LETTER: I do not share Anna Bailey’s upbeat assessment of Barton Road progress

I was interested Councillor Anna Bailey’s upbeat assessment of the progress of work on the Barton Road site as reported in the Ely Standard of February 1.

I regret to say that as a Barton Road resident I do not share her enthusiasm and I wonder if Ms Bailey has visited the site recently.

If she does she would note that the temporary footpath arrangements may be suitable for a lone pedestrian, but not for anyone with limited vision, or pushing a buggy, or in a mobility scooter.

The supports for the temporary barriers protrude into the walkway and the pavement surface is very uneven. This is a matter of concern as Barton Road is well used by pedestrians of all ages.

In the car park itself a number of spaces are out of use as there is an area outside the building site boundary being used for storage of materials.

This lack of spaces has considerable impact on local residents as on-street parking is now difficult to find.

Access to the buildings at the rear of Centre E is also severely impeded. The photographs attached were taken on the afternoon of Sunday February 4th.

Ms Bailey reminds us that this development “is projected to deliver £1.7m to ECDC tax payers, so we can deliver great projects like the new Hive Leisure Centre.”

I note that ECDC were pleased to tell us that yet again they planned no increase in Council Tax this year.

I wonder how many residents feel that a small increase is justified in the light of the much heralded improvements?

Perhaps there is a need for us to understand that all improvements come at a cost, either to our pockets or to the environment and facilities we value.

After all the number of assets the Council has to dispose of must be limited.

Teresa Ely