N TAYLOR complains of the continuing growth of the Faithful City.

The Worcester I was born into in 1918, more or less ended at the Sebright, Portobello, Sandpits and Vine pubs, St Mark's Church, Shrub Hill Station and Astwood Cemetery.

Almost the entire population lived in housing devoid of any modern facilities. However, the streets were clean, tidy and safe. There were no drugs and very little crime.

Goodrest, Bilford and Brickfields were wide open spaces. Warndon, Dines Green and Lower Wick were small villages beyond the city limits.

Electric tram cars clattered through the city streets. Fares were 1 old pence for over 14s, one old penny for under 14s, two old pence return before 9am.

Maybe that is how Worcester should have stayed.

Nevertheless, the decision was made, rightly or wrongly, that Worcester should be developed. Some people, themselves fairly recent arrivals, consider the town has now grown enough and oppose any further house building.

However, once started, growth cannot be turned off like a tap. Worcester will grow larger yet, UCW will double in size and attain full university status. The city should absorb 12 areas and become a unitary authority.

The built-up area of the Faithful City is now probably three times as great as in 1920 and the population has more than doubled. Yet amazingly and illogically, along the way, the city has been deprived of "County Borough" status and is now just a miserable "District".

D E MARGRETT,

Worcester.