Dear Sir,
I love Newton Aycliffe, but now live in Dubai; a thriving metropolis that has just announced multi billion dollar investments to improve its image & infrastructure.
It already boasts the world’s tallest building, world’s largest shopping mall & the world famous; man-made Palm Jumeirah residence. However, my real home, my heart, my friends and my family are still in Newton Aycliffe.
I read the Newton News on line every week with avid interest and I am always amazed at how the people support their community. Only this week I saw an article on the youth, with whom I was once associated, managing the development team of Newton Aycliffe Junior FC.
In Dubai I proudly promote our town as a beacon for the best of the North East of England. The town should be proud of their community, schooling & local volunteers who enhance the quality of life for others. The introduction of Aldi as an alternative customer outlet should also be praised.
However when I look at the schematics for the potential development of the town centre I am dismayed. The images display a sense of optimism with ideas of many young people coming into the town but the only changes I can visualise from those images are a few more trees, block paving and rearrangement of the seating areas.
I sincerely hope that I am wrong but after 21 years of living in the town I love and still regard as my home, to where I will return, I can only hope that the vision of the planners can look beyond the aesthetics and address the real issues of improving our town centre.
It requires real vision and maybe even incentives for quality outlets to come here. I’m not sure if the problem lies with greedy landlords who may charge exorbitant rents, or a lack of vision from our leaders, or even the financial restrictions resulting from the current economic climate.
However I wish we could, one day, develop a town centre of which we all can be proud, with shops & amenities that serve the local community and provide a positive future for all.
David Prior
