IF IT had not been for the late Julian Usborne, referred to by your correspondent Mike Goodenough, the traditional look of Stroud High Street would have been destroyed in the late 1970s.

It was the public-spiritedness of Julian Usborne, Steve Tomlin and Mike Goodenough that raised the alarm when the council gave consent to demolish three beautiful Georgian buildings half way up the High Street.

Not only did they object to the council, they mobilised the people of Stroud to take to the roofs of the threatened buildings for sufficient time to allow the solicitors to get together a case.

In those days an application had to be made to the High Court in London in order to require the council to review their decision to demolish.

Within seven seven days the case was presented to Lord Wolffe who decided in favour of the protesters.

Moreover it was the first case in legal history where the court decided that a member of a local community could bring a case for judicial review even if they did not own land affected by the planning decision.

It was a memorable victory for three remarkable men and the people of Stroud.

I should know as I was the Stroud solicitor who conducted the case.

Peter Hankins Retired partner at Winterbothams Solicitors of Stroud