WILL Farnworth become another ghost town?" inquires Mrs L Holt (Your Views, October 28). It gets boring to have to keep on repeating this, but the one thing which would guarantee the steady decline of Farnworth Town Centre would be if we failed to invest in upgrading it. And that means pedestrianising Brackley Street.

Of course, there will be a drop off in usage while the work is being done, and maybe for several months after completion. Most shopkeepers, and many shopworkers, apparently cannot see beyond the ends of their noses on issues of this kind. But all previous experience shows that, over time, the pedestrian footfall picks up, and improves consistently as shoppers come to appreciate the pleasure of traffic-free shopping.

As to how it provides for the needs of the disabled, the letter you printed from a wheelchair user spoke far more eloquently than I ever could about how much easier it would be to traverse level surfaces. Some disabled users will suffer, most, who can still walk limited distances more easily when the terrain is level, all benefit; some will actually experience an improvement.

But the future prosperity of Farnworth Town Centre depends on making it a better place to shop for all potential users -- not just disabled people. And in this context, pedestrianisation is the best available answer. Never mind the Planning Department -- the question is "what does the average shop worker, or shop owner, have for brains?"

Cllr Peter Johnston,

Kendal Road, Bolton.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.