Now the Farnham town centre ‘improvements’ are nearly complete, perhaps a before and after comparison is due.

What we had before:

1) An imperfect but reasonably effective and logical one-way system which kept traffic flowing fairly well most of the time, largely due to the main pinch point at the top of Downing Street not being traffic light controlled and left to the common sense and courtesy of individual drivers.

2) Two-lane systems in Downing Street and The Borough coping with rush hour traffic volumes quite well most of the time.

3) Pavements which seemed adequate and rarely overcrowded.

4) Appalling potholes throughout the town centre and surrounding suburbs and villages.

What we have now:

1) A part one-way, part two-way system in which traffic volumes have been squeezed into single lanes at critical points and subjected to stop-start traffic lights at the top of Downing Street, substantially reducing flow - these lights necessary to provide an entirely illogical right turn facility at the bottom of Castle Street.

2) As predicted, lengthy traffic queues forming in busy periods along West Street, Longbridge, East Street and Dogflud Way.

3) Extensively widened pavements apparently designed to encourage a ‘café society’ town centre concept, but who would want to eat or drink at café tables close to stationary queues of idling vehicles?

4) Fewer town centre potholes, but no change to the absolutely dreadful road surfaces anywhere within three miles of Farnham.

Imagine the difference it would have made to residents of areas such as The Ridgeway or Boundstone Road or Lodge Hill Road if a small proportion of the millions spent on town centre roads had been used to resurface their third world cart tracks!

Chris Meade

Shrubbs Lane

Rowledge

Yes, it is. The Woolmead site offers an eastern gateway to our historic town.

A pedestrian piazza connecting it, Brightwells and South Street would give us a civic centre to be proud of. A Georgian facade will connect West Street, The Borough and the east side of the town in one architectural sweep.

What we, you, Farnham have to decide is what lies behind that magnificent facade. Do we want a vibrant cultural centre with a theatre for classic and contemporary plays, for local groups to perform in, for the brilliant shows that UCA creates?

Do we want a youth centre for our young people to congregate, instead of hanging around the street corners and Gostrey Meadow? Do we want cafés, artists’ studios, a new library and meeting places? Do we want a covered town square for the farmers’ market?

In short, do we want the Woolmead to be a place for the community to come together to relax, be entertained and rebuild the society we lost in the pandemic? Or do we want ‘downsizers seeking town centre living’?

This is our chance. The developer Farnham Estates, your councillors, our MP Greg Stafford, are all listening. Speak now, Farnham, and tell them what you want - or forever hold your peace.

David Edwards

Crondall Lane

Farnham

Congratulations on an excellent story about the new fruit and veg grocers in Castle Street - just the sort of local independent business (and newspaper) that Farnham needs.

I came into Farnham and found the new greengrocers at the second cabin in Castle Street. What a range and variety of fruit and veg, some not available in supermarkets. Excellent quality and competitive prices - a real benefit to Farnham residents and visitors alike.

Jo Jones

Grosvenor Road

Aldershot

I refer to the ‘Notices in Brief’ on page ten of the May 14 edition of the Alton Herald, reporting East Hampshire District Council's decision to permit Amery Hill School to build a 2.4m fence around its entire site.

Despite numerous objections, East Hampshire District Council's planning department's decision has caused dismay among local residents with gardens backing on to the school's playing fields, overlooking the historic site of the Battle of Alton.

We fully respect the school’s right to safeguard its pupils and applaud replacing the fence along the school's boundary with Flood Meadows, a public area, which is in a shameful state of disrepair.

However, we fail to see what will be achieved by erecting a similar high fence along the rear of the private gardens of Netherfield Close and Greenfields Avenue.

No evidence of a threat has been provided. The pupils will be surrounded by a high fence reminiscent of a remand centre, a barrier to a world the school is training them to enter, at odds with the spirit of its motto, ‘Education for Life’.

We are puzzled that neither the school's parent association nor its parliament were involved in this arbitrary decision.

However, now Amery School has the legal right to erect the fence, we hope it will pause and judge the effect the fence will have on its pupils’ well-being and the relationship with their immediate supportive neighbours.

Geoff Cowling

Greenfields Avenue

Alton

Again the populist who leads the Reform group on Hampshire County Council, George Madgwick, is playing party political games rather than working positively for constituents by trying to suggest the Liberal Democrats tried to cut a deal to run the council.

What I find ironic is that his party, in opposition, is chairing scrutiny committees. This can only be for party political purposes, because where Reform UK is running councils, not only is it scrapping these committees, as in Lincolnshire, but it is also imposing media bans, as in Nottinghamshire.

As somebody said on social media, if George Madgwick was such a fan of scrutiny, why does he block people who bring him to account on his social media platforms?

Which brings me to the conclusion that the only reason Reform UK wants to chair scrutiny committees is so it can kick up stinks with political capital to fit its populist agenda.

Jessica Goetia Brooking

Saxley Court

Havant