IN light of the decision by BCP Council's planning committee to unanimously refuse the latest application for Wilderton House, it became apparent during submissions, that although the building is a 'locally listed' property, this designation appeared to offer little or no protection to the property's condition. That is to say that it has been allowed to deteriorate by the owners, with no enforcement by the council to maintain it in good condition.

My questions are: What exactly does 'locally listed' offer? What is the point of designating a site as 'locally listed' if that designation offers no protection and thus renders the council toothless? Is it time to drop this classification as a waste of resource and release such properties back to the wild?

ADRIAN WARDLOW

Wilderton Road West, Poole