IT IS good to see the interest in new buildings in Lincoln in your letters column.

However, as you can see from individual comments (Your View, July 16), some buildings, such as the main administration building at the university, are not to everyone's liking – although I think it is one of the new buildings around the Brayford Pool that does actually work in its setting.

Mr Conyers quite rightly points out the inconsistency of some opinions emanating from the Council, with early suggestions that the Barge on the Brayford could spoil the view of the Cathedral followed by relatively tall development along the whole of the Brayford frontage.

However, I cannot agree with him that the old Brayford frontage was better than what we have now.

Nostalgic interest in our industrial heritage should not blind us to the depressing impact of run down obsolete buildings and has to be balanced with the need to provide what the community as a whole wants.

I do accept that some of the new buildings are very ordinary and the colour scheme adopted on the cinema leaves much to be desired but what a marvellous facility it is to have in the city centre.

Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that there are some buildings that are just horrible.

For example, the old Littlewoods now occupied by Primark.

They have undertaken a major improvement to the High Street elevation but the blank grey walls and bulk of the rest of the building remain a massive blot on this part of the city centre. It is this type of clear eyesore that I know the planners are working hard to prevent in the future.

The planners are there to maintain standards on behalf of the community. However, at this time, the City Council will be under pressure to minimise staff costs when we actually want them to encourage new development to maintain jobs and improve the city. Not an easy job therefore.

Readers decry the loss of Wingads but the owners John Cheatle Limited have done their best to sustain the business in Lincoln.

Expansion of the city shopping centre to the south led to the decline of Silver Street so they relocated onto the upper High Street but sadly their business recorded a marked decrease in turnover when the Danesgate and Flaxengate car parks were redeveloped for the new Museum and artists' workshops.

This major investment in superb new facilities should have helped regenerate the area but with no local public transport services and deprived of car parking facilities it has had the opposite effect.

Ian Durrant worries that the unique character of Sincil Street will be lost if the Lindongate scheme proceeds. My firm are dealing with this for Lincolnshire Cooperative.

I hope local people will reserve judgement on the scheme until they see the latest plans which will hopefully be displayed in Sincil Street in August.

I do think that Mr Conyers' criticism of the Coop is unfair and unjustified and I am not saying this out of a sense of loyalty to my client.

Few other companies are continuing to invest in Lincoln and the County in the way that they are and I believe they should be given credit for this and not just attacked as "the mighty Coop".

I can also assure your readers that the Coop are not getting any special treatment from the City Council who are being rigorous in their requirements for this scheme.

Peter R Banks Banks Long & Co.