ONCE again I must sing the praises of this newspaper for being the voice of the people here in Hereford.

The readers’ letters pages each week are an example of what is regarded as public opinion and an inspiration to all your readers wishing to contribute in your columns.

It could never be said that the people of Hereford are not concerned about their future, so what has the future to offer for us?

I can recall several futuristic plans for Hereford that did not result in anything, only more and more disruption and congestion all involving the traffic situation we have endured since the middle 1960s.

This due to a “ring road” passing through the middle of the city which has been the major part of the congestion we have suffered from ever since. So the situation we are going through at the old market site is only going to increase the column of traffic in Edgar Street from what it is at the present time.

There were two so-called plans published in 2000 both telling us about our council’s plans for Herefordshire, one entitled Herefordshire Local Transport Plan issued from Hafod Road, and the other the Herefordshire Partnership plan, both in well presented, costly glossy publications – but never achieving the desired result.

So can this council call our present situation progress? So what of the current situation at the old market project?

This is at least 40 years too late and I believe will not bring about the desired result for our council or the people of Hereford.

The truth is that the days of the big spenders have gone and my fear is that money spent on this venture is never going to justify the overall cost in the long term.

I have another deep concern which is for the market stall holders in and around High Town.

What is their future to be in the light of the competition they will be to the opposition on the new site at the old market.

There is going to be conflict here somewhere in this direction clearly and it occurs to me that High Town and the city centre are those which will lose out, and this would be an injustice to those people.

So to conclude this letter, there should be some notice taken of the comments made by MPs Jesse Norman and Bill Wiggins about another “road to nowhere” and hope that our council will give some serious thought to the fact that both MPs have given support to East and not West before the final action is taken.

We here in Hereford have been the poor relation in what our future is to be. Is it really far too much to hope for?

CRAWFORD POWNEY, Geldof Grove, Hereford.