I, TOO, have been following the letters on planning matters with interest, particularly on third-party rights of appeal. Here in South Ayrshire we have a situation which has desperately needed an effective and inexpensive means for concerned third parties to challenge the behaviour of both officials and elected members. It is a long and complicated tale but to put it as simply as possible, the council has made a disastrous series of decisions resulting in the destruction of the beautiful and historic estate drive to Sundrum Castle [pictured]. This sorry tale started more than 12 years ago.

Using the concept of an ''enabling'' permission, South Ayrshire Council agreed to allow the building of well over 30 new houses along this single-track cul-de-sac. This required the felling of mature woodland, destruction of all wildlife corridors and loss of amenity for all local residents and the adjacent holiday park. This was supposed to ''enable'' the original developer to restore Sundrum Castle and thus preserve it for future generations.

He was also given (pounds) 500,000 of public money from Historic Scotland to facilitate this and promptly split the castle into three apartments, sold them and departed laughing all the way to the bank, having first converted several adjoining stables, mews and coach houses into private houses. The remaining plots have been sold off piecemeal to other developers solely for private profit and no-one who hasn't seen it for themselves (the councillors haven't) could believe what is happening as a result. No consideration whatsoever has been given to the questions of access to sites and workforce parking, traffic flow, pedestrians, complete lack of services or access for emergency vehicles.

Local people tried to challenge this alleged need for new house-building and were denied access to the developer's plans on the grounds of ''commercial confidentiality''. Last autumn we had the remarkable public admission by the previous chairman of the planning committee that, had he and his committee known the full extent of what they were giving permission for, they would never have done so. Did the officials or other councillors present prick up their ears at this breathtaking allegation? No.

What we want is a full public disclosure of this whole matter. Was the committee misled by mistake? Negligence? Fraud? Ignorance? Incompetence? We have our own ideas and plenty of evidence - but no money to mount the full-scale legal challenge needed here. Is it fair or reasonable that developers and councils, who have the money and the power, are allowed to sit back complacently in the full knowledge that there is no practical means for ordinary people to challenge their decisions, even one as blatantly suspect as this?

Rosemary Sloan,

East Burnside Cottage,

Sundrum, Ayrshire.