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Dear Editor,

Regarding the letter from "A Resident", my most important response to this is to say that abusive language as described is totally out of order from anybody and behaviour such as this can only be condemned whatever the circumstance.

Despite my feelings of sympathy though I will continue to campaign and hope for the access to be reopened to the public for the reasons outlined in my last posting.

Also in the resident's letter was an invitation for me to come and talk which I would like to do if I knew who "a resident" was. As they know who I am perhaps they could contact me to arrange a time.

To continue the debate, I did not say that the residents' appeal to the Council was out of proportion- I said it MAY have been. This was said in response to the claim that the reaction to our exclusion was out of proportion and again I said it was for others to decide on that.

Furthermore, in the resident's letter it states that "we too are unable to use the land as we did before". From an observers point of view this does not seem to be the case when one sees that in some cases the grass is cut and ornamental garden plants are being tended and this is quite provocative to the excluded. I cannot see plants such as Phormiums being effective in reducing road noise, adding anything to privacy or encouraging wildlife. This does suggest that some residents consider themselves immune from the "Public Keep Out" notices. This intensifies our feeling of resentment at losing a level, comfortable, access to a beautiful view and taste of the country. In using this walk we also do not need to start up the dreaded car.

My dream would be to have the route reopened, to have the grass kept short so that Poopa Scooping was easy, to have successful planting of dogwoods etc against the garden fences as seems to work very well at the Swann Way end of the zone and for everyone to be civil to each other. So far as abuse is concerned I think that it would be quite difficult to be abusive to residents at the Swann Way end through the thick, tall, shrub barrier. Unfortunately at this end it is less effective when people are up on top of the bank.

Please resident- do contact me as you know where I am.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Brun.