No wonder New Brighton is neglected

The article entitled ‘‘The costly black hole of New Brighton’’ (Oct 24) I find ill-informed and insulting to the people of New Brighton.

When I say ‘‘ill-informed’’, I relate that specifically to the comments about the pier.

The ratepayers of New Brighton raised nearly half the cost of the pier.

When the visitor numbers were released last (early this year), the pier was among the top visitor attractions in Christchurch. Yes, New Brighton is neglected. But that comes from past and present city councils’ lack of commitment to the area, a mayor who seems to shed crocodile tears, and snobbery from the ‘‘look down my nose’’ people like Dr Greg Clydesdale.

In Christchurch you are judged by what school you went to and where you live.

I’d like to bet Dr Clydesdale didn’t attend a high school in our area or live anywhere near this suburb.

We have the best library in the country, one of the best beaches in the South Island, great cafes and great people.

What you should have said but did not was – we as a city need to attract young families to live and grow and be proud of living in New Brighton.

To attract these people, we need a suburb that has the infrastructure and resources that other suburbs have.

I remember a recent article that snobbery was alive and well in Christchurch. Surely, Dr Clydesdale, you could have had better ideas than in that article? Allan Collins New Brighton