I WAS shocked, but not surprised, to learn of the absurd idea of selling the town hall which is an integral part of the Civic Centre. What a contrast to the farsightedness and imagination shown by Southborough in their plan to restore the Royal Victoria Hall.

But it is the reasons given that cannot but make one suspicious about the motives of the council.

If the physical presence of the town hall (only one element of the Civic Centre) is really a barrier between two perceived parts of the town, then the only way to solve the problem is to demolish the whole Civic Centre and remove the gardens as well.

You might as well say that the station is a barrier between two parts of the town, or any other feature you happen to think of. In any case, an important aspect of the new building on the cinema site is that it is supposed to unify the town.

Does Tunbridge Wells really need yet more flats or shops? Surely, the council's priority in this recession should be to fill already- vacant properties like the Woolworth's store.

The Civic Centre is the focus of the town centre and should be made more so, not sold off in bits in a failing property market. It is a part of the town's heritage and identity. If sold, it will surely become West Kent's answer to County Hall facing Westminster: a permanent rebuke to the lack of imagination of a past administration.

Dr Martin JP Davies

Birchetts Avenue

Langton Green

LAST month The Courier fulfilled a valuable function in highlighting problem areas in the town. In the issue of February 13 problems regarding the grim state of the potholed roads was raised and the future of the bandstand in Calverley Grounds was spearheaded and subsequently pressure has continued regarding this.

In addition the slow decision-making in cabinet regarding matters such as the tourist information centre and public toilet closure were neatly placed in adjoining columns.

We do not have a right to expect visitors will come to Tunbridge Wells if we do not make them feel welcome. I have heard comments that Tunbridge Wells looks run-down both because of the poor state of the roads and the eyesore of the old ABC cinema.

If we do not provide good car parking facilities and clean, free toilets tourists may well decide that there is no reason to return to Tunbridge Wells merely for an hour trip to the Pantiles.

This month the announcement that the council is to move out of the Town Hall focuses the need to consider the long-term strategic aims.

As major changes will be occurring over the next few years hopefully we can encourage Cllr Bullock to express his long term strategic view as current plans and the forthcoming redevelopment of the Kent and Sussex Hospital site provide the last opportunity to remould the town for the next 50 years.

Perhaps one will have to reconsider park and ride schemes. Perhaps more centrally-placed leisure facilities including a top class swimming pool could be developed on the hospital site and the St Johns site then used for redevelopment purposes that might generate a flow of visitors to the town.

I have previously mentioned the possibility of conference facilities.

It is however Cillr Bullock's team that has access to the relevant information to make crucial decisions which hopefully will prevent a slow slide downwards which appears to be occurring at present.

Some cost savings could be made by reducing the number of councillors.

Dr Jonathan Maw

Madeira Park

Tunbridge Wells

Where are salaries?

A PRETTY little diagram of council income and expenditure but no mention of salaries (Courier, February 27). Are these part of "other"?

Let's stop whingeing about Government grants and remember who it was who de-regulated financial services. She thereby started the present national avalanche.

Should we perhaps be asking what is paid out in salaries, particularly in the top strata? Is it like those banks with unearned bonuses and grossly inflated pensions?

What regular rises are in place? How does last year's top salary compare with this year's or indeed next year's?

After all, it is our money and our town.

M R Graham

Bayhall Road

Tunbridge Wells

Mast siting pushed on

I CONGRATULATE the residents of the Blackness Road area of Crowborough for proving to Wealden District Council what a monstrosity the proposed Vodafone mast would have been.

Unfortunately these masts have to go somewhere and it appears that one of them will be put up on the corner of Crowborough Hill and Montargis Way. This is because our Government has tied the hands of local planning committees who can only do something on the grounds of visual impact.

No one in Crowborough wants a mast near their home and it should not be sited near a school. However, we can only fight masts in Crowborough if we do so in a community- spirited fashion.

Some Crowborough Hill residents were no doubt jubilant when Vodafone agreed to revise their plans. So I was disappointed to see that many had felt it necessary to send letters of support for the renewed plans. These residents ought to remember all they have done is send the problem elsewhere in the town.

Sarah Noble

Beaver Close

Crowborough

Nil to spend

THE Bank of England has once again slashed savers income to ribbons. It passes my understanding how these economic moguls expect retail spending to pick up, when, at the same time, they slaughter the savers who outnumber borrowers by six to one!

Retail spending by the elderly is a huge factor in our economy which our best economic brains ignore at their peril by choking off at source savers' spending.

What is the good of credit to business if there is no-one to buy the goods?

G D Vinell

Isfield

Uckfield