SIR - Worcester was never designed in the first place, but now we all expect to live 21st century lives here.

To just develop on the rural fringes will make all the problems of travel, schooling and healthcare provision even worse than they are already. A new town (Worcester News, September 20) especially an eco-friendly one, is not such a bad idea.

We can plan supporting infrastructure and not just overload the existing systems which are already overloaded in our historic mediaeval city.

However, it would be ridiculous, especially at a time when we should all be making substantive efforts to reduce carbon emissions (which may include road pricing), to build homes along the M5 and thereby encourage even more commuting by car to jobs in Birmingham and Bristol.

The development the Regional Spatial Strategy is imposing upon us all in south Worcestershire is largely unwelcome, but let's make the best of it!

Let's design a place that will attract the brightest and the best to work for the great employers that will want to relocate here - instead of building new homes on the greenbelt and hoping new arrivals to our city can find work elsewhere.

The concept of a new-town is not to be dismissed lightly. It's an exciting opportunity that affords us a better chance to shape our lives. It deserves to be considered seriously.

Clearly the question that demands an answer is where?' - little else can be discussed until the matter of location is aired, debated and decided.

ANDREW GUY, Whittington, Worcester.