WE feel that your article in last week's Wiltshire Times Anger as garage demolition plan is announced' did not address the real concerns of neighbours and tenants, which are as follows:

1. It is generally believed that there are old stone quarries beneath the garages. If this is true the construction of housing on the site and the installation of necessary amenities could disturb the current ground settlement, resulting in structural damage to surrounding houses. 33-37 Tory, a terrace of Grade II listed Georgian properties built into the hillside just below the garages, would be most at risk.

2. The majority of garage tenants are residents of houses without vehicle access. Budbury Close is the nearest road and parking space there is already inadequate. Demolition of the garages would mean that space will have to be found for a further 16 cars. This is sure to result in parking congestion affecting all local side roads and cars parked on pavements causing problems for pedestrians. It would also result in residents, including the disabled, lone women, people with young children and elderly people having to park an unreasonable and potentially unsafe distance from their homes.

3. The garage site is currently used by emergency vehicles, deliveries and residents as an area for loading and unloading. If this is removed it could cause major problems and even raise serious health and safety concerns for local residents.

4. With regard to West Wiltshire Housing Society's reasons for the proposed demolition: it is their view that the garage site is an area of anti-social behaviour and vandalism. However as residents for over 35 years we have no recollection of any incidents of this kind connected to the garages at Budbury Close.

The housing society also states that there is little demand for the garages and they are very difficult to let. We find this incredibly hard to believe, as for many years there has been a long waiting list for these garages and they are still very much in demand.

Finally John Alford's statement that the housing society has "worked closely with tenants to produce a plan that meets their needs and addresses their concerns" is completely untrue in regard to the garages at Budbury Close, as the only communication tenants have had from the housing society is a letter to inform them that the garages are to be demolished.

We do understand the need for affordable housing in west Wiltshire. However surely the number of houses that could be built on this site is minimal and although housing may be provided for two or three families the real cost would be serious welfare implications for well over 50 households.

The garages at Budbury Close are not, as many may believe, nothing more than a bonus for the tenants; they are a necessity for the whole neighbourhood!

Mr & Mrs A.P. Harris, Bradford on Avon