The phrase "a regrettable but" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to introduce a statement that acknowledges a negative aspect while also presenting a contrasting or mitigating point.
Example: "It is a regrettable but necessary decision to downsize the company in order to remain financially viable."
Alternatives: "an unfortunate yet" or "a disappointing but".
The idea that economic growth can only be achieved through a regrettable but necessary increase in emissions appears firmly entrenched.
In a statement, the officials said they had taken a "regrettable, but a necessary action" after learning parents were planning a sit-in.
He talked of things "getting out of hand" as if murder was a regrettable but necessary hazard of running an orderly household.
Carol Foyler, a veteran political operative, said that Sanders has one more debate, "at the most," to prove that his respect gaffe was just that — a regrettable but forgivable slip of the tongue, not to be repeated.
A recent Unicef report estimated that, over the same period, some 500,000 under-fives had died.At times, American officials have declared that such deaths are a regrettable but necessary feature of the effort to get Mr Hussein to behave.
They are trained to rush toward disasters, even as others are running away, and so death, in the minds of many New York City firefighters, is a regrettable, but at times unavoidable, part of their difficult job.
That was a regrettable mistake, but hardly tells the story.
The Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, said: "It's a regrettable situation but the right decision.
"This was a regrettable incident, but let's hope it's over".
Culture secretary Maria Miller said Entwistle had made the right decision: "It's a regrettable situation, but the right decision.
The extent of the scandal is that the king supported Chamberlain – a regrettable misjudgment, but a common one at the time.
