Sir – Woodstock Town Council fully understands the commendable aspirations of Old Woodstock Town Football Club to improve its facilities and certainly does not begrudge it the opportunity to express its views about the Woodstock East planning application in your newspaper as reported by Martin Elvery in your edition of September 9.

However, I must take issue with that part of the report where the club’s vice-chairman, Neil Roberts, is quoted as saying that it is only a vocal minority in Woodstock opposing the application.

This is patently untrue as evidenced by the response to the application in the form of hundreds of written expressions of objection, signatures on petitions and a town poll conducted towards the end of last year.

It is also manifestly not true to portray Woodstock as a community completely lacking in sports facilities. Apart from the recreation ground where football is currently played, we have a thriving bowls and tennis club, the Marlborough School offers scope for all to play badminton and nearby is a very popular outdoor swimming pool.

We share the aspirations of the football club to improve sporting facilities in the town but not at the expense of destroying its intrinsic special character.

Brian Yoxall
Woodstock town councillor