Sir, – So Cllr Parsons thinks (D&S, Aug 15) that the business plan for Richmond and Catterick is a good one and that Richmond is bucking the economic trends. But if you take the cafés and charity shops out there would be big holes.

What a pity councils over the years has not taken a long-term view.

At Catterick, for many years there was an outdoor swimming pool at Shute Road and a new, covered, one was required. There were wonderful clay tennis courts as well as squash courts over the road where the Poundstretcher shop is now. What a wonderful sports complex there could have been with the new swimming/leisure development. There could still be a ski/snowboard slope built next to it.

As for Richmond, it is a town in trouble. Three times I signed a petition for the old cinema to become a bowling alley but the council said no to that. The swimming pool was built inches too short (we were going to get our money back by holding competitive events there) but that is not possible.

It was proposed that starter shops be allowed in either Frenchgate and/or Newbiggin and that accommodation must be kept upstairs. This was to allow businesses to be started cheaper so they could get established and grow before a move to the Market Place but this was not allowed either.

Then we come to the tourist information centre. Not content with taking the subsidy away – they made them move out of its ideally-placed home. On a Sunday the gardens would be full of people and at the TIC there was busy all day. The TIC is now closed on a Sunday and traffic pours into Richmond and an awful lot of it goes straight through to elsewhere. Thanks to that, the wonderful Richmondshire Museum has had to cancel the Sunday town walks. The Georgian Theatre opened on a Sunday for tours but unfortunately this coincided with the demise of the TIC so they have not does as well as hoped.

The town is deserted compared to how it used to be – and in the week as well.

Richmond and Catterick face challenges like all towns but it could and should be so much better .

(Mrs) LYNNE KEMP

Richmond.