It seems I should have specified the era I was talking about in my letter (November 23).

I know the dark ages were not good for a lot of people, although my aunt, who had a large bungalow then, was extremely happy living in the countryside and didn’t want to leave.

When our family moved here Pitsea and Vange had roads, individual shops and a small town atmosphere, which was conducive to a strong community.

Coming from London, it was a blessing of countryside living.

Today, things are different. Instead of the powers-that-be working together on a well-thought out plan for Pitsea, the impression I get is it has been split up piecemeal. As a result, the architecture leaves a lot to be desired, and it seems it might get worse.

I still say what we had was a damn site better than what we have and are getting now.

J D Backham
Paslowes
Vange