FURTHER to the article in the Bury Times (24/6/05) about Pimhole regeneration, in my opinion a public inquiry should be held against the imminent property clearance.

We have to look back at the history of the north of England during the 1970s and 80s to see how little property clearance has done for the benefit of an area. There has only been loss of business, jobs and dereliction. The properties go, but the problems remain.

Anti-social behaviour, crime and vandalism do not make up the fabrication of a building, it is the individuals who live in the area who cause the problems. In any area these problems will always be an under-current of social interaction. Money should be spent on education and better policing, not mass demolition of homes.

The council has yet again let down the very people who voted for them in the last election. Thank you for your vote, now let us have your home!

I have spoken at length to residential surveyors about the regeneration and none of them saw a reason to build new property to improve the social character of the area if the present properties are habitable.

Comparing new-build to the re-development of old buildings, new build is always more expensive, if not a blot on the area as a whole.

If there are going to be fewer homes, where does part of the existing community go? Some people might want to move, but the large majority will be forced from their community, and many residents will not able to afford the higher price of housing. Improved areas will bring in richer people who can afford the new accommodation and the present population will be forced out of the area.

Providing someone with £45,000 for their home and then selling new-build properties that cost twice as much does not seem community friendly to me. Where is this council money coming from - central government and European funding? We need to know.

If this money was spent on local amenities such as schools and hospitals, the social atmosphere of the area would improve without destroying livelihoods. Have the residents of Pimhole actually been fully consulted on what they want for their area? The council has spent vast sums of money renovating properties in Fishpool and Bury Road/Bell Lane areas, so why is this not possible for Pimhole?

If you think this scheme is ludicrous, please support your fellow townsfolk in Pimhole. If this project is not opposed, your area could be next!

SAVE OUR TOWN