THE Civic Trust has done us a favour by stressing that the Cheadle Square and Blackhorse Street area across to Moor Lane, should have been treated as a whole rather than in the piecemeal fashion that led to the building of the courts and the Job Centre.

The Trust's proposals also acknowledge the continued right to existence of the Hen & Chickens pub, one of central Bolton's few good quality watering holes. Previous published proposals seemed to want to obliterate it.

However, I believe theTrust's ideas fall down in a number of respects. I question the proposal for the square. This arena they suggest — what for, who would run it, keep it looking good and why duplicate Victoria Square which is hardly overworked? Then the wetlands area — a nightmare to maintain and a litter hotspot.

Cheadle Square should be a genuine square ie an urban space surrounded by building as its original designers envisaged. The pivotal relationship of the council and the University would suggest Cheadle Square as the ideal location for the University's most important buildings, Senate House and the main administration block, one each side of the square.

The Job Centre is one of the dreariest buildings in Bolton and not good enough to be a 'feature' of the area.

I further propose a broad walkway opposite Cheadle Square, taking pedestrians west to Moor Lane and giving access to a large University collegiate building on the site of the current Moor Lane bus station.

Following suggestions in Mr Shippobottom's recent letter, I totally agree you cannot improve on a quadrangle/courtyard layout as a design for an academic structure of this type. Better by far than individual buildings surrounded by car parking.

Stephen Ramsden

Red Lane

Bolton