I FIND it hard to believe that the Malvern Hills Conservators are even considering giving up their control of Barnards Green island. I might be stupid but I thought conservators were involved with conservation but to even discuss a proposal for its alteration or replacement suggests that their original intentions and ideals have been forgotten.

Everyone surely agrees that QinetiQ is a great benefit to Malvern but with the aid of their very advanced technology someone, somewhere, could have foreseen their development would increase traffic flow. We are not talking here about the daily miles long tailbacks on the M25 but at most a few minutes delay at this island. An easy and economic solution would be, for people who desperately need to get to work on time, is to leave home a few minutes earlier to allow for a slight delay.

Barnards Green is a community and the island makes it a village. It has a wider range of shops (video shop, fishmonger etc) than Great Malvern has and to even consider destroying this island and turning this junction into an extension of Pickersleigh Road with all its rural charm for the convenience of cars, seems beyond belief.

I think people would rather see trees, flowers and grass rather than tarmac.

IAN FEARNSIDE AND JAN SYKES, Court Road, Malvern.