For a start, Liberal Democrat leader Alan Sherwell is surely going to be proved correct when he says the proposed theatre is running "significantly" over budget. It is, perhaps, a pity that he did not realise this earlier when he was a supporter of the development for this prospect has loomed over the plan for a long time. But better late than never. My memory tells me that at one time the figure talked about for building the theatre was in the region of £22m. So, without a backward glance, leader of the council John Cartwright now talks of the price "remaining" at £28-30m, and this is before Cllr Sherwell's figure is added. Isn't now what is going on with these figures very reminiscent of the actions described in Orwell's '1984' where history is continually being re-written to comply with present facts?

Then in his letter Roger King, secretary of the Aylesbury Society, complains that the overall plan for Waterside is being altered. One might indeed think that the council is frantically shifting one proposed building from one place to another in a desperate attempt to make what was always a bad plan work - even though the facts appear to show it never will. Definitely, as Mr King remarks, bringing back memories of the disastrous re-building of the 1960s when what was a pleasant market town was transformed into the abomination it is today.

The lead story tells us the department store is going to be Debenhams. One person quoted calls this a "milestone." "Millstone" might be a better word. Debenhams is not going to attract vast new numbers to the town particularly as there is already a large Debenhams in Milton Keynes, probably larger than the Aylesbury one is going to be, which will continue to be more attractive to those living in the north of the area. What the most likely effect will be is to close down even more shops in the High Street and Friars Square where more units seem to be empty every week. Indeed, one might well ask why, when there are so many empty shops in existing parts of the town, the council wants to build more - one of them yet another supermarket when there are already five! What is needed is more individual, independent shops like the town used to have but they have nearly all gone, something for which AVDC can take a large part of the responsibility.

Added to all this is the demolition which has already taken place, including that fine pub The Ship, and the removal of the council offices to the outskirts (and now the talk of specially built offices at enormous expense). It must be time this farce was brought to an end. But it seems the Conservative councillors who form the majority group are either too supine to rise up and protest, or too blinded by their leaders to see where all this is going to end - in a dead town, enormous council tax bills and a theatre people are afraid to attend at night because of the louts wandering the waste lands around.

Edward Griffin

Manor Farm House, Queen Catherine Road, Steeple Claydon

Do you think Debenham's will be a 'millstone' for Aylesbury?

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