SIR – Letchworth Town Centre Strategy. North Herts District Council reviewed the final draft of their Letchworth Town Centre Strategy document last week. I wrote in December that if citizens responded to the consultation they could influence the document

SIR - Letchworth Town Centre Strategy. North Herts District Council reviewed the final draft of their Letchworth Town Centre Strategy document last week. I wrote in December that if citizens responded to the consultation they could influence the document and many did, so that some important amendments were added - most importantly a specific requirement that sustainability regarding energy, emissions and renewable energy achieves at least a very good rating on the Building Research Establishments latest scale in any new building. There were other sensible amendments accepted.

Worryingly there was no further mention regarding the density of residential accommodation particularly in light of the LGCHF's proposals for the Arena Parade area, nor of the associated parking requirements.

I was also dismayed that the strange section regarding the height of buildings on LGCHF's proposed Arena Parade site seems designed specifically to allow four, five or even six stories - plenty of height to pack in hundreds of apartments.

My final concern was the last minute intervention by LGCHF via letter to the Council Group on the day that the new draft strategy was published. This asked for a change in wording about access off Station Road and Norton Way South to make it easier for them to build developments entailing lots of traffic.

On January 18 the full council decides whether to adopt the final draft as an official Town Centre Strategy. I remain impressed by the detailed work of those who prepared the document and ran the consultation process and the citizens who took so much time responding.

MICK BEE

Letchworth GC