When West Dorset District Council were making good their case for new offices, much emphasis was put on the new building being much more eco-friendly.

Is it not now rather ironic that in their wisdom to obliterate a most sensitive part of our literary heritage, they will also be destroying valuable arable land, which is already playing a part in a most worthwhile green initiative for the Poundbury development?

Along with other arable land these fields produce a crop of fodder maize, which is then converted into gas/electricity at the plant at Rainbarrow Farm.

The added importance of these fields is that they are so close to the plant, therefore maximising the efficiency by negligible transport cost from field to plant.

With WDDC announcing that completion of Poundbury will be 2021/3, it is obvious that as time goes by, increase in both crop production and gas/electric will be imperative to literally keep the lights on, and the pot boiling at Poundbury. Consequently arable land, near the site will be of great value, and importance.

We know by his comments that Prince Charles, the Duke of Cornwall, is enthusiastic about this scheme and sees it as the way forward.

With their love of nature, I’m sure both William Barnes and Thomas Hardy, if around today, would both be at the forefront of ecological issues.

One of Barnes’ most successful pupils, Frederick Treves, later to become Sir Frederick Treves the eminent surgeon, tells that on his first day at school Barnes gave a lecture on logic.

He and the other boys were required to write from dictation the following sentence: ‘Logic is the right use of exact reasoning’.

Might I suggest that this sentence is painted on the wall of all the decision making chamber at South Walks House in letters foot high.

Brian Caddy, Casterbridge Road, Dorchester