SIR: Back in the 1970s and 80s - before my time in Winchester - the newly formed council (after reorganisation in 1974) had a chief planner called Jack Thompson, who had come from Hampshire County Council.

I don’t know the full story, but one of his acts, following the abandonment of schemes for inner ring roads etc., was to buy a lot of historically important property for the City’s portfolio. Some of this has since been sold, encouraged by a combination of cuts and government policy to disinvest, but because of him Winchester still has significant buildings like Chesil Rectory, Godbegot House, the Barn Store in Abbots Barton, and more.

This comes to mind now as Winchester City Council announces plans to spend £10m on land for council housing while planning to sell the Bar End depot for about the same amount. Wouldn’t it be quicker and cheaper to build on the depot site? There could even be something like a Community Development Trust, or scope for self-build (Rent rates to rise for council tenants, Chronicle, February 18). There’s Upper Brook Street car park, sold to a developer for a new surgery based on a plan conceived years ago, before the pandemic and before the High Street started to empty out partly because of government-imposed rises in business rates.

Now the biggest single site on the High Street is about to fall vacant. I’d like to think Jack Thompson would have bought the Debenhams site (which incidentally belongs to Surrey County Council, in another around of government policy, this time to diversify investments). Other people have suggested housing there - the value of the view of the cathedral from the penthouse flat would surely cross-subsidise the rest - but it could also provide a wellness centre, including a new surgery, on the principles put forward by the Social Market Foundation last month.

The council’s own Vision consultation last year concluded that there was a need for culture change at all levels. There’s plenty of good practice and research on the good society available if only members and officers were open to it.

Judith Martin,

Romsey Road

Winchester