SO the proprietors of Pepper & Oz now cast themselves (along with the people of Malvern) as St George, and the planners and councillors of Malvern Hills District Council as the dragon, following the outcome of the latest round of the purple parasol saga. (Malvern Gazette, Your Letters, April 25)
Well of course everyone is entitled to their view. But, hang on a minute is not the one half of team St George the same Pete Brown who, until recently donning his apron at Pepper & Oz, was himself a senior council official (dragon?) as head of waste management at the County Council - making and implementing all the many rules and constraints on what the good citizens might and might not do with their rubbish and recycling? He, of all entrepreneurs, ought to understand and respect the important role that public regulatory bodies like council planning departments and English Heritage play in protecting and enhancing the quality of life and character of places like Malvern.
Rather than continuing to flaunt his victory and repeatedly driving his lance into the (defenceless) dragon, methinks St George should be a little more humble in his celebrations, recognizing that the victory at MHDC's Development Control Committee was a pretty narrow one; and that (from all I have read and heard on this subject), it would probably not be difficult to drum up at least as many signatures to a petition on the perceived harm to the appearance of both St George's own historic premises and the adjacent Abbey Gateway as the applicants have found in their support.
Yes of course we all want Malvern to thrive economically; maybe with a café society too (whatever that is!). And, yes, we all wish Pepper & Oz every success too! But at the same time, let's also acknowledge (not slay) the contribution to economic success that our planners and conservationists make in their professional endeavours to protect the heritage and historic features of our town - which, after all help define Malvern and make it a place where excellent businesses like St George's can flourish.
advertisement
CLLR JOHN RAINE, West Malvern ward, Malvern Hills District Council, Brockhill Road, West Malvern.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
