4/5/2007
Letters
Who are they trying to fool now over Galleries fiasco?Who are they trying to fool now over Galleries fiasco?
I think I’ve heard it all now. We have the real excuse for why The Galleries shopping centre at Aldershot is empty, the excuse being — a major new retailer promised as part of the masterplan.
This just about tops the ever-growing list of promises made to the people of Aldershot about what we are going to get, but probably won’t.
Rushmoor Borough Council’s town centre management and the local councillors should all hang their heads in shame. What a mess they have made of our town, and what audacity they have to carry on conning the local people with false promises and downright lies and misrepresentations. They must think that we have the same crazy, mixed up concept of the truth that they have.
Look at what they’ve done between them. To say they have messed up is an understatement. We were promised a minor injuries unit in the new degeneration, sorry, regeneration programme. Yes, we’ll get the space in the new Aldershot Centre for Health building, but it won’t be used because the primary care trust cannot afford to finance it.
Our market is now in Wellington Street and Union Street after being shunted around the town, but I wonder how much longer we’ll have a market. It has slowly dwindled away to a few regular traders, whom we are all grateful for, but now their stall space rent has been increased again so what next for them I wonder? And so on, and so on.
And now the latest attempt at people-fooling — the great Galleries fiasco. The most insulting thing as far as I’m concerned is that Rushmoor Borough Council’s town centre management and local councillors think that people like me actually believe their bull, so wake up you lot, because we don’t.
When you promise us a workable, well-managed shopping centre then let’s see it happen. If we are going to remain proud of our market then leave it alone. If we are promised a minor injuries unit then make sure the finance is available to make it viable. Most of all, stop treating Aldershot people like idiots. I for one am sick of it, and I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way.
Valerie Waldock Lower Farnham Road Aldershot
First printed in:
Aldershot News and Mail
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