COULD I congratulate the planners responsible for the refusal of planning permission for a Dominos Pizza outlet in Crowborough?

The conversion of a shop unit that has been empty for years would have had a devastating effect on the thriving High Street and the creation of new jobs unnecessary, in the current buoyant job market.

Far better that the take away needs of the town are served by the "Jewel in Crowborough's crown", the sight that greets visitors to the town as they travel from the south – a converted ambulance surrounded by rubbish and inebriated teenagers.

Also, please could the gentlemen who wrote in to say how much he enjoyed living in Crowborough and what a pleasant place he considered it to be, confirm, as a public service, where he lived previously so that it can be avoided at all costs. From his praise of Crowborough and its amenities I presume it was an area in downtown Basra or a village on the Gaza strip.

J Croft

Clockhouse Court

Crowborough

Dangerous road

SHAKESPEARE Road up to College Avenue (from Brook Street) in Tonbridge has never been the easiest or safest road to drive because of blind corners and parking but now that the West Kent College is being rebuilt, the road has solid parking from top to bottom. This means that the road is effectively single track with only a few passing places and with little visibility due to its curved track. The authorities appear not to want to do anything to make the road safer.

This is all the more reason for cars using this road to take extra care and to drive at a reasonable speed. All too often I have witnessed cars racing along the road as if it were one way. In particular, I have to single out taxis as the worst offenders.

Nigel Rawlings

The Spinney

Tonbridge