Sir, - Mr Lonsdale (D&S, June 27) purposefully tells only half the story. All archaeology in Nosterfield Quarry is subject to proper investigation and recording. Work is on-going, and a final report is not due until six months after all fieldwork is finished. Mr Lonsdale has been told repeatedly that archaeological information does not "remain undisclosed", it is simply just not available yet.

Mr Lonsdale fails to say it is also "in line with Government policy (PPG16)" to excavate and record even nationally important archaeological remains. Indeed, he would not know about the archaeology in the quarry at all if the county council and the quarry company had not followed Government guidance in the first place.

In Managing the Historic Rural Landscape, it is clear that Neolithic pits and hearths were found within the Nosterfield Quarry area (p 83). Mr Lonsdale purposefully confuses the "Ladybridge area" and the finding of "post alignments" with the earlier digs, neither of which is true.

To answer why Mr Lonsdale might wish to give only half the story, it could be said that he is using archaeology to further his opposition to wetland habitats and shooting rights on nearby land. It seems as if he wants England's rural landscape to be a dormitory village garden, rather than a changing, working, distinctive countryside.

NEIL CAMPLING

County Archaeologist,

North Yorkshire County Council Heritage Unit,

Northallerton.

Return to Poulson?

Sir, - I always thought that to submit a planning application it was necessary to complete a form together with a drawing describing the proposals and to pay the appropriate fee.

It would appear that this is not always the case. I read in your paper that an application has been submitted for residential development in Geneva Lane, Darlington. If granted the applicant is offering a number of inducements. A new sports pavilion and pitches, a 25-year maintenance agreement and £200 per bedroom in the residential development

What guarantee is there that the developer will still be trading in 25 years time? If permission is granted will the developer be required to pay all these monies up front to validate the permission? Will the permission if granted contain a clause to the effect that the permission will be withdrawn if the developer fails to honour all the commitments to the authority?

It seems to me that this is a return to the Poulson era. Also it makes it extremely difficult for the planning officials to consider the application on purely planning criteria and creates pressures on them to which they should not be subjected.

I question why the applicant felt it was necessary to offer all these inducements, did they think that they didn't have a very good case to have permission granted.?

R T MILLER

The Close,

Neasham,

Darlington.

What does it take?

Sir, - On June 21, I posted an envelope, first class, to the chief executive of Darlington Borough Council with two letters inside objecting to the extended hours for public entertainment applied for by Darlington Football Club.

The address was as requested in the Public Notices section of the local paper.

Naturally I expected these two objections to be taken into account when the Licensing meeting took place on June 26 or 27.

Your front-page report (D&S, July 4) says there was only one objection to the application.

Even though you state the meeting took place 48 hours early on the 25th I am sure my objections should have arrived on time.

Does everything have to be taken by hand and a receipt asked for, to make sure it arrives at the council? As a 130-name petition and seven letters that were handed in to the council went mysteriously missing and now my envelope, it leaves me very worried as to what is going on in Darlington Borough Council offices.

H WEST.

Darlingto