As a regular visitor to Colchester from Suffolk, and thus a user of the Colchester car parks, may I use your letters page to congratulate those responsible for the recent redesign of the Priory Street car park.

The effect of the work done on this long narrow site alongside the Roman Wall has dramatically improved the whole area in several ways.

The newly tarmacked surface and the brick-paved paths ensures greater safety for pedestrians, especially those with pushchairs or wheelchairs, and the reorganised layout for parked vehicles makes parking here so much easier than it was.

Unobtrusive, environmentally-friendly low wooden railings separate the parking area from the street and the Roman Wall, which is given sufficient space for people to appreciate it.

Buried lights illuminate this magnificent stretch of one of Colchester’s major historical treasures.

There is even a gathering space, protected from traffic and with seats, at the town end of the car park.

The area is so inviting it can’t be long before some enterprising creative people put on some kind of artistic event here.

So may I say well done to those who did all this so well.

I don’t know who they are, but I presume Colchester Council is primarily responsible.

I have just one criticism, but it is not of them, it concerns those who park here.

Despite the very clearly marked parking bays, which are of generous size (in contrast to many other car parks), a number of cars were parked so they blocked the purpose-built pedestrian path alongside the Roman Wall.

This path could now become part of an attractive tourist trail and it is a shame it should be blocked by a few careless drivers who ignore the markings when parking.

Kevin Armstrong Shelley, Suffolk

  • We cannot isolate ourselves now

I READ with interest the letter from Richard Hart in which he replied to my letter.

I respect his opinions but disagree fundamentally with almost everything he writes.

He writes there is only one sort of Brexit. This is clearly not the case.

There is the so-called “soft” Brexit, whereby we would leave the EU but negotiate to stay in the free trade area and pay to retain many but not all of the trading benefits which we presently enjoy.

If we settle for a “hard” Brexit, we will have to trade on World Trade Organisation terms, which will mean paying tariffs on goods imported and exported.

Mr Hart welcomes the drop in the value of the pound. It is true exports become cheaper as a result. But imports of goods and food become correspondingly more expensive.

As Britain imports far more than it exports, it follows that the cost of living will inevitably rise.

Mr Hart maintains I have not read the newspapers recently. I would like to refer to four events widely reported in last week’s newspapers.

In a speech at Mansion House on March 2, Paul Drechsler, the president of the Confederation of British Industry, warned leaving the EU without a trade deal would be dire for many British businesses.

BMW announced that, because of Brexit, it is considering moving production of the new electric Mini from England to Germany.

Robert Winston, one of Britain’s leading medical scientists, warned in a speech in the House of Lords leaving the EU would be a catastrophe for medical science.

Finally, and possibly most significant of all, it was announced a team of biologists at Cambridge University doing research in the field of embryo development have made a major breakthrough which could reduce the number of miscarriages.

The team is led by Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz from Poland. Her team of eight post-graduate scientists consists of two Italians, one Spaniard, two Poles, one Cypriot, one South African and one Englishman.

Co-operation in the world of science and in our universities is vital.

We are part of Europe, we cannot isolate ourselves, we must co-operate with other countries and we must treat humanely EU citizens living here, respect the contribution they have made to our society and guarantee their right to stay.

Eddie Ross Hamilton Road, Colchester

  • No sense in closing tickets stations

Now is the time for our MP and councils to speak out and stop this nonsense of closing rail ticket offices within the Tendring area.

Massive housing projects in the pipeline, roads unfit for travel, overcrowded one-way in one-way out system.

Your paper is full of what the county council are doing, so let’s add another string to their bow and invite them to contact Abellio Greater Anglia and point out the error of its ways.

There are many reasons why this office should stay open and the main one for me is safety of passengers especially at night and early morning.

Profit above all things seems to be their motivation so lets stamp on this straight away.

Jimmy Green St Osyth

  • I would hate to see an un-great country

Once again Joan Davies talks about someone called God she has not a shred of proof even exists.

She quotes the Bible, a book written by human beings. She also says Christian laws have made this nation great.

If being a great country means people lying on trolleys in corridors in hospitals, zero hours contracts, food banks etc I would be interested in her definition of a bad one.

B Friday Merrilees Crescent, Holland-on-Sea

  • Prove there is such thing as Act of God

An Act of God, the insurers say, in relation to the man whose car was damaged during Storm Doris.

I would say to them: “Prove to me there is such a person.” I believe more in Mother Nature.

David Cole Prettygate, Colchester