THERE is no doubt that the parlous state of parking within the bounds of Cirencester is leading to business decline within this historic market town.

The increasing number of houses being built locally and, therefore, traffic generation, will only serve to intensify this issue.

Some years ago I put to Cotswold District Council (CDC) a proposal to build a multi-storey car park in what is the Forum car park but this was rejected out of hand as there were ‘Roman remains’ underneath its ‘blacktop’ surface.

Either the remains, if they exist, and in what quality, can be catalogued and removed for exhibition elsewhere, or made a feature of within an underground flooring, so still be available for exhibition.

So far they are covered, never more to be seen.

Are they to be preserved, forever remaining hidden?

It would seem that other countries do not let such things stand in their way to provide suitable spaces for inner town shoppers.

The Forum is an ideal central place, in my opinion, to consider such a building.

On the question of ‘paying on exit,’ for too long CDC has got away with extorting money by demanding ‘payment on entrance.’

I have been told by my local CDC councillor that it would cost ten times the amount to install and monitor an alternative system to that employed by them now.

This is rubbish. Why is it that numbers of car parking areas, large and small (Cheltenham to Heathrow, as examples) use pay-on-exit and still survive to make money out of this necessity?

Cirencester has an ageing population, many on low incomes, people who simply cannot afford to take the risk of facing a parking fine so either overpay or do not use the town’s shops.

Regarding laying out £75,000 to survey for a site, this is ridiculous.

The Forum is an appropriate site, so why not invite tenders and proposals so that we can get on with it at no cost to the tax payer?

On a recent trip to Norway, I noticed an inner town car park in the wonderful old town of Alesund and it demonstrated what a quality building can mean to a town; by the way, it is payment on exit.

CLLR RAY JENKINS

Down Ampney