I AM writing in response to your article 'Home of own is a distant dream' (Malvern Gazette, November 1) about the acute lack of affordable housing in the local area.

You say "Malvern Hills District Council has been aware of the huge shortfall in affordable housing for some years. It plans to use the data from the housing needs assessment to put pressure on developers to allow space for 'affordable' housing in their plans".

Despite having been aware of the problem "for some years" the council seems to have done precious little about it. Does it not realise it is supposed to be working for the good of the community - a community which includes the 75 per cent who earn less than £18,600 per year.

I would appeal to people to write to the planning department in support of affordable housing initiatives, like that for 67 low cost homes near Safeway.

Let us make the council realise that, to quote Adrian Sparey (Your Letters, November 1), "surely the Malvern area has plenty of open spaces to appreciate but not enough affordable property for the young to start the steep climb up the property ladder".

JOHN TIGHE, Jennett Tree Lane, Callow End.

Too many cars

I can remember in 1939 when The Glades Woodlands, in Malvern, was what you would nowadays call a garden centre, where you could buy flowers and look at aviaries of foreign birds. There were no more than two dozen trees.

A number of developers have put in for building garages and houses and all have been turned down on the grounds of the entry and exit for cars onto a main road.

Now you get more cars each month and they want to put up 67 apartments with car parking.

R KINSEY, Worcester Road, Malvern Link.

Peace shattered

FOR some years when walking the northern end of the Hills I have chosen to avoid looking at the vast disorganised urban sprawl of Malvern Link (after all we are supposed to be an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and instead focused on an interesting ribbon of what appeared to be fields, running nearly up to the common and parallel to Pickersleigh Road.

Last year my husband and I decided to get a smaller property nearer to the amenities of Malvern. Having always lived in a rural area we wanted somewhere quiet with a pleasing outlook and proximity to peaceful walks.

After six months of searching and with our own property sold we despaired of finding anywhere approaching our criteria. Then we found a property for sale in Meadow Road: peaceful; lovely outlook over the Severn Valley and from the garden overlooking the end field seen from the hills. Although the property itself was not what we would have chosen we bought it immediately because of its position.

Over the past 14 months we have come to appreciate the area even more. Quiet certainly and probably, because a high proportion of residents are retired, with a village like feel. The field with a footpath along one boundary and another across it provides, via other footpaths and quiet roads, peaceful access to Great Malvern, Barnards Green and the upper part of the Link.

This amenity is used by many people from all over the Link and also more serious long distance walkers. The field also has great ecological value being old pasture with several ancient oaks. I have myself seen on it several types of birds such as long tailed tits, green and great spotted woodpeckers, jays and even two types