SIR, — May I reply to the letter from Chris Naylor headlined Leave park alone (Herts Advertiser, July 3). He mentions me in the letter and I have to tell him that it is simply not an option to leave the park alone. Verulamium Park, St Albans, particularl

SIR, - May I reply to the letter from Chris Naylor headlined "Leave park alone"(Herts Advertiser, July 3). He mentions me in the letter and I have to tell him that it is simply not an option to leave the park alone. Verulamium Park, St Albans, particularly the lake, is in urgent need of attention.

For several years the Heritage Committee, of which I am a member, attempted to obtain financial help for work on the lake from the Environment Agency but when this fell through, the Heritage Lottery Fund was the only source of funding left and they would only consider bids which related to the Park as a whole. Incidentally we are not highly paid -most of us are paid nothing to work on the committee.

I sympathise with Mr Naylor's worries about the efficacy of "public consultations". However if Mr Naylor really is concerned for the park, then I suggest he abandons the plan to write to the Lottery Fund objecting to the proposals. This would not help at all in achieving our shared objective of securing the future of the park.

As for the idea of converting the park toilet block into a restaurant, presumably he knows about the existing Inn on the Park restaurant, even though he lives in far away Wingfield, Bedfordshire.

Come on, Chris, let's pull together, not apart.

BARRIE MORT,

Chair, Verulam Residents Association.