I HAD the dubious honour of being present at the planning meeting at the Town Hall last Thursday evening.

Although I have no business interest in the Market Hall, I have a great affinity and love for Bolton and I thought it was my civic responsibility to see due process and public democracy at work.

What I did witness, however, was such a display of contempt for the people of Bolton, the Market HalI traders, and other organisations that are opposed to this proposed development. The gentleman representative of The Bolton Civic Trust was treated with such disdain that he is to be credited with the fact that he did not resort to physical violence.

One councillor had the effrontery to suggest that 80,000 objectors were an insufficient number of people to be taken into consideration over the matter.

Another councillor suggested that the Town HalI and the Reebok Stadium are the two buildings that are icons of this town and that we should be prepared to embrace modern buildings. His suggestion has some merit. However, he failed to realise that the Reebok Stadium is SIX miles away from the Town Hall.

The major reason for planning permission being granted for the extension to the Market Hall seemed to be based on a report from English Heritage which stated that august institution did not object to the extension. There was NO evidence that they approved of the extension. Perhaps if this "conservatory" was being erected by the side of Castle Howard, Blenheim Palace or Windsor Castle, the report may have read somewhat differently.

To those 80,000 objectors, l would suggest that, at the next local elections, you ask your local councillor how they voted on this matter and then proceed to vote accordingly. We could then evaluate how contemptuous of local opinion they wish to be in the future.

Denis Hough

Down Green Road

Harwood

Bolton