The renewed interest in Little Germany - including the latest suggestion for rescuing Eastbrook Hall - is to be welcomed.

This area of the city centre is at last starting to get the recognition it deserves as a fantastic architectural resource. It has a huge amount of potential for development as a place for people to work, live and enjoy their leisure time among a collection of fine buildings.

Little Germany's appeal as a place to live is attracting planning applications not only from developers wanting to adapt existing buildings to flats but also from those who want to put up new purpose-built apartment blocks.

The size of the proposed blocks - six and seven storeys - would seem to be in keeping with the scale of the area. But the planners will have to make very sure that they are in the right style to fit in with the overall look of Little Germany and that the quality of design and materials used match their surroundings.

In Centenary Square, surrounded as it is by a jumble of architectural styles, there is potential for something dramatic and different. We would hope that the designs submitted to replace Provincial House will show imagination and originality.

But new developments in Little Germany must be carefully planned to fit in with the very special, traditional ambience of this gridwork of solid buildings.

This is a planning decision which must be made in the full public gaze by councillors meeting in open forum and answerable to the Council taxpayers, and not left to unelected officers acting under delegated powers.