WITH reference to the suggested use of land at the back of the cathedral, I feel that this is not the right place to extend a car park. May I suggest that a group, consisting of councillors, local trades people and members of the public, be set up to look

WITH reference to the suggested use of land at the back of the cathedral, I feel that this is not the right place to extend a car park.

May I suggest that a group, consisting of councillors, local trades people and members of the public, be set up to look into the city's parking problems and also to look at ways to enforce the parking restrictions, which currently do not seem to be working.

Look at the High Street for an example. The other point I notice is that on a Thursday, there are five or six market trader vans parked in New Barns Road and Deacon's Lane taking up car parking spaces.

JOHN FULLER

St Audrey's Way

Ely

I WAS astonished to read in the Ely Standard that a proposal to turn the field at the east end of Ely Cathedral into a car park has again been made by East Cambs District Council's overview and scrutiny committee.

Years ago a successful campaign against this same proposal was led by Mary Edwards and the proposal was dropped. In my view the value of this piece of land to Ely has not changed since then. This field enhances the beauty and tranquillity of the whole cathedral site. It is a green space in the centre of a city that is being flooded by housing and other development.

Whenever I walk past the field I am delighted by its rural look, the animals peacefully grazing there and the sanctuary to wildlife that it provides.

The question of extra car parking could be solved by providing a park and shuttle service in the Angel Drove area. This type of parking scheme is working well in Cambridge and the same should be introduced 24/7 in Ely.

I hope the Ely Standard will continue to give publicity to this parking issue and help to save this wonderful green area in Ely's heart.

DIANA HILLMAN

Bluebell Walk

Soham

ELAINE Griffin-Singh (chairman of Ely Traders' Association) suspects that the district council is conspiring to introduce parking charges to Ely and that is the reason there has been nothing done about increasing the number of spaces available.

I think electioneering would be a better description of what's going on. She may have forgotten that we go to the polls next May and parking is heaven-sent for political point scoring and barking mad headlines.

We saw the first broadside from the Liberal Democrats on your front page as they set about rubbishing yet another parking solution from the Conservative group on the council.

Remember, we also lost the opportunity for a 300-space car park and park-and-ride last year, which was sacrificed to win a county council election for the Lib Dems.

There is probably about as much chance of scientists coming up with a unified theory of everything as there is of us hearing anything constructive from the Liberal Democrats before next year's election. Certainly they will allow nothing to happen until after that.

JACKIE PETTS

By e-mail