Letter: Better, not bigger

I may be alone, but I like Edinburgh as it is, or, more precisely, as it was. It is still, despite the best efforts of our council and its developer buddies, a city worth fighting for and living in.

For the past 60 or so years many have been bent on changing it and have succeeded in doing a lot of damage, but have not totally destroyed our capital.

Now we once more have grand plans to increase the size of the city, by developments along the shore. The last plan fell through and left us with more eyesores and potential ghettos. Most of what has been done in the past few years has been to the detriment of the city's appearance, especially in the city centre - from St James Centre to the Missoni Hotel.

At least, though, however poor the result of these ventures, they were not directly aimed at increasing the city's population, unlike the shore developments, which would see the size of Edinburgh overtake Glasgow in the near future. Why? No-one has yet answered this question.

We seem stuck in the belief that the only way to survive is to grow. I do not follow this line of thought.

All such a policy does is postpone the necessary changes that are required and add to the problems for the future, not to mention concentrate the wealth of the country, much as London does south of the Border, at the expense of the rest of the country. I like Edinburgh now; I do not wish to see it grow. There is no benefit to the citizens from making Edinburgh bigger.

Make it better, yes, but not bigger. Those who disagree should get on the first tram out.

Ian Ross

Eden Lane

Edinburgh