SIR,
I write in response to your correspondent A V Smith.
If he knew anything about the construction industry he would know that we, the contractors, are only brought in at the very end of a long convoluted process of consultancy, planning and design, in which we are allowed to take no part.
In the case of Monmouth, the scheme was with Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) from 1935 to 1965.
Time enough one would have thought for every Smith in the county, if not the country, to object had they so wished.
He would also know, if he were not dependent upon third party information, that I was part of a group who prepared, at our own expense, an alternative scheme for the dual carriageway – rejected by the council on grounds of cost.
Councils were more parsimonious with our money in those days.
One usually finds that personal abuse is the resort of those with no cogent argument to rely on, as anger is of the guilty.
Fear not Mr Smith, as MCC – the self-appointed guardians of our village green – are complicit, it is highly unlikely that you will ever face action for your self-confessed nefarious activities.
Colin Rodgers
(Monmouth)