This week brought forward a classic event.
My ‘crystal’ ball worked overtime last summer.

In my regular newsletter (if you ain’t in the Berkhamsted East(current) ward of the town, then tough (I will sell you a copy though as I need the money), I suggested that now Tescos’ will not be building a new supermarket on their own land at Stag Lane, do not be surprised if the Water Lane car park would end up with a supermaket being built on it.

Horror of horrors, a senior Borough Council source e-mailed me with the assertion that I was barking up the wrong tree and the Water Lane car park was safe.

This week, the very same Borough Council have set in motion a discussion project, complete with London based ‘consultants’ (no, not the same ones who thought Bourne End was part of Berkhamsted - so there!) to look into the feasibility of building a ‘large food retail unit’ together with other commercial facilities on land bounded by the High Street and Water Lane. The attached map covers the Water Lane car park, toilets, Tesco supermarket and Green Field Road, so now you know.

OK, I’m not a great believer in the state trying to run my life, so this week has brought even more concerns and wants to order me about by the back door.

ID cards will not be compulsary, a DNA data base will not be set up, potential terrorists will not be allowed into the country (unless already here) and smoking will be banned except where it’s not.

Let’s reflect each one for a minute -

ID cards only ‘necessary’ for a passport and for obtaining ‘state’ services. Will those who do not need a passport or access to ‘state provided services’, please contact me.

DNA data base - now your DNA is routinely taken whenever you have a ‘run in’ with the law, even if not charged or convicted, you only need to be ‘helping the police with enquiries’, and it’s there for ever.

Who saw the Channel 4 documentary on Ryanair last week? Inspires confidence on our security, doesn’t it and ID cards will be of no use what so ever, if they don’t even look at passports.

Smoking - as an ex-smoker I can sympathise, but if those who know best (not me this time!), believe that smoking will improve public health, so ban it, why not do just that? Either ban smoking altogether or leave alone and try to persuade the public the error of their ways.

I haven’t even managed to get my head round Mr Blair's idea that yet another law is needed to stop people protesting against something, when current laws don’t even get enforced or the diplomat in North Africa who had some tee-shirts made up with ‘those’ cartoons on the front.
‘Oh dear, they’ve burnt our nice consulate building down, I wonder why!’, I expect he muttered under his breath.

Honest, you can’t make this up, can you?

W/E 25th Feb 2006

One or two readers may remember how at the end of the last century, I used to write a column trying to keep you all abreast with what goes on behind our backs in the town. Being one of the few who actually work in the town, I've been struck by the number of people who have remarked that they actually like living here and one lady, who moved to Hemel from 'up north' to be near her daughter, said she would have preferred Berkhamsted.
I can only suppose that those who know best must be doing something right, but it did start to remind me that when I was young we still went round complaining that there was nothing to do – but we did have a theatre and one and a half cinemas, a paddling pool, outdoor swimming pool in the centre of town, numerous garages selling petrol and cars, gas/electricity showrooms, Sainsburys, more pubs than you could imagine and the Co-Op sold just about everything.
On the other hand, the High Street didn't get electric light until the early 1950's, the trains took up to two hours to get to London (the station didn't even have electricity), we had a freight depot and gas works, the canal was busy with moving freight of all types up and down the country with the 'butty' being part living quarters. Oh, I forgot, we had parking problems even then, with Berkhamsted High Street being the widest part of the A41 between Kings Langley and Aylesbury. This is what reminded me that things don't actually change.

As I write this piece, the extension to the Waitrose shop will mean that about a third of the parking spaces will be lost for 3 months (at least). It is intended that it will be made up by the use of the Canal Fields car park which apparently has plenty of spare capacity (except when I want to use it, although I must admit, I usually can find a space). This cunning plan makes you wonder why most of the roads around the Town Centre are filled with vehicles during the day, when this 'under used' resource is available for free. Perhaps all will be revealed in due course.

This will be part of the study, I expect, into the re-use of the Water Lane car park for a large retail unit (can't imagine who/what!) and other commercial use currently being looked into by – yep, you guessed, consultants from London and paid for by the Borough Council. Now, if only they could actually repair the pavement along the High Street and resolve the blockage of footways by vehicles, I could believe that progress is being made.