I AM not as articulate as Cllr Richard Thake, planning and transport portfolio holder for North Herts District Council, but felt frustrated by his comments in last week s Crow over the Johnson Mathey structure. My aged relatives live in Rock Road and I h

I AM not as articulate as Cllr Richard Thake, planning and transport portfolio holder for North Herts District Council, but felt frustrated by his comments in last week's Crow over the Johnson Mathey structure.

My aged relatives live in Rock Road and I handle all their mail. I can assure Cllr Thake that no planning letter arrived.

I would also like to point out that when plans were submitted for industrial buildings along Orchard Road, the nearest residents affected lived in Green Drift, over the railway line, and again no letters arrived.

On contacting the planning office it could offer no reasonable explanation as to why this was the case.

I'm sure that the development will benefit the town, but as you walk down Rock Road you can clearly see this structure looming over the houses.

I'm sure had people realised the size of it they would have complained.

Clearly the communication has been ineffective and I would have thought Cllr Thake would have communication of this type of development at the top of his list.

I'm not really sure that Cllr Thake really appreciated the size of this structure and the visual impact it would have. If he did, then he was obviously not concerned about it enough to check whether residents had received adequate communication. I'm sure a lot more would have objected.

So Cllr Thake, I wish to state that your comments are insensitive and unhelpful and its really comforting to know that you are glad to have approved it as you state in your Postbag letter: an impeccable job done by the planners and a wonderful legacy for the town.

R HICKMAN

Green Drift

Royston