Yet another controversial proposal! All we are doing is fighting battle after battle, not winning the war. It's time to tackle the root causes.

New houses, school buildings, etc have to go somewhere and for most the logical location is within existing settlements, but if the designs are not harmonious then a place will gradually lose its unique character. Nowhere is this more important than in Ludlow.

So, Ludlow College is to be applauded for seeking to consolidate within the town and not asking for some new campus on the A49. However, there are two big questions to be answered:

Firstly, why is it so hell-bent on using modern materials? A few years ago someone tried to bridge a gap in the Square with a similar glass/ metal structure. Commonsense prevailed and the brick solution with neighbour-matching windows sets an admirable example. Since part of the college extension may not even be visible from the streets it may not matter quite so much and it at least has the approval of the town's expert historian David Lloyd, but just why so transparent?.

Secondly, before even contemplating any changes, wouldn't it be wise always to consider what might be the effect on neighbours? In this instance it has taken a protest meeting for the concerns to be taken on board, though not at all convincingly.

You would think that any organisation well established in a tightly built and scenically sensitive town like Ludlow would start out fully aware of the constraints. If this means playing safe with traditional designs and avoiding blocking others' views then that is a small price to pay for enjoying a share of a precious world-renowned heritage.

All it needs is to select the right architects and to insist that they blend in their creations aesthetically and with good neighbourliness. Then we may be spared all these conflicts, worries for townspeople and, not least, the prospect of visitors dumbstruck that anyone could deface such centuries' work of art.

Richard Watkins

Oaks Park Lane,

Craven Arms