THANKS for printing the letter, and the replies in this week's issue, from Vincent Miller and the university student. In response to their comments I write the following.

May I firstly apologise to Vincent Miller, for annoying him with my comments regarding the student population in Lancaster, he obviously misunderstood the meaning of the letter. I am simply asking the question, where are the 2,415 new students of next year going to live and what impact will they have on an already turbulent city centre at weekends?

If my remarks were misleading to Vincent I cannot understand why, I simply pointed out what I have observed over the years of growing up in Lancaster, I am a surveyor by trade, so observing is my profession.

I'm glad they weren't misleading to the many people who know me personally, and who contacted me to pass on their compliments with regard to my letter, many of

them students themselves! He states that I have little understanding of the social life of Lancaster, perhaps he should mention my name to the fair amount of links he has with the local community, he may be surprised to find that I grew up on Bowerham and am known to many local people there. He may even know my parents who still live there. With regard to my comments about the Moor Hospital properties, I was simply making a tongue in cheek remark that these properties were perhaps being built to contain the overspill of students coming next year.

Mr Miller should perhaps consider a nightschool course in British humour. The Lancaster University student obviously took more notice of my letter and gave an honest opinion in response, for this I give my thanks, I agree that Lancaster would be nothing now without the students, it is this fact that saddens me.

If every student were to decide to leave Lancaster tomorrow, what would you have? Nothing.

I would also like to point out the following to this person, hopefully the facts will speak for themselves. There is a £10,000 difference now between the price I paid for my property and the price I can sell it for now.

Although I agree that, in general, house prices are rising across the country, in Lancaster this is not the case across the board, and, if I so wished, I could sell my property and purchase a three bedroomed house with front and rear gardens for my children to play in if I happened to move further away from the university and St Martins College by only a matter of miles. If I were to move nearer to either establishment however, to a similar property with three bedrooms and front and rear gardens, I would have to increase my mortgage considerably.

People may say that this difference is due to the area, but I know people that live in all areas of the city and they will tell you that the areas themselves and the 'quality of residents' so to speak, differ very little from each other wherever you go.

Over the last week, the local people, (that I don't know very well), have told me that the four bedroomed, ex-corporation houses on the Ridge Estate are being bought to accommodate students, these houses were originally meant for families with children, so where have they gone?

As I said in my last letter, I have nothing at all against students, many of them are friends and many agree with my views.

Lancaster is overcrowded now with people.

What will next year bring with the arrival of 2,415 more of them?

Sean Kelly

Primrose

Lancaster