THE Vale Council has done some very controversial things in the last year or two. Most recently there has been the viewing platform at the Head which, as is well known, did not find favour with quite a few Penarth residents.

There was a high cost, £75,000 - £80,000, the design - rather austere and forbidding and which to some critics had military connotations (of gun emplacements) - not to mention the possible safety implications, the platform being perched as it is quite close to eroding cliffs.

There have also been suggestions that proper administrative procedure was not followed by the Vale of Glamorgan Council. This to me is a serious potential criticism, since councils would be wise to engage in public consultation before undertaking a major project, if only for PR reasons.

Was it wise for the authority to be so casual and overbearing in relation to planning regulations? Allegedly, planning permission was not even sought.

The new path on the green in Sully Terrace was another very controversial project. I consider that any upgrading of this path should have been more modest and lower key. The new path may please cyclists, but paths shared by pedestrians and cyclists can be a source of aggravation to walkers.

I have experienced real annoyance from some cyclists when walking on the Taff Trail in Cardiff. This would be "the case for prosecution", metaphorically speaking.

It has occurred to me, however, that councils are so often criticised by the public for what they do not do - the potholes not filled in, the litter not always cleared, the cars under the old system did not display current tax discs and which appeared to get away with it.

The Vale Council has, in a few areas been pro-active in seeking to improve the environment. One positive project has been the two belisha beacon pedestrian crossings in Plassey Street, at the junctions of High Street and of Glebe Street, respectively.

This was surely worth the reported expenditure of some £50,000 only about two thirds of what was spent on the viewing platform at the Head.

The new benches on the Promenade are sturdy looking and pleasing to the eye as well. Though I note that three of the old benches on the promenade have not yet been replaced. Was this a lack of money or a tribute to budgetary economy?

I cannot pretend that I like the new viewing platform, but it must be disappointing when councillors put up with a barrage of whinging when they hoped to upgrade the town's amenities. Some of the criticisms has had a party political flavour.

Michael O'Neill

Penarth