SO, not only are Tavistock Town Council doing their best to throw good money after bad on their offices in Drake Road, it seems West Devon Borough Council have caught the same wasting disease.
I thought that the article in the Times (December 13) re building new borough council offices at Riverside car park was a festive season joke to be put in Christmas crackers, but I see from last week's Times the elected councillors now think the idea is mad enough to spend £30,000 of our money to 'employ expert assistants (sic) to safeguard the council's interests'. You safeguard when there is a threat — there is no threat, the borough owns the car park site and has offices.
We have had the saga of the Kilworthy offices built at great expense, quickly to be considered too small and expanded with 'temporary' accommodation while the council departments expanded to cope with services and when that idea got out of fashion putting these services out to private companies and then moving some of the services to the Carrs Garage site development to help justify the huge expense for purchase of the same and its development.
Now, the council are considering spending money on looking at whether a move to Riverside car park is desirable. This at a time when we hear complaints that there are not enough car parking spaces in Tavistock and, on the admission of the borough chief executive, looking to a move which could be 'squeezed in', doubtless with council staff using Bedford car park and reducing spaces there.
Come off it, councillors! Why don't you spend your time, for which we now have to pay, discussing something sensible like improvement of services, abolition of car parking fees to help attract visitors to Tavistock, working with the county to bypass traffic along Whitchurch Road and down Pixon Lane instead of using Plymouth Road.
And the move to Riverside car park — you can't be serious! The next step is easy — just tell the developer to get on his bike.
A E Mettler
Courtenay Road, Tavistock
I AM very concerned re the proposal to lose the Riverside car park for a site for the new borough offices.
Tavistock cannot afford to lose a long-stay car park. The other car parks and on-street parking will be used by the present personnel and councillors, putting more pressure on the existing spaces in the town which will soon be affected by more traffic orders.
The proposed bridge over the river to link the site to the Meadows or Bedford car park to provide easier access is unnecessary. What is wrong with the lit, paved footpath through St Johns?
How can £30,000 suddenly be found for a feasibility study when we have an already tight budget forecast? If there is any funding spare then Crowndale and other groups could do with help.
There is already empty office space in the borough's own library building. Is anything ever going to be put on the Abbey Garage 'eyesore' site, or is it going to become a Sight of Scientific Interest for weeds and buddleia?
I am sure there will be some promised planning gain, possible financial but would the sale of the present site cover the cost of new build and re-equipping? If there were money over it would be spent over the borough not in Tavistock — the town which would have lost out.
Town Cllr Judith Williams
Chollacott Close, Tavistock
IN the past two issues of the Times you have highlighted what is, in my view, the waste of ratepayers' money in furthering the Riverside council offices scheme.
To those of us who love Tavistock and live within the town, the threat to the woodland and riverside heart through an imposing council structure together with the loss of valuable car parking spaces should be worthy of more consideration.
I also refer to the letter from D G Medley (January 10) and confirm that nearly two years ago I put forward Mr Stuart Cole to be named and honoured in calling a new development Cole Moore Meadow.
We are looking forward to a ceremonial street naming to honour Stuart Cole.
His is a superb example of dedicated commitment to Tavistock and its residents, in his many years of hard work cleaning our streets and keeping them safe and pleasant, together with his friendly smile and pleasant attitude and that of his fellow street-cleaners.
Caroline Keane
Tavistock Town and
West Devon Borough Councillor