It has remained a blot on the landscape for far too long, although the site was purchased and cleared for development a long time ago.

While I am pleased to see some re-development of the site taking place, I am extremely disappointed at the quality of this.

The new building on the corner of Market Street and Wellingborough Road does nothing to enhance the setting of the adjacent listed frontage of the former hospital.

The new building is extremely bland. It is of no architectural interest whatsoever.

I would suggest that is the modern day equivalent of 60s-style architecture, a bit like the old Peacock Way, that was so despised and did nothing to enhance Northampton.

If this aspect of the development is the best that the developer has to offer, I dread to think how the site will look, if and when it is completed.

I am even more concerned as to how the listed frontage of the site will sit among such poor quality development as has been completed so far.

While the purpose of the WNDC is to deliver growth and development, it supposed, and has promised, to deliver quality development.

I would hope that Northampton Borough Council's planning officers also aspire to deliver quality development.

If WNDC and Northampton Borough Council planning officers consider the latest aspect of the development to be of good quality, I'd like to know what they consider to be poor quality.

I now see that the site is being used as a car wash. I hope and trust that this facility has all the necessary planning permission.

If it has, I'd like to know how such a facility at this location warrants planning permission when such a facility was denied at the In and Out facility in Kettering Road.

The St Edmund's Hospital site needs to be re-developed at the earliest opportunity.

It needs to be a quality development that enhances Wellingborough Road and the listed frontage of the old hospital building.

The fact that the site is now being used as a car wash facility gives me little hope that re-development will take place in the near future and the standard of what little development has taken place so far gives me no confidence that the overall re-development of the site will be of any quality.
Councillor Phil Larratt,
Conservative, East Hunsbury Ward, Northampton Borough Council.

I found my mail in the street
I hadn't received my regular mail for the past week until Wednesday when I found it left on the pavement outside my house.

Obviously annoyed by this, I contacted Royal Mail Northampton only to be given several different numbers to ring.

All these numbers either went to answer machine or rang off until I got the deliveries number.

When I spoke to them they said they would get the manager to ring me back but I have heard nothing since.

I have tried ringing again only to get an answer machine message.

I have also sent some very important letters all to the same address over the past month using the recorded delivery and special delivery services.

These have a track and trace number which when I have checked have no information available and state to "come back later".

The last letter I sent was special delivery and guaranteed next day delivery and cost £4.60 and was sent on August 21.

I still don't know if this has been delivered yet or even completely lost.

When I tried to contact Royal Mail I just got put through to an automated service.

I think this is a very important issue as it would seem there are continuing falling standards at Royal Mail.

It is a poor state of affairs when a trusted service lets you down again and again, and even worse when that company has no respect for its customers.

If my personal mail and important documents are left on the street, how many other people's personal information is also being left on the street for anyone to pick up?
Alex Small,
Ivy Road, Abington, Northampton.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: We are concerned to hear about this customer's experience and will make arrangements for a manager to get in touch and address all the issues in detail. We would like to assure all our customers that every letter is important to Royal Mail.

Fun in the rain at Umbrella Fair
Congratulations to the organisers of the Umbrella Fair on their remarkable achievement on Sunday.

It's the only event that could manage to take place in almost constant rain without spirits being dampened.

It is a tribute to the strength of spirit in the fair that it provided a forum for music, community activism and debate, despite the appalling weather.

The Umbrella Fair is organised and funded by the community and deserves to be a permanent fixture in Northampton's calendar.
Sally Keeble MP,
Northampton North.

Pedigree dogs
There was a transcription error in a letter from Mrs I Mary Hanson on page 10 Monday, when the word "by" was used instead of the correct "to". We apologise for this and the correct wording of the paragraph is below:
Then I sit down and ponder on the programme I watched on August 19 entitled Pedigree Dogs Exposed (BBC1) and I think of all the heartache caused to caring people who pay large amounts of money for a particular breed of pedigree puppy, their simple desire to give it a loving home as a family pet, only to lose it to some awful disease caused by continual inbreeding to acquire the correct "look" as laid down by Kennel Club rules and regulations.