EDITOR'S CHOICE RAFT RACE SUCCESS Speedy Sealine crews take race glory ‘Treasures’ bring £292 boost Award winners go ‘the extra mile’ REGENERATING KIDDERMINSTER A town that means business Call for cash to clean up town HARRIERS LATEST Ferrell set to commit Fans played on Aggborough's hallowed turf Ferrell - Follow Bulls' path to promotion SPORT LATEST Frisbee stars earn international call-ups Red-hot Brown sets standard Record partnership lifts Mortimer LETTERS Breaking promise over town schools Minbus parking is safety issue Tree likely to be a danger Cricket club need helping hand LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULT Online poll: Safety first VOTE In a bid to cut congestion on roads, Nottingham City Council is introducing an annual fee for businesses providing staff car parking spaces. Do you think this is a good idea? Yes No GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

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ALTHOUGH during the 1940s Kidderminster missed being a target for the Luftwaffe, from the air I imagine all the current islands and craters would tell another story.

You asked the public "What if we could build Kidderminster from Scratch?" (Shuttle, April 17) - but it already has been!

For some people who are old enough, there is so little of the original area left it virtually resembles a completely different town that just happens to have the same name as Kidderminster.

Recently J H Russell's fine 18th century building was unceremoniously demolished by Rent-A-Hammer & Son. I imagine the fact that we couldn't save the Library and School Of Arts from the bulldozers made saving this quirky, historic little building a moot point.

No doubt if it had managed to stay put it would eventually become another T.B.D. (Tesco by default).

Now I hate to sound like my rose-tinted lenses have fused to my face but I'm actually not old enough to remember the old town'. All I have are postcards and books of local interest to remind me how cynical and short-sighted the councils of the past were in steamrolling their ideas over the voices of those that opposed change.

To be honest when I read how Kidderminster was in books I feel that I have been cheated when I see what little history and architecture is left - complete roads amputated from the town thoroughfare, hospitals closed and reduced in their services and whole rows of shops and buildings reduced to rubble and replaced with 1970s shopping centres.

I can only imagine they must have been having a discount on concrete the year they built the Swan Centre.

But, sadly we have to move on so here's some ideas.

Why don't we rebuild all the shops, buildings and houses exactly how they were before 1968. Fill in that crater at the bottom of Comberton Hill and return the town to it's once great status.

Worcester embraced the past and is richer for it - we can't give shop properties away in Kidderminster.

Oh, and one small thing that would bring people back to the town for at least one month of the year (guaranteed) - track down and re-install the Santa Claus ride from the Co-op, complete with swaying mechanical reindeers and a cheap plastic toy from the man himself!

DALE MINAKER, Kidderminster

12:46pm Tuesday 29th April 2008

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