IT seems that the council moves from one inappropriate plan for the town centre to another.

Fortunately, common sense has prevailed as far as Newport Street is concerned and the idea of the multi-coloured Legoland shop frontages has been abandoned.

The latest plans for Octagon Square will be a disaster and it appears that this is only being considered as a solution for a new home for the elephants. In all the years they have been there I have never seen children playing on them. The elephants are tatty and garish and a more suitable location would be Disneyland.

Cllr John Walsh says that it is important that they remain in the town centre. If that is the case, why not have proper sculptured grey or black metal elephants as a centre piece for the plan suggested by the Civic Trust for Cheadle Square.

Octagon Square is the wrong place for a play centre. It is not appropriate if the Council is aspiring to return the town centre to its former glory as a prestige place to attract visitors. Cllr Walsh says that it will need to be policed. By whom? The police do not have the manpower available.

Parents are hardly likely to want to incur the cost of travel and parking in Bolton to use the play area when they can take their children to one of the parks. Those who do use it are likely to be parents without transport who will thus have little money to spend in the shops and will not have to time to do so if they are supervising their children.

The play area, equipment and the present elephants are likely to be vandalised by revellers at night.

The Council seems to want to fill every open space in the town centre with anything whether or not it is suitable. For example, one of the drawings in the paper of the town hall frontage showed a strange gazebo like structure on the opposite side of Victoria Square. What is the point of that?

Octagon Square should be left as an open space and improved, possibly with shrubs, and by comfortable seating where shoppers who move constantly between Newport Street and the market can rest. Only the desperate sit on the cold stone flags which are supposed to be seats in Victoria Square.

R Swindells

Bolton