COUNCILLOR Rod Staines, in his desire to turn Worcester into a glorified car park that no one can either enter or leave, has, like his colleagues missed the point.

Everyone accepts that trade and commerce are essential for the economic well-being of the city - and this is needed. However, the attractiveness of Worcester is its historic heart - its compactness - its pedestrian areas and its variety of shops.

Coun Staines and his colleagues are forever saying that Worcester will lose trade to Kidderminster, Droitwich, Pershore and so on because they have cheaper parking and more of it!

Worcester is in a completely different league to those towns - it competes with Cheltenham, Gloucester and Oxford. Coaches from Wales, Lancashire and so on, don't turn up in Kidderminster week after week as they do in Worcester.

There are too many cars in the centre and too much difficulty in getting into the city.

COUN RICHARD I BIRD,

Ombersley Road,

Worcester.