Cathedral may close

SIR – You report (“Church will not ‘rescue’ cathedrals, says Welby”, February 27) that Guildford borough council has refused to allow the building of 134 houses on land surrounding Guildford cathedral.

In 1930, the Earl of Onslow gave the area known as Stag Hill for a cathedral to be built. Viscount Bennett bought the rest of the land and donated it as a memorial for Canadian service personnel lost in the Second World War. There is a memorial on the site.

Objections to the development on this hill include an overburden on local schools, roads, health facilities and drainage. The amount to be raised, about £10 million, would be a windfall, but not enough for continued funding into the years ahead.

Meanwhile an area of green land, visible for miles around, would be ruined for ever.

A very large development near the railway is also under consideration, a stone’s throw from the cathedral site. Valerie Thompson West Horsley, Surrey

SIR – It appears that the Archbishop of Canterbury sees Guildford cathedral as a business that is not worth rescuing.

I wonder if he has ever visited the cathedral or the ancient churches scattered around the Surrey area that struggle to get more than 16 in their congregations, and yet have thousands of volunteers tirelessly trying to save the buildings. How must they feel that a place of worship such as Guildford cathedral can be so easily disregarded?

I expect there are plenty of businesses waiting in the wings to demolish or convert the building once it closes. Jennifer Bloor Haslemere, Surrey