At last the striking stone obelisk in Sheep Market is nearing completion, and the protective fences should soon disappear to reveal a contemporary focal point in this valued open space in the heart of Stamford.
Would it be too much to expect that the completion of this project will be met with celebration, gratitude, and positive comment, or must we endure another wave of whinging, sulking, and nit-picking?
The impact of the construction disruption on sh
ops and businesses around Sheep Market has been considerable, but it has been made worse by the constant stream of negative comments and bad-tempered letters carried in this paper and elsewhere.
The effect of this has been to create the exaggerated perception among shoppers and visitors that Stamford is somehow inaccessible, ugly, and hazardous and they have stayed away.
Retail trade in the town centre must now have every encouragement to recover or we will lose the independent stores and businesses that characterise and maintain the special fabric of Stamford.
This is especially true as wider influences depress consumer confidence and retail multiple stores promote aggressively in a scramble for business.
For once, instead of knocking progress, we should all put the (recent) past behind us and use, enjoy, and appreciate the unique town centre that we have before it becomes a museum.
Tim Nicol
Church Street,
Easton on the Hill
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