I WOULD like to respond to the letter from Joan Nadin who seems to have misunderstood the real point that I was making about the repairs to the Pavilion Gardens Conservatory.
I agree with the points she makes in her letter. Like her I am totally for the repair and re-opening of the Conservatory which, as she rightly asserts, is a great asset to Buxton.
What I am against is spending an additional £40,000 simply to allow
the Conservatory to be re-opened in time for this year's Buxton Festival, the success of which is not dependent on the re-opening of the Conservatory.
The Conservatory has been closed for over 18 months. Now that the cause of the problem has been identified and approval given by English Heritage, the repairs can go ahead.
The work can be completed by early August, in time for the main tourist season, at an already high cost of £160,000.
Bringing the completion date forward by four weeks will entail the contractor working double shifts and the total cost will rise to £200,000.
Why the rush? Bring the Conservatory back into use by all means, but not at any price.
At a time of financial restraint surely £40,000, which represents almost one per cent of the local council tax bill, could be put to better use.
Am I the only one concerned about this waste of public money?
Cllr Michael Harrison
Lib Dem Councillor
Chapel East Ward
High Peak Borough Council
The full article contains 257 words and appears in Buxton Advertiser newspaper.
