Your letters - October 1

1922 timetable please

BEXHILL Rail Action Group tells us that the train journey to London takes longer than it did 10 years ago. Well, it's worse than that.

I believe that the 1922 edition of Bradshaws Railway Guide gives a journey time of around one hour and 40 minutes. According to my latest rail timetables it is possible to reach Charing Cross in one hour and 38 minutes, but most journey times to either Charing Cross or Victoria are between one hour 45 minutes and 1 hour 52 minutes. Could we have the 1922 timetable, and possiblly the seemingly faster trains, back, please?

Bearing in mind that these journey times are soon to be even longer, and the new road from nowhere to the middle of nowhere else else is likely to be cancelled, it seems that Bexhill will remain a remote backwater in terms of tourism and, even more importantly, an unemployment desert.

A dozen or so concrete balls and a few seafront shelters that won't shelter anyone aren't really going to crack it, are they?

Perhaps those responsible for the rejuvenation of the town should be made to sit for a few hours in December in their very own shelters, and those responsible for our train service could be condemned to ride up and down to London on their own trains for a week.

D D SHADWELL

De La Warr Road

Bexhill

Praise for station

SINCE returning to Bexhill five years ago I have written a number of letters to the paper. Some of these have been printed although, on occasions, they have been edited to a point where even I am confused by them. Most have been fairly derogatory so it is pleasant to be able to comment favourably on an item in the paper. I refer to the article about the richly deserved award given to Bexhill Railway Station '“ Bexhill station wins top railway accolade (September 24)

Five years ago the station was dowdy, dirty and depressing. Now it sparkles in its new livery and the staff are always cheerful, helpful and polite. It must surely create an excellent impression on visitors to our town and it is nice to see those involved being given credit for it. And how was this achieved? They put it back the way it was and the staff work hard to ensure that it achieves the task for which it was conceived. No need for 'innovation'.

FRANK WOOD

Collington Lane East

Bexhill-on-Sea

Humour and unease

MY first outing to the Bexhill Town Forum at the De La Warr Pavilion was a humurous yet uneasy encounter with bullish councillors and disenfranchised residents.

The best moment of both humour and unease was when the council leadser Carl Maynard showed an unusual understanding of the public realm and how it should be designed, constructed and used, specifically in reference to the Next Wave seafront shelters.

When he made the statement that "fit for purpose is subjective" - like or dislike the design, personally I just think they are not that well designed.

But to have a "subjective shelter" is a complex intellectual concept and one which isn't helpful if one wants to objectively shelter from the wind or rain.

ELISE LIVERSEDGE

Amherst Road

Bexhill-on-Sea

No time for question

My question to the Town Forum councillors Question Time panel had been rejected because there is "too much other business".

I had asked: "How do you justify spending millions of pounds of ratepayers' money on a dubious seafront scheme at this time of national need for restrain in public spending?"

They just will not face up to the dreadful waste that is now going on.

Jack Seabrook

Richmond Avenue

Matter of contention

AT their demonstration on Monday Bexhill residents soundly rejected the seafront shelter design as self-evidently unfit for purpose.

In the various radio and television reports of the demonstration the council put up as its spokesman Mr Tony Leonard, a senior officer of the council.

I felt some sympathy with Mr Leonard as he struggled so unconvincingly to convince us to the contrary. In the end he had to resort in desperation to saying that the promenade was in any case meant for walking!

With respect, it is not acceptable to be addressed by unelected officers on a matter of such contention.

The council spokesman on this occasion should have been the responsible councillor who with his fellows have produced the farcical outcome which prompted the demonstration.

Councillors taking cover behind a paid official does not chime well with the title of the council's published seafront strategy document which is called Leading From The Front.

Follow me men '“ I'm right behind you!

JOHN LEE

Chairman Bexhill Alliance

Dr Watson award

SHERLOCK Holmes once said of the faithful Dr Watson: "It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light. Some people, without possessing genius, have a remarkable power of stimulating it."

So step forward for a Dr Watson Award, Rother Council spokesperson Tony ("Bexhill is not just a town for old people") Leonard, commenting this week, as reported on the BBC News website, on the seafront shelter and refurbishment controversy: "We recognise that Bexhill seafront is probably the unique selling point for people promenading along the seafront."

Well that's neatly cleared up the whole matter then.

MICHAEL GREEN

Marina Arcade