Letter of the week
Doctor’s orders
YOU reminded me of a conversation I once had with a consultant who purchased a book on rare wines from my bookshop (Tottering-by-gently, November 1). I asked him whether the one large-ish glass of wine I drank with my evening meal was really too much. His answer makes me laugh even now: ‘My dear, I have patients who spill more than that on a daily basis.’ Cheers to that. Sarah Allen, Somerset
The writer of the letter of the week will win a bottle of Pol Roger Brut Réserve Champagne
Green-belt grey area
YOU are not alone in arguing that ‘some unloved, outdated green—or, rather, grey—belt is clearly crying). Sir Keir Starmer similarly stated at the Labour party conference that he wished to see development on the ‘dreary wasteland’. If this is the criteria for allowing development on these protected areas, then prospective developers know exactly what to do: manage land deliberately badly, ‘farm to quit’ and encourage fly-tipping and Traveller encampments. Much well-kept countryside across the green belt would deteriorate rapidly, especially on the urban edges where green belt aims to stop urban sprawl.
