Improvement or 'we must be seen to be doing something'?

[mk1]

The War Memorial in Victoria Road-is it better now than it used to be?
I think not. To me it was ruined by the Council's desire to spend money for the sake of it.


Here it is in 1979. Trees that were planted in the late 60's were growing well  and there was lots of flowers and grass.










Here are  later 1980's views. Note the long line of mature trees masking the Civic, a leftover from the 'Bullfield' days.








Now 1993 when the trees are a bit more mature.











Shockingly not one of the trees shown above remains today. Every single one has been destroyed.





1995 After the 'makeover'
Bland and lifeless with new trees planted to replace the ones uprooted.








2009  By now the mature trees outside the Civic have all been removed and replaced by.....................new trees!






The destruction was  completed with the removal of the  3 large mature trees left at the top end of the War Memorial. They have all gone.

To me it is a prime example of how a sitting councillor cares nothing about anything other than to be seen 'doing something' and boasting about  'improvements' during their office.
I am sure the Councillors who planted all the trees in 1970 did not suspect another bunch of wankers would rip them all out and replace them with another set of trees. I presume if a few years the ones growing now will be ripped out and replaced!
Please someone tell me the recent removal of the large trees   was not to improve visibility of the Middleton Grange logo..............

[The Great Dictator]

It looks better now but some trees should have been left.

[marky]

The Cenotaph area was deemed to be 'high maintenance' and this was given as the main reason for the changes which, if I remember rightly, the British Legion weren't over the moon about. Are not flowers the traditional way of paying our respects and is it not impossible to think of any group of people who deserve our respect more?

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

High maintenance, sounds quite insulting to the people it reminds us of.