We want car park, not grand scheme

For some time now I've wanted to write in to Mailbox about Sir Peter Soulsby taking over the city and making decisions seemingly without any democratic process to back them up, but I was sure you wouldn't publish such a letter.

Then, to my surprise, I read the letter from Terence Herbert in a previous Saturday's paper. ("Is council now a one-man show?", Mailbox, September 29).

I wondered if perhaps you would publish my letter after all?

Then on the front page of last Wednesday's paper – what a wonderful idea – let's have a visitor centre and use one of the great city centre buildings to celebrate the (potential) finding of Richard III's bones!

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And whose brilliant idea is this?

Why, Sir Peter's, of course! This is completely ignoring the fact that people on Radio Leicester and elsewhere have been suggesting that we could celebrate this finding with a visitor centre, maybe an historical trail, ever since the bones were first unearthed.

However, Sir Peter appears to want everyone to think it was his idea in the first place.

I am so in accord with Mr Herbert's final comments about the planned schemes which "he wants", especially the Jubilee Gardens.

We spoke with Sir Peter a few months ago, and asked him why he wanted to destroy a perfectly good, well-used car park and the park-and-ride terminal, just to put up a garden, which will hardly get used, if this summer is anything to go by.

His reply was that the £4 million was less than 10 per cent of his total budget (not sure of the relevance of that) and that it would open up all the ancient sites of the city to pedestrians, with appropriate signage and so on.

That's great for people who can walk around easily, but what about people like my husband?

Due to chemotherapy, he suffers from neuropathy in his feet and cannot walk long distances without pain. An available car park is of far more use to him than a well-signed pedestrian route.

There are many people even less able to walk long distances without pain, so are they to be ignored in this grand scheme – a scheme which no-one else seems to want and which will remove much needed parking right at the edge of several shopping areas.

I thought Sir Peter wanted a vibrant commercial centre to the city? This loss of parking spaces could sound a death knell to many small businesses which rely on being close to easy parking for those who don't want to or cannot walk too far.

I'm just waiting to hear when this proud historical city is going to be renamed Soulsby City!

Vivienne Hedges, Wigston Magna.