Sir, Wyndham Thomas's sensible letter (19.01.07) commenting on your analysis of the Kate Barker proposals overlooks one point.

He rightly points to the emotional and mistaken reactions of columnists in The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian to government support for Barker's plans for new housing.

These reactions, seen day after day in the local press, are from those with sincere concerns about the environment, both media pundits and local residents. However, they fail to understand the consequences for their children and grandchildren if new housing is not permitted.

Because of these views, at local level, the nimby brigade has a nice, vice-like grip on development initiatives.

It is a brave politician on the local planning authority who is prepared to ignore the articulate, genuine but misguided opinion informers in their own community.

We may think of ourselves as a nation of homeowners, but the reality is for first time buyers in their twenties and thirties it is no long the case.

Current trends suggest that within a generation most of the working population in the south of the country may be tenants, not homeowners.

Sad to say, it seems that whatever initiatives the government proposes, with a planning system like ours, dominated by media agenda that can only look at short term, no one thinks about the next generation in the years ahead and the growing army of young people who will not be able to afford to become homeowners.

In time, we will no longer be a property-owning democracy.

Ian Campbell, Senior Partner
Campbell Gordon