Council replacing cobble stones with bland concrete
Dear Sir,
While Louth Co Co (LCC) deserve just praise for their recent improvements to the road surface in Stockwell Lane, I regrettably note ,with some disappointment, the work done on the adjacent footpath.
The colourful cobble stones, being loose, required some attention. However rather than covering the cobbles with a light ‘sand blinding’ and tamping down to secure the stone sets in place, and retaining the look and colour of the street, LCC decided to dig up and remove same and then back fill with mass colourless concrete.
At a time when people in general have learned to appreciate the character of our Town / City I feel it is a pity for our Local (Distant) Authority to make no effort to retain this street scape as it was. This is particularly ironic as LCC are the authority charged with protecting our heritage. This has been particularly evident as noted with the stance taken by LCC in relation to recent issues involving civic minded individuals engaging with clean ups in our town.
If a private or commercial property owner made similarly insensitive alterations to their property without regard to its preservation I am sure LCC would not hesitate to bring them to book and yet LCC obviously see no reason to apply the same logic to their own works. As the cobbles around the Barbican are in a similar need of attention I hope LCC will, in this instance, do the job properly when the time comes.
As it is, some of the magnificent and rare, historic limestone flag stones in Leland Place, at the bottom of Stockwell lane, were also removed over the years, never to be seen again. These were removed to accommodate the installation of utilities and no effort was made to retain or preserve them. We should cherish our street scapes better.
Name and address with editor.