IT would appear that A. W. Hanlon (Letters, December 10) doesn’t have the answer to the disappearance of our countryside but will insist on arguing the subject.

If, as he suggests, the whole world is waiting for the answer to the housing and population growth problem they why has our small island become the most densely populated country in Europe since our entry into the European Union with thousands more queuing to come here?

There may well be a population growth throughout the world but that doesn’t necessarily mean there has to be a neverending house building programme throughout our once green and pleasant land when there are vast tracts of uninhabited land in many places still throughout the world.

Of course we older citizens can remember when our housing estates were once fields and woodland and of course also we had bigger families back then which initially caused the expansion of our towns and cities.

We also realise there still has to be some kind of building programme.

But to suggest that immigration has nothing to do with our population growth and has not had a profound impact not only on our housing problem but our infrastructure altogether, is turning a blind eye to a very serious situation.

It slips easily off the tongue of A. W. Hanlon, “We all love our countryside”, and then follows with “that’s why so many people wish to live here”.

He obviously doesn’t love his country enough to question whether these people have the right to come here and despoil our countryside with vast housing projects required for the purpose.

If he thinks the whole world is waiting for the answer to our problem then I’ll give it – secure our borders and exit the EU. Job done! Sorry, I can’t cure the rest of the world.

LA O’BEE, Southampton.