• THERE is no doubt more affordable family housing is needed in the Gospel Oak area, and not in the form of the looming tower blocks currently proposed at Murphy’s Yard with expensive one and two-bedroom flats.

We may have to make some sacrifices locally if we are to gain a pleasantly landscaped new walking and cycling route between Gospel Oak and Kentish Town.

However a compromise involving some kind of low-rise (but relatively high-density) buildings like the Lissenden Gardens mansion flats, much more successful than some more recent council efforts, might be more widely acceptable.

At the same time I would draw everyone’s attention to the already congested pedestrian areas around Gospel Oak station and the lido entrance to Hampstead Heath.

A little while ago it was proposed that there could be an additional entrance to the station on the eastern side of the railway bridge to improve access between the station, the lido, and the Dartmouth Park area in general. In the light of the proposed development this now looks essential.

NIGEL SHINDLER, NW3