City trading on its past glories

I was interested to read an article in the Times yesterday entitled ‘Where to buy property in Chichester, West Sussex. With a coastline and a medieval centre, it’s no wonder prices here are the fastest rising in the county’.

In it, the city and its surrounding areas are extolled for their history, the city centre and the natural beauty of the coast and countryside.

It is a pity, therefore, that the author does not seem to have visited Chichester before writing the article.

It is no exaggeration to say that the city centre and its immediate environment have been left to rot both in terms of infrastructure and shopping opportunities.

The paving of the pedestrianised centre is broken, uneven and frankly hideous with a mixture of red brick and original pavement.

Grass is growing in abundance in front of shop fronts, up shop walls and between the pavements. I cannot even begin to count the number of shops boarded up in the four main streets, crowned by the pathetic sight of the House of Fraser store, still empty after all these months, desperately trying to glam itself up with pictures of the city sites in its vacant windows.

The inner ring road is now resplendent with potholes and uneven surfaces.

Chichester has for far too long traded on its former glories and is now exposed for the calamity it is.

I take no pride in writing this polemic. My only hope is that the pension funds, businesses and local authorities that have made so much money from the city in the past will now come together to save the city from its present troubles. Something must be done. SIMON LLOYD-WILLIAMS Lincoln Green

Chichester