Worcestershire | Archive | 2002 | October | 31
From the archive, first published Thursday 31st Oct 2002.
MAY I through your pages ask the question why, in the days of highly advanced techniques for resurfacing even vast stretches of motorway practically overnight, Wychavon District Council have opted to close a very busy and vital town centre car park for three weeks for resurfacing.
I appreciate that the road planing machinery used on roads and motorways may on first sight appear an expensive option, however, surely the closure of the Oat Street car park is costing the council and the local traders dearly in terms of lost revenue. I have been observing the works being carried out over the past two weeks and have yet to see any sign of much that could not have been done in a few days by more appropriate machinery. In fact, the most intensive activity seemed to take place in the erection of the barriers needed to keep people off the car park for its closure.
In these days when town centre shops and businesses are already under intense pressure just to survive in many cases, has any thought been given to the detrimental effect this unnecessarily long closure is having on local traders? Evesham already suffers from inadequate parking and the most bizarre one way traffic system in the local area and shoppers forced to visit the nearby towns of Cheltenham, Stratford, Worcester and the like to do their shopping over this three week period, may find that visiting these towns is a pleasurable enough experience to make them continue doing so even when the car park has been resurfaced.
I was born in Evesham and love the town dearly, but why won't some of the decision makers at the council wake up and do something about really making the town centre easier to move around, park in and enjoy?
NIGEL DEACON, Falkland Road, Evesham.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008