Re: Councillor Julia Wassell's remarks that a Special Parking Area (SPA) for Marlow gives cause for concern and has to be challenged.

CLLR Wassell believes the SPA to be "expensive, undemocratic, and far more than Marlow needs". It is undemocratic because Marlow has not been consulted. So how can she or her friends in Marlow possibly know what Marlow needs?

Certainly delay and controversy characterised the creation of the High Wycombe SPA and with that still fresh in the minds of the county and district councils they will be seeking, a smoother passage for their plans this time, but the voice of Marlow must insist on being heard.

As for expense, apart from the debacle of the unproductive 2002 Parking and Transportation Study, Marlow has been starved of funds for years. It is lack of financial investment by the council and its failure to act on the many imaginative ideas proposed by local bodies that's left Marlow with a shortage of parking spaces and parking anarchy.

Without even seeing any detail Cllr Sweatman is reported as having no objection to the SPA. He will have to learn that a full understanding of the detail is essential before he or anyone can reach an informed judgment.

Cllr Letheren boasts of council meetings that have discussed Marlow's SPA, yet we still await publication of the proposals and a statement from Cllr Letheren. These are both long overdue, especially as we learn from the Free Press that a public meeting is to be held somewhere as early as the 5th of September.

Parking in Marlow worsens by the day, as more developments with inadequate on-site parking bring workers into the town to park and disfigure residential areas, and as more visitors flee here from the horrors being inflicted upon neighbouring towns.

Against this background, the implications of an SPA for Marlow are enormous. It would be foolhardy for our councillors to believe that an SPA will alone solve the town's parking problems. An SPA in Marlow would have a massive impact on all our lives for years to come. If it is to be acceptable it is vital that everyone should get involved. Cllr Dunn's assurances regarding consultation are welcomed, but it is naïve of him to suggest that an SPA is something we can try. For make no mistake, once an SPA is in place we will be stuck with it.

J.D.Burnham.

Harwood Road, Marlow