REGARDING the planning application for 2 Westbury Road, in Buckhurst Hill (Gua-rdian, May 1 edition), the initial application for 81 and 83 Palmerston Road was for 22 flats in an L' shape running along Palmerston Road and Westbury Road.

Planning officer Chris Embling recommended this for approval to the planning sub-committee and that is the point when Martin Heaney and I created the Palmerston Opposition Group.

I spoke at the committee meeting on behalf of the group and the 22-flat plan was rejected.

The site owners then partnered with Barratts for the application for 12 flats referred to in your article.

Unfortunately, Barretts wished to create a landmark building, a four-storey edifice on the corner of Westbury Road and Palmerston Road.

The height was considerably greater than the then-existing houses and we were able to argue that this excessive height was out of keeping with the surrounding buildings, and also that it would be detrimental to the sunlight falling in neighbouring gardens.

This application was also defeated by the Palmerston Opposition Group.

This experience is one of the reasons why I have been very careful to keep the height of my proposed development the same as Glenmead and actually lower than Bedford House.

None of my neighbours will suffer an incremental loss of garden sunlight and there is no contravention of the Essex Planning Guide on overlooking.

Chris Rotsey, Buckhurst Hill.