Saving Madison’s
In the last few weeks, I have supported a campaign to save a much-loved tea room in Wantage, called Madison’s. the campaign has been led by the owners and customers, as well as an excellent local councillor called Bill Melotti. Basically, Madison’s had been forced to move out of their premises. They found an alternative site, but according to the Liberal Democrat run Council, it was the wrong “use class” ie retail, not restaurant. So the Lib Dems turned down Madison’s planning application. To cut a long story short, Madison’s appealed and won - but the delay has forced them to shut for amonth and lay off ten people.
I find this kind of thing exasperating, especially as I have to listen to Lib Dems in Parliament being pious about their support for rural Post Offices, which they rightly see as vital to local communities. Yet, here they had the perfect opportunity to save a much loved local business and they funked it - until local opinion forced them to change their minds.
With this particular council, I come across these bizarre decisions all the time - whether turning down applications from a local farmer to build much-needed business units, or forcing a local cricket club to remove signs that have been in place for twenty years. They show no sensitivity to local needs, and might as well not be elected, as they seem only able to follow the letter of the law and the recommendations of their officers.