Hysteria (From Penarth Times)

Hysteria

I THOUGHT it impossible that some residents and traders of Penarth should produce as much inaccuracy, misinformation and hysteria on another subject as they did on the Esplanade improvement.

I was wrong. Every change to Penarth is greeted by the same repetitive bleating about nails in coffins, too many charity shops, dying town centre etc, as if they were all reading from the same script. It is also clear that their idea of "consultation" is that they tell the council what it can and cannot do.

We know that parking is a problem in Penarth, but the changes brought about by the Town Square have no affect on this.

The loss of spaces along this part of the highway is compensated for by the new spaces at either end and the legislation of parking on the west side of Glebe Street up to Plassey Street. In any case, who was ever able to "park up and pop in" as one of your more unobservant correspondents put it?

The scheme in its present form is a useful and attractive addition to the town, but not enough by itself to actually attract people to the town. The sooner the rest of Lower Glebe Street, Ludlow Lane and Windsor Road are included the better.

Add to this a one-way system around the town centre and echelon parking on the wider streets in the area and then there will be a town centre to which people will want to come and spend time and money.

But is has to start somewhere and the sooner the obstructive and unimaginative element try to see beyond their own noses to the longer term good of the town, the better.

T R Fletcher Fairfield Road Penarth