I REFER to the Gazette & Herald leader dated June 3, 'Plan to axe town centre parking.'

Surely the planning department at both county and district councils are putting the 'cart before the horse' in regard to the proposals for a Mark two redesign of Devizes Market Place, once again at taxpayers' expense. It is a typical example of an outrageous waste of public money.

Surely before the plan materialises they should first solve the parking problem.

Yet here we have it, Kennet District Council are planning to remove and build on existing parking areas dispersed in penny packets all around the town including that of the central car park, the Market Place.

For the tourist, without any guidance or clear signposting it can be a nightmare. In the event, of course, shoppers will go elsewhere where parking facilities are more readily available.

Surely then the proposed new look or yet another new design, is a a blinkered approach to a problem which apparently Kennet District Council fails to take seriously.

All this together with a proposal to charge motorists when parking at the roadside. Where else are they to go? Perhaps the district council could provide the answer.

This surely is a problem which has been festering away for years, a problem indeed getting worse with new building/housing developments on the horizon.

On the face of it, it would appear that the district council are suffering from a severe dose of myopia. Many people, including business people, suggest a bypass to divert traffic away from the centre of the town, but of course that would take away much trade from the town from motorists who use Devizes as a halfway stop for refreshments and so on. No, a central car park is the answer in my view, preferably where there's plenty of space upwards. This will solve the parking problem, then surely everything else will fall into place.

K R MANNS

Blounts Court

Potterne