I would like to respond to Joan Jarvis’s letter “Town centre is being destroyed” (Feb 4).

Basildon Council understands and sympathises with residents who are frustrated by the short term disruption caused by the town centre improvement works.

However, these improvements are vital to the long term economic vibrancy of Basildon’s town centre and will make it a far more attractive place for everybody.

We are making improvements to St Martin’s Square and installing new town centre lights using funds which are ring fenced.

In other words, we negotiated funds from the Government specifically to pay for these two projects and we don’t have the option of spending it on anything else. If we had not secured this money, it would have been given to another part of the country and spent on a similar project.

The town centre is under-used at night and this is the point: We need a night-time economy, both to make it a better place for residents, and to make it a safer place for the people who have to use it at night.

The new lights will make the area brighter, more attractive and secure in the evenings. That will attract private investment for shops, restaurants and bars, and that is only good for Basildon.

Public sector investment in basic infrastructure is the right thing to do almost any time.

This is especially true at the end of the worst recession in living memory.

Stephen Horgan
Deputy Leader
Basildon Council