C Lydon's letter (News Shopper November 14) wonders whether those petitioning against the Darul Uloom School planning application would have had the same objections had the proposals come from a Christian school rather than an Islamic one.

I do not know the answer to that, not being one of the petitioners, but I do know the Chislehurst Society strongly supported the decision of Bromley Council to refuse planning permission for an expansion of Mead Road Infants School in 1995 on the grounds that the proposed expansion would affect Green Belt land and would make traffic problems in Chislehurst worse.

I also know the Chislehurst Society expressed strong reservations over the expansion of Coopers Schools in 1996 for similar reasons.

The adoption of a similar posture towards the Darul Uloom application both by Bromley Council and by the Chislehurst Society would not therefore be bigotry, it would be simple equality of treatment for all, putting the interests of the people of Chislehurst first.

David Cockerham

Stewart Close

Chislehurst

November 22, 2001 10:38