Eric Hobsbawm's 20th century was short. Finding that the events that shaped the century did not fit neatly into 100 years, the Marxist historian cut it down to 77 - starting with the first world war in 1914 and ending with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The year 2002 similarly defies the confines of the calendar - but this year was long.

Those who believe that I should have trusted my instincts and not bothered may have a point. My aim here is neither to justify what I have done one way or another, but to say goodbye.

"All-pervasive fear of life outside the gates is a frequent result of this type of attachment," concludes Anna Minto, in Building Balanced Communities, a report published by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors last week. "Those behind the gates become detached not only physically but politically."