It had to be today (From Malvern Gazette)

It had to be today

8:00am Wednesday 20th March 2013 in Letters

‘SIX weeks to decide the future of our town’ ?

How ironic that Coun Liz Harvey is urging residents to get involved with the ‘consultation process’.

Our current government gave towns a wonderful opportunity to develop a parish (or town) plan including a neighbourhood plan, the legal part planning departments have to take notice of: an exciting chance for Ledburians to say how they want to see future housing, retail, leisure, community and commercial development.

The first Parish Plan meeting was on January 31 2012. Liz Harvey offered herself as chairman and was appointed.

Nearly 40 people attended the first few steering group meetings open to all Ledbury citizens. Some of us had demanding fulltime jobs, but wanted to make time to help.

Most of us appreciated the deadly urgency of the task. We urged a brisk timetable be adopted, sending out an immediate basic questionnaire to every business and household to stimulate debate and ideas.

A group of those people had specific and very relevant skills in architecture, town planning, marketing, retailing, research, advertising, accountancy, research analysis etc.

A skilled research methodologist designed a questionnaire and offered it to our chairman in March 2012. It was turned down.

The first neighbourhood plan meeting will be on March 19.

Planners and property developers wait for no man.

The blame for the situation Ledbury finds itself in is squarely with all those people naïve, shortsighted and lacking in commercial experience who thought that tomorrow would do. It won’t.

MARY BAXTER Ledbury