Letter: Why does Wem need £100,000 Town Square?

Letter: I cannot understand why the planning officers of Shropshire Council have approved the Town Square scheme in Wem at a cost in excess of £100,000.

This is neither wanted nor needed by the townspeople in Wem.

The square will be located on the lorry park - where are these drivers supposed to leave their vehicles?

Most of these lorry drivers live in Wem. The suggestion has been made that they use the lorry park at Higher Heath - about eight miles away.

With people being encouraged to reduce travel and carbon emissions, surely this would increase travel with the drivers having to use their cars to get to and from Prees Heath?

The Town Square scheme would also see the recycling banks moved onto car parking spaces, with some of them being removed. Again, we are being encouraged to recycle, so this again doesn't make sense.

A lay-by is to be built for the town bus - again this will impact on car parking. It will also be interesting to see how the bus will negotiate its way around the car park.

What a pity it is that the councillors, who are elected by the public, ignore their wishes. The money being wasted on the Town Square could be better spent in so many areas, such as providing decent toilet facilities.

The stupidest thing though is that the plans show that flagpoles with sails would be installed on the Town Square, similar to those located in Portsmouth. Surely these are more appropriate at the seaside than in a land-locked town?

Mind you, if Shropshire Council approve the planning application to build houses at the Mill Dam on part of the flood plain, Wem could end up under water.

Gaynor Carson

Wem