THE recent call by the civic society for the re-use of Kidderminster's old industrial buildings was made in the knowledge that time is running out.

The urgency has clearly escaped Christopher Page, who finds "amusement" in the debate (Shuttle/Times and News Letters, July 4).

He fails to tell us exactly what the joke is, and indeed he seems to share our aspirations for cultural facilities to come to the town centre.

For him it is simply a matter of adapting Slingfield Mill. Unfortunately there is little chance of this happening.

Two years ago a feasibility study was carried out concerning the placing of an arts centre on the less-than-ideal second and third floors, the lower floors being reserved by Centros Miller for retail purposes.

The conclusion was that the rent required by Centros Miller would be unsustainable.

The majority of arts centres and theatres in England are located in buildings owned by local authorities, provided at a peppercorn rent.

The disappointing failure of Brintons, for who Mr Page worked for 40 years, to donate any part of the site to the town has left the developers holding all the cards. It is difficult to see any peppercorn rents being made available.

If we can defend the Piano Building there is just a faint chance that the developers will be forced to make some concessions and open the way for the provision of some cultural facilities.

Mr Page's brief comments about the condition of the building are no substitute for a serious examination of the possibilities of renovation.

Given that the plans to make Slingfield a retail centre are already established, the Piano Building must remain a good bet for locating amenities desperately needed by the town.

If it is pulled down, then the options become seriously limited.

The civic society is writing to many local people and companies in the town, inviting constructive support. We have included Brintons.

We hope this will give the town the kind of detailed information it needs to make its own decision about whether the Piano Building is worth preserving.

I suspect that this mill, like most mills of its type, is rather sturdier than Mr Page suggests and will need more than a "small push" to bring it down.

NIGEL GILBERT

Town Centre Group

Kidderminster Civic Society

Tynings Close

Kidderminster