I WRITE with some concern at the increasing spate of empty shops starting to appear in Coleford.

I wrote in the past that I pride myself with the fact that I've been more or less brought up in the area and always been impressed with the way that Coleford has always put a brave face on it through recessions and financial hardship.

So it's with some regret it seems that the thorny issue of these inept car parking charges, bought in at a time when people are struggling, have put a stranglehold on the town and its counterparts in Lydney and Cinderford.

What is all the more daft is that council has recently revealed that it has not made enough profit to plough back into maintaining the car parks, which it initially set up to do.

This is the same council that spend thousands of pounds on a feasibility study for Lansdown House in the town, only to have the project mothballed even with the prospect of a retail opportunity with the council later rejecting the idea (I have a email from a council official to this effect).

For some the eyesore is the gateway to the town, but four years on, it's still not occupied, despite this waste of money feasibility study.

– Coleford resident.