Reader letter: Chichester 'is not the popular and attractive destination it was'

I have the greatest of respect for Richard Plowman, who was a colleague of mine on the City Council for several years, and the volunteer spirit of his team is commendable.

I am, however, perturbed it takes a conversation with visitors for councillors to realise how run-down a lot of Chichester has become. An obvious consequence is it is not the popular and attractive destination it was – few would now say we are a top city for shopping, as we were often billed ten or 20 years ago.

Getting rid of ‘A boards’ has been the City Council’s ‘moonshot’ since at least the 1990s. Their constant presence now advertises the repeated failure of these campaigns, which have become a distraction from a lengthening list of more serious issues.

Some of the problems are largely outside local control, most obviously an ever-growing number of empty shops (for which removing the ‘to let’ signs seems a perverse solution). However, there are persistent quality-of-life factors that can be combatted, including reckless cycling and scooting down the busy shopping streets and underpasses, street drinking (including around the cross and the cathedral), and the constant sight (smell) of drug taking in many areas. In addition to the city centre, the station and the Southgate car park – key gateways to Chichester – are seriously affected.

Presuming Richard and his task force are not proposing to go out and administer a bit of ‘street justice’, these issues actually need the police and other authorities, currently virtually invisible in the city centre, to enforce the rules and indeed the law of the land. Until then, we’re stuck with the society and the city that those bodies, and ultimately we ourselves, are prepared to tolerate.

I would rather see Richard use his undoubted personal and political authority to ensure those resources, for which we all pay handsomely, are deployed properly and with full force and vigour.

See also – Reader letter: ‘Chichester deserves better than this’

Reader letter: Approved plans for ‘unique’ Chichester are ‘very uninspiring’

Reader letter: Chichester’s city centre pavements are a ‘nightmare for wheelchair users’