Letter: Residents who have looked after London

Sir: Your correspondent Martin Richardson (Letters, 2 March) is not comparing like with like. In his admiration of Chelsea he should look at what happened to the bulk of the former Sloane Stanley estate, most of which was enfranchised under the 1967 and 1974 Acts.

Almost all of the owners of these houses - which are early to mid-Victorian - want to preserve their character and that of the similar houses around them. There are active residents associations, such as the Ten Acres Residents Association, who look carefully at any proposed changes. And the Kensington and Chelsea council has established conservation areas in much of the estate, and its planning department is strict in preventing inappropriate changes.

The former landlords were not notable for their management of the leasehold estate. They did not, for example, replace the railings that had been so unwisely removed in the last war. It was only when the occupants of one terrace had acquired their freeholds that they clubbed together and put the railings back.

Yours sincerely,

CHRISTOPHER LUSH

Travellers' Club

London, SW1

3 March