JUST when we thought it was safe to leave the future of the Devizes Market Place in the hands of the politicians they produce the same old nonsense about those "rotten" trees.

Their physical state does seem to be a matter of disagreement and it is interesting to note, according to the Gazette, that the committee charged with recommending their fate, has decreed the independent assessors produced a "superficial" report.

Would it be asking too much for the heat to be taken out of this situation by the application of common sense?

There was a clear desire expressed earlier this year, to preserve the trees and the Market Place, from too much change. This seems to have made little impression on the authorities.

I suspect a hidden agenda on the part of both politicians and executives, to transform Devizes into some continental spa of the worst possible taste. I would like to see the Market Place being put to better use than a glorified car park, and have some ideas on that subject myself, gleaned from visits to other parts of the UK and Europe.

But change for change's sake never works. Replacing the trees makes sense, even if they aren't all rotten, as one cannot expect them to last forever, but not in the fashion proposed.

I have not had it explained to my satisfaction why the trees must be felled before the new ones are established.

Mature trees are difficult to settle, especially without constant attention, which I am sure these will not get, if only because of financial constraints.

The truth is the trees have become a symbol for the two schools of thought about the future of Devizes and it is this which has caused so much debate.

As an exercise in public relations, I would give Kennet District Council nil out of ten for this. Having been answered by a representative section of the public about the trees, and by implication, Devizes in general, can't they admit error, and think again?

These trees cannot be revived once they have been felled, any more than the best of old Devizes can reappear once it has been altered or obliterated. If the new trees, or any other developments in Devizes, don't "take" we are left with disfigurement.

Persistence in this matter on the part of the authorities, only serves to reinforce the idea of a hidden agenda: a highly undesirable state of affairs.

To let this happen would only add to the electorate's distrust of politicians. Seems a heavy price to pay for the mishandling of a few trees, doesn't it?

JUDY ROSE

Avon Road, Devizes