My argument for looking at genuuine alternative options to save the present buildings is certainly not one against good modern buildings being added to the site. Rather it is one against the brutal 'all or nothing scenario' which has been put forward by the council and appears to be supported by a number of responders to my initial comments. Personally I delight in the contrast of old and new - exactly as has been achieved at the Horniman Museum. The incorporation of the best of the historic fabric within the new complex that we would all like to see need not compromise the facilities that the site can offer.

The buildings as they stand are not finest examples of Victorian architecture, but they hold an important place in our local history and townscape and they shouldn't be discarded as thoughtlessly as it appears they will be. They are a valuable asset and it is sad to find fellow architects in particular so immune to the power of this form of memory in our built environment.

Yes, preserving elements of our past whilst effectively providing for the needs of today is more challenging than wiping the slate utterly clean, but it can also enrich our environment in untold ways. Surely this is a challenge worth rising to.

I don't think I am far off the mark in saying that the vast majority of Forest Hill residents would at least like to see the Dartmouth Road frontage to the baths retained and I see no reason why this cannot be accommodated by a good quality new design. All the arguments that I have heard so far for its removal seem at the least spurious and at worst fig leaves to a bloody minded vandalism.