HERITAGE and progress don't usually make for happy bedfellows and the growing disagreement between the civic society and city council over how Worcester should proceed with the Lowesmoor development is a perfect example.

This newspaper usually avoids sitting on the fence in its comment column yet today we are making an exception - but with qualifications. The nub of the matter is this. The society feels the planned £75m revamp will obliterate the character of the area, while council leader Simon Geraghty insists that historic needs should be balanced against commercial reality. Both points of view have merit - but at this juncture we would like to throw our cap into the ring.

For we believe it might be possible to have our cake and eat it. And that is why, before there is any rush to judgement, we believe the various interested parties should get around the table and really give this matter some deep and serious thought.

Councillor Dave Clark came forward with an interesting idea in June. He reckoned the former vinegar works would be ideal as a theatre, perhaps replacing the Swan. At the moment, the Army has its beady eyes on the premises.

However, this time around, we should heed the lessons of history and avoid the mistakes of the past. It cannot have escaped some people's attention that the Lowesmoor development is but a stone's throw from the site of the long-lost public hall, demolished to make way for a car park. Whatever the future holds, let us take our time and be mindful of yesterday's appalling mistakes.