Councillor Raine and Colin Davis used the Government's audit commission and housing watchdog to defend the procedures, probity and performance of Malvern planners last week (Your Letters, November 15).

We are reassured that by national standards their conscientiousness is not in doubt. National standards and outside opinion, however, become most of the problem when valued more than the insight of those who live in and love a special place like Malvern.

Your headline (Malvern Gazette, November 15) says: "Businesses need land"; but does Malvern need businesses? Sir Michael Spicer lives near Broadway. Does Broadway need businesses? Coun Raine lives in Colwall. Did he for many years walk down Back Lane and meet friends at Malvern's market before Safeway was built and planning permission was given for Waitrose?

There is a vicious circle here. The more houses are built for those who want to live here, the more need there is for businesses. That can only be interrupted by a political decision that enough is enough.

There are lessons to be learned from history. Business interests were allowed to deface the Malverns with massive quarries. Despite commendable attention to details (other than lighting) by recent planners, outside business interests have destroyed the distinctive character of Malvern's town centre and are despoiling our rural surroundings. Now they want to build on Malvern's saving grace, its green oasis from end to end of the town, and use its brownfield sites for manufacturing expansion.

Just thinking about this leaves me praying. Let our planners treasure, more than business prospects or even their outside reputations, the Malvern we still have. It is becoming a sad place, but if we love it and ourselves enough, we can make it beautiful again.

D J Taylor, Meadow Road, Malvern.