WHEN Conservatives and Independents were last in power in Worcester in the 1970s, the city was notorious for bad planning decisions, which had come close to destroying much of its historic character.

Fine buildings were demolished, conservation policies were ignored and the standard of replacement buildings was often truly horrendous.

There was universal condemnation of the council at a national level and Worcester's reputation was severely damaged and ridiculed.

When Labour came to power 20 years ago, top priority was given to restoring the credibility of the planning process and to raising the quality of applications by insisting on the involvement of senior planners at an early stage.

It was made quite clear that standards must improve and, to that end, a very fine team of planners was given the confidence to try and rescue the situation.

The new policies succeeded beyond expectations and in place of brickbats, awards and praise began to crown our efforts.

In the light of this tarnished history, it behoves the new generation of Conservative councillors to tread carefully. They need to show some remorse for past neglect and to show some integrity in making new decisions in some very difficult areas.

They must not start by threatening the Green Belt, which was so painstakingly established in 1992. Such a decision would take us straight back to the bad old days. They must not be allowed to fail again.

CLIFF LORD,

Worcester.