RICHARD Merwood's comments about the Fawcett statue in the Market Place (Journal, March 6) brought to my mind the statue of Sidney Herbert in Victoria Park.

Lord Herbert of Lea (1810-1861), one of the Pembroke family, served as MP for Wiltshire and as War Minister during the Crimean conflict, when his personal friendship and support of Florence Nightingale enabled that lady to go to Scutari and become the stuff of nursing legend. His part in her story was key.

More locally, Sidney Herbert was president of the Salisbury Infirmary between 1842 and his death in 1861, and yet his statue languishes hidden amid trees in Victoria Park. Surely he deserves a more prominent place in the city, perhaps in front of his former hospital?

On another topic, why are Sainsbury's so determined to build a superstore on Southampton Road, even when we all know they can never mitigate flooding in a flood plain, however well they try to dress it up?

Flood water doesn't sit still on a flood plain, it actually flows along, except, of course where concrete walls stop it. Could it be they foresee a long drag before their Maltings store is ever re-developed, if at all?

The Maltings is a poor shopping centre, a crummy reminder of how recently poor quality buildings were still allowed, and the sooner it is torn down and replaced the better.

It adds nothing to Salisbury's shopping experience, but let's not get carried away by Stanhope's forming plans for the area - they are coming up with a proposal to build wholly new buildings on the Central Car Park - not the Maltings at all - and they will surely be adding one white elephant to another in so doing.

Alan Doel, Salisbury