As the surviving architect of the City Hall I was invited back to participate in the 40th anniversary celebrations. I have been back to Hong Kong many times since I left in 1969 and have been staggered at the continued scale of development with every visit, but also pleased to see the Government was wise enough to maintain the one last remaining area of open countryside in Lantau. Readers will therefore understand my great disappointment to read the article in the South China Morning Post, on March 8, on the subject of developing the unspoilt coast of that beautiful island. However much the planners talk of a balance between tourists' needs and the environment, this proposal for a Greek-style development in south Lantau is the thin end of the wedge. Also, by creating precedents it will gradually mean development will spread and the erosion of that last lung for the people of Hong Kong will set in. RONALD J. PHILLIPS Hadlow Down, Sussex, England
