Dear Sir,
Pointing a finger at the past to find fault and apportion blame serves no real purpose, other than to learn from it, and ensure such mistakes or errors in judgement don’t happen again. The lessons we need to learn are often found in the consequences of our own actions, and a real consequence of no longer owning the market square and adjoining car parking areas, mean we are now faced with the possibility of more surveillance cameras, parking restrictions, and fines for infringements of the allotted two hour limit, in a town where parking is already a major concern.
Those proposing these changes haven’t yet given an explanation for such changes, but to borrow a wise and telling phrase ‘When a person’s words and actions don’t match, the words are meaningless’, so we must wait and see what explanations, if any are forthcoming from the agents, or the owners of the town centre.
It’s easy to get drawn into speculation and jump to conclusions, so, until we know the details, it may be wiser to simply look at the facts and the reality we are faced with. We have a town centre in name only; some vacant premises have stood empty and derelict for a number of years with the interior and fabric of others buildings water damaged and in desperate need of substantial repairs to make them fit for purpose. Rents and rates on some of the premises are so high it makes it virtually impossible for smaller businesses to exist and make a living, and there appears to be little or no desire on the part of the owners to address these issues in a real and meaningful way.
If, as we suspect, money’s the motivation, and the owners intend to put profit above the welfare of this community, we wait with great interest as to how this proposal will be marketed as in ‘the best interest of our community’. If as we believe the town centre is in need of a serious makeover in order to breathe life back into it, this proposal, if it becomes a reality, may be the nail upon which we eventually hang a sign ‘Town Centre Closed; For Sale To Highest Bidder’.
Cllrs Phill Hawkins & Andy Hill