I REFER to my letter re the proposed interpretation centre for Tavistock which you kindly published in article format in the Times of August 10. It would be unusual if Mr Selman did not try and defend his project, but it would help if he omitted spin such as an implication that the Tavistock development has been the subject of a large amount of consultation over four years. Mr Selman presented his proposals for the Tavistock Interpretation Centre to a rather shocked town council at their meeting on January 3 this year. On June 27 the Heritage Project announced in a press release that an exhibition (not a consultation) would be held on two days that week ?to keep local residents informed of the progress of developments?. The Times of June 29 published this information, giving Tavistock residents 24 hours? notice of the exhibition, at which the public would have their first opportunity to see the proposals. Mr Selman?s belief that the proposed new buildings are iconic is simply absurd waffle. The proposed development will lose 15 short-term town centre car parking spaces, a similr number to that lost with the paving over of town hall square. This proposed interpretation centre is the most important development in the Guildhall Square area of our town since the Duke of Bedford built Market Road in the 1860s, and it is incumbent upon our elected representatives to ensure that the residents of Tavistock are happy with any such proposals. To date all we have seen is a selected few telling us what we are going to get whether we like it or not. This is simply not good enough. Alex Mettler Landfall, Courtenay Road Tavistock
