THE Tollgate area is now so overdeveloped with housing, but the infrastructure needed to support the increased population has not grown alongside it.

The increased traffic going into the town centre, which of course is another concern, is blocking roads and causing hold ups.

The shopping area of Tollgate needs to grow and develop with the housing.

The needs for services such opticians, post office, cinema, food shops are obvious to prevent people needing to go into town.

The town centre of Colchester, once admired as a place to go, is now skeletal for quality shops and has pound shops, betting shops and charity shops in abundance alongside restaurants, but not good quality independent retailers or chains.

The demise of the high street can firmly be blamed on high rents and expensive car parking alongside the rise of the garden centres which now sell everything, including previously high street brands.

Food is sold, restaurants in abundance, with discount offers for pensioners and special meal offers, free parking and the chance to practically buy whatever you want alongside the plants they originally started to sell.

Obviously their rents are not as high as those of the high street.

The car parking charges need to go back to the open ended system to allow people to be free with time they spend in Colchester and avail themselves of one of the many restaurants.

Rents need to be reduced to attract some of the better quality clothes shops back.

J Smith Stanway

  • It's time to show NHS staff how much you care for them

While fellow members of Clacton Labour Party were collecting the 2,000 signatures to stop our minor injuries unit being threatened with closure, we started plans for a march.

It has become apparent the cuts to the NHS budget have seriously affected our community.

All these cuts are being administered behind the pretences of savings to the NHS.

This is only the start of more cuts amounting to £20million.

At present we have only been asked for £4.5million, which is developing major cracks in the best medical service in the world.

It’s not an outdated monolithic organisation and it’s not because we are getting older, in fact, that should make it better as these people have paid into the system all their lives.

The blame lays firmly with the Government who have turned national health insurance into National Insurance and now consider this a secondary tax they can do what they want with.

It’s not even an insurance anymore, which I hasten to add is taking money under false pretences.

I was informed this in a letter from Douglas Carswell MP We cannot let this Government destroy this service.

It is a service, not a business.

We are patients, not clients.

So I am asking people to march with us on Saturday from Victoria Road to Martello coach station in Clacton.

Listen to people on the frontline who will tell you the truth.

Let’s save our minor injuries unit, let’s fight to save our National Health Service.

Remember they have cared for you and yours.

Will you show them you now care for them?

Gary McNamara Old Road, Clacton

  • Closure is just a short-term fix

The Frinton Residents’ Association has sent an objection to the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group.

There is a strongly-held belief by everyone in this area the Clacton minor injuries facility provides an excellent service to residents and the large number of summer visitors.

Its removal would have an adverse effect on the community as a whole, as well as placing an increased burden on the already stretched GP surgeries and the A&E department at Colchester Hospital It would have to deal with the circa 75 patients per day who use the facility.

From a purely financial standpoint, closure may save money in the short term, but the overall NHS costs will increase because of the aforementioned additional burden placed elsewhere and the additional number of ambulance call outs required to transport patients with fractures and bleeding wounds who do not have their own transport.

In addition, while we fully understand the need to regularly review all areas of expenditure, we agree the “consultation” process is something of a misnomer, since the full facts surrounding the three proposals have not been forthcoming and thus cannot be evaluated by those consulted.

I would encourage all those who wish to comment to go onto neessexccg.nhs.uk before March 1.

Neil Churcher Chairman Frinton Residents’ Association 

  • Cyclists using footpaths should be ashamed

In response to the letter from A McCarthy on the Highway Code, I do not understand what this is meant to say.  My argument is it is illegal and highly dangerous, especially to the elderly, to have people of all ages biking on the path.  Living at the bottom of East Hill, you often take your life in your hands walking up or down the hill into town.  The speed with which bikers come down the hill on the path cannot be allowed to continue.

Motorists turning right into Queen Street at the island, against the green man crossing must be stopped.  All I ask is that the authorities start upholding the law.  Those that bike on the path alongside a cycle path - Lexden Road is a good example - should be ashamed.  The bike is a vehicle, vehicles go on roads and pedestrians go on footpaths, surely that’s right.

 Anybody with any doubts as to how big this problem is should try counting the number of bikers on the paths which are not cycle paths against those on the roads.  P Tucker Rosebery Avenue, Colchester Business rates proposal could kill high streets The proposed increases in business rates from April could sound the death knell of many businesses and shops.

Some could face massive rises of 150 per cent by the year 2021, whereas some large stores, like Tesco, could be subject to only a 4 per cent rise in some areas.

Business rates are based on property prices where justice would be better served if they were based on sales turnover.

With the demise of a respected shop like Townrow, Braintree centre could shopping-wise become a ghost town if smaller shops, restaurants, coffee shops and public houses decide that enough is enough.

With the budget only weeks away, perhaps the Chancellor could look at some kind of transitional relief, as at present it looks like business rates will hit the retail sector rather than those who operate online, not forgetting charities, who should not get away freely and be charged the full rate.

Tony Watts Derwent Way, Braintree

  • Laughable law and order claim

We are writing this because of the increase in crime, including theft and arson, that has even impacted on friends and relatives.

Violent attacks by strangers are also becoming worryingly common.

Halstead is not a small place - it deserves a full-time police presence, and while the officers we have dealt with have been exceptionally helpful, police now have to travel from further away to attend incidents, and the lack of visible police officers and PCSOs seems to be encouraging those considering offending.

This Government somewhat laughably claims to be “the party of law and order”, yet crime locally has increased due to the austerity cutbacks, whilst it seems that there is always plenty of money for foreign wars.

Andrew and Kathy Wainwright Upper Fenn Road, Halstead