WE’VE had the display at Brimscombe and letters to this paper so what will happen at Brimscombe Port? writes Graham Hobbs.

Can I suggest something that most people ignore and many won’t be happy with but there is much to recommend it.

Why not put the whole port back?

It is still there.

Essentially it only needs the buildings that were demolished and shoved into it taken out.

In less than a decade it will be reconnected to the national waterways network and thousands of visitors will want to bring their boats to Brimscombe every year.

What better place to moor them than a purpose built port that holds 100+ boats?

The tourists would spend money and how about reintroducing boat building and boat hire?

These things bring more than income.

There’s employment for local people too.

I guess this suggestion will be ignored due to the influence of politics and money.

“Land makes money. Water doesn’t,” I’ve heard.

Short term that’s likely but what about long term?

Houses will make money for a developer and it will help the housing statistics for the area but where will all these householders work?

We’ve already got several hundred houses going up a few hundred yards to the east.

Nearby Manor Farm has shown us that people in this area have to commute miles to work and we already have local traffic jams at certain times of day.

Almost any town can have a housing estate.

Only Brimscombe can have a Brimscombe Port.

Graham Hobbs

Chalford