AS a Sotonian born and bred I was delighted to spend a week based in Southampton over these last Christmas holidays after years of absence.

Previous generations of my family came from old Southampton but as a former student of architecture I really sometimes wonder what goes on “behind the scenes” with the city’s architectural vision, or lack of it.

It built a giant mall, WestQuay, that seems to have, along with the retail park further down, eaten up all the business while ironically making full use of the 60s/70s eyesores that are the overground multi-storey car parks that should by rights have been demolished years ago.

I now hear there is to be a new retail development further along by the medieval walls containing yet more chain outets and “restaurants”.

I propose that such modernist retail developments do not respect the historical or environmental fabric of the historical old quarter of the city and is unsustainable.

It will simply create more conjestion and eat up more local business.

What really worries me is that there seems to be no discussion or debate on the local failures of modernist ‘architecture’ and the virtues of the continuity and harmony of neo-historical architecture. Correct me if I am wrong on this.

Before making any more bland modernist dross, at least let’s start looking at attractive examples of neohistorical architecture, ie the recent South Gate development in the city of Bath (they got to demolish ugly multi-storey car parks in the process) and see where and how this could be applied to our city.

Saying that Southampton should be a UNESCO heritage site like Bath would be farfetched, but only by looking at what Bath has done merely to retain UNESCO status can Southampton learn valuable lessons.

I am not at all sure this is being done.

Gregory Cooper, now in Greece