I entirely agree with the sentiments expressed by Mr C R Allen

(Your Letters, May 16) about developers acquiring perfectly sound houses with big gardens in order to replace them with up to six times as many tiny dwellings with pocket handkerchief gardens.

However, I feel I must write in defence of Herefordshire Council over the instance at the bottom of New Street, Ledbury, to which Mr Allen refers.

We have a planning system that is heavily biased in favour of the developer, who may appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, an arm of central government, if an application is turned down by a county or district council. Those who oppose an application don't have this facility if the planning authority approves it.

If the Planning Inspectorate decides to overrule a council, it is quite likely the council (and therefore its Council Tax-payers) would have to pay the costs.

Unfortunately, there is nothing in planning law to prohibit this type of development, except perhaps in a Conservation Area. It takes no other account of location. We are dealing with a Government that is only interested in cities - New Labour seems determined to turn the whole country into suburbia.

Therefore, by refusing permission, Herefordshire Council would have left itself open to being overruled. Yes, it's blackmail and it makes a total mockery of local government.

I was very pleased that 12 out of 13 Herefordshire councillors had the courage to go against their planning officer's recommendation by refusing a similar scenario in Albert Road. They took notice that the surrounding area and the town council did not want this development.

However, Albert Road has another facet - it is less than 15 feet wide, has no pavement and most residents have nowhere other than the road in which to park their cars. Albert Road's narrowness might be its saviour in the event of an appeal, and I was very surprised the council's highways department didn't object to that application in the first place.

Steve Glennie-Smith, Victoria Road, Ledbury.