I REFER to the recent letters from Councillor Bob Matthews and Mrs Janet Shott concerning the Edgar Street Grid development.

I, and many others with whom I have discussed this issue, wholeheartedly agree with the comments of both of them, that any new retail development should be on the block of land at the rear of the Green Dragon Hotel, and not where it has been suggested. Were their suggestion adopted, then the new and the existing businesses would naturally complement each other, and hopefully prosper together in the future.

I write this on the very day that, sadly, Chadds of Hereford is closing down, and I cannot help wondering how many more of our long-established businesses will go the same way if we don’t get things right. After all, the existing city centre retail businesses are already having to compete with supermarkets and other out-of-town retail companies.

I don’t think that anyone is against the principle of the Edgar Street area being developed, it is how it is being planned that is worrying so many people. Let us hope that Mr Hamilton-Baillie, who we understand is a leading architect in urban design, is given a totally free hand to look at the whole city centre, and not just the Edgar Street Grid area, when he makes his recommendations. After all, the decisions made now are crucial to the whole future of the city of Hereford and its citizens.

DENISE HUCKLE, Russell Close, Hereford.