Sir, – We don't take issue with the number of people responding to East Street Action's survey mentioned in Mrs Thurston's letter (October 13). We are aware of the various individuals, groups and their concerns, and we have met many of them on several occasions over the course of our consultation. Their views have helped to shape the scheme that has been submitted for planning. Mrs Thurston states that in the East Street Action questionnaire, prepared by them, 349 forms were analysed of which 82 per cent objected to one element to the proposals. According to the Farnham Town Council website, Farnham's population is around 38,000. Eighty-two per cent of a 349 response is around 286 people – in other words 0.75 per cent of the town's population. We don't dispute anyone's right to have a say – we simply point out that this is not a majority view. There has been only one representative survey undertaken on the scheme. It was conducted in 2004 by national organisation NOP World and was rigorously independent and unbiased, and canvassed a representative sample of every household in Farnham. Of those people aware of the scheme and expressing an opinion, those in favour of the plans outnumbered those against by more than two-to-one. In the past four months, we have written in the letters page to correct some of the misconceptions about the scheme in these pages. However, looking back at the letters disputing various elements of the scheme in the same period, it is just six people contributing more than half the correspondence in criticism of the plans. Those six people are all linked to various action groups such as the Farnham Theatre Association, wanting to save the Redgrave, or East Street Action. Again, we don't dispute anyone's right to comment – although sometimes the content is not accurate – but this is not a majority of the town. We stand by the views expressed in the NOP World survey on the masterplan as the most representative barometer of public opinion. Ian White, Crest Nicholson, Crest House, Pyrcroft Road, Chertsey