I AM sure I am not the only person to be surprised at the results of the Halifax Quality of Life survey which ranked Maldon District as the fifth best place to live in the UK.

I do not know exactly when this survey took place or how residents’ views were collected, but having lived in this district for more years than I care to admit it seems to me we are rapidly being swallowed up by an ever-increasing sea of concrete and new housing, with the attendant problems of lack of an anywhere decent road system, overstretched health facilities and pollution.

Where will it all end in a land where the developer is all powerful and the rural nature of our district is being ruined?

I remember speaking to an old gentleman who lived about a mile outside the village where I live.

I asked if he had considered moving into the village centre to make life easier for him in his old age. His reply was simple: “No, I’m waiting for the village to come to me.” And he was right - it nearly has.

Change is inevitable, but at what price? There are parts of this district that I no longer recognise because of the speed at which new housing is going up.

Once it’s done it won’t be undone. I rest my case

V Banyard