Posted by Mike Dennis on July 22, 2005 at 18:55:42 from 84.66.210.128 user MTD.
In Reply to: Threat to Walton Backwaters (Secret Water) posted by Jock on July 22, 2005 at 09:14:33:
Unfortunately, though the backwaters may be eroding there is little or no interest by those with influence to do anything about it. In recent years Walton has seen council-tax payers money thrown away on useless so called ‘improvements’ such as a skateboard park (built with the usual banal justifications - 'kids have nothing to do') and on most days is unused and empty. Then there is the disaster know as the high street scheme: pavements were widened, junctions merged into pavements, kerbs done away with - the main ‘benefit’ being many shops were flooded during winter heavy rain for the first time in many years, otherwise all it did was give visitors more places to park in and block the road for local traffic and essential services. For a couple of years all these projects were masterminded and controlled by an un-elected unaccountable quango know as the Walton Forum, which seems to be made of local business owners who know a good thing when they see one. This group is not interested in the needs of the local community, so the town has ended up looking like a seedy seaside resort stuck in a time warp. AR would wonder what had happened to the place he wrote affectionately about in SW should he come back today.