REFERRING to Gary Slawther's letter - "protesters just say no to anything that involves people enjoying themselves."

Mr Slawther cannot have followed all the meetings and comments re the Hilal development - particularly what Mrs Ceilia Jordan had to say in lobbying for a less imposing development.

The majority of the protesters DO want a development, but not such a large one involving eight new restaurants, plus the one at present being built on London Road, between the chip shop and Dominos Pizza, adding to the five others around the village which would make 14 in all. If part of the area under development were shown to provide adequate parking spaces, the residents would not foresee their already difficult parking problems exacerbated.

The other main concern is the already congested traffic along Grappenhall Road being added to by the coming and going of delivery vehicles. We are told by the Council that only one vehicle has space to do this, any others would be queuing and holding up any traffic behind.

Mr Peter Taylor the network development and control manager, the Council's expert on traffic assured at the last meeting that any problems would be negligible.He said there was no need for a survey to see the volume of traffic and an arrangement could be made with all restaurant owners to ensure that only one delivery van arrived at a time - we don't believe him.

To say everyone will park in the Somerfield car park at night is very naive, as most people will park practically anywhere but there.

When the illegal traffic problems, which already exist, were brought to the Council's attention, they said this was a police matter and nothing to do with them. The few police we have are already stretched in their duties,

The majority of people who are in favour of the eight restaurants, are people who live away from the village centre, who don't experience these parking difficulties. One of the architects for the developers stated that Stockton Heath village is an extension of Warrington town centre - who told him that? It would be difficult to find someone from Stockton Heath to agree with that.

The Parish Council who we voted for to represent the people of Stockton Heath can see all the problems and agrees to a smaller complex.

The protesters for the most part are ordinary people who have made their homes in Stockton Heath, and do not wish to see their environment ruined, they are not troublemakers or kill-joys as suggested.

The other item that doesn't seem to be of interest to the Council is access in case of fire or other emergency.

Real professionals examine, enquire, observe and assess - they make fact finding their business; only after this can a realistic judgement be presented. NO SURVEY - NO FACTS - NO REALISTIC JUDGEMENT!

B WHITFIELD

West Avenue, Stockton Heath