The look of London
Sir: John Martin Robinson has been unduly worried about the possible consequences of the Government's leasehold reforms to the townscape of London ('When reform means ruin', 24 October).
The claim that it is only the leasehold sys- tem that can preserve the character of parts of central London is ridiculous. No other countries apart from England and Wales have a leasehold system and yet the charac- ter and grandeur of cities like Paris, Rome and even Edinburgh are well retained. You only have took at Bath or York, where the property is mostly freehold, to see that areas can be conserved without the lease- hold system.
The leasehold system is an anachronism that causes great distress to some 3 million people who live in homes for which they have paid prices comparable to those on the general property market and have to meet all the maintenance costs. Harass- ment, bad management and extortionate service charges by many freeholders make their lives a misery. They then see the value of their homes deteriorate year after year as the lease runs down, despite massive personal investment.
This legislation will bring relief to those millions of people who effectively own their homes but have no control over them. Mis- leading scare tactics about the effect on the townscape should not be allowed to divert the Government from its course.
Paul Barnes
36a Mildmay Grove, London Ni
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