Voicing his unhappiness that, once again, the meadows of Dry Street are under the threat of redevelopment, Bob Langdon (Sep 8) asks what happened to the vision of the new town planners?

He cites the Master Plan of the now defunct Basildon Development Corporation as proof of the long-term inspiring perception of the initial concept of 1946 as opposed to the blinkered attitude of today.

Does he not realise the designation of an area of 18 square miles as a town designed to accommodate a population of only 50,000 in the Forties, quickly amended to 106,000, was simply a public relations exercise to forestall the initial objections to the idea?

John Bathurst
Mellow Purgess Close
Basildon