanded that they should.

Because for many people this development has broken Oxford’s spell and as long as those buildings remain in their current form that will remain the case.

Hopefully the university has finally got the message and is working on genuinely meaningful proposals to put things right by paying as much attention to public opinion as to its own narrow interests.

Yes this work will cost money, but the university has only itself to blame because it kept building the flats, its fingers firmly in its ears, long after public protests had reached crescendo level. Indeed its policy seemed to be to ignore public opinion completely, until the strength of feeling from its own members finally forced it into an apology last month. It has now given public assurances that there will be major mitigation works. These must go well beyond its current favoured (and cheapest) option because, even in the judgement of its own consultants, this option will achieve virtually nothing.

We await the new plans with keen anticipation.

Nicky Moeran, On behalf of the Save Port Meadow Campaign