There are now 2 letters here; the top one dated 7th March to The East Anglian Daily Times, the lower one re a rebuttal from Councillor Raymond Herring, who was clearly unaware of the strength of feeling in this area:

Letter 1:

Dear Sir,

I read with interest the article "Engaging Young People" (EADT 7th March). The young people who live in the West Ward of Felixstowe will come away from those sessions, no-doubt believing, that they will be able to exercise their democratic right to influence council decisions which have a direct effect on where they live. What a disappointment it will be for them when they discover that as with their parents and grandparents, who live in the Ward, the council will take no notice of their views.
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As we have seen from the South Sea Front development and the fiasco around Orwell Green the legitimate objections of the residents are dismissed, by some councillors and officers of the council, as being ill informed and misguided and we are accused of being Nimbi's.
The council does not speak with one voice but one voice purports to speak on behalf of the council, this is not good for democracy in this Town. True democracy takes into account minority views, these views are being overlooked by the majority grouping on both SCDC and Felixstowe Town council. Just because they can out-vote the rest doesn't mean that what they are doing is right.
I have heard it argued by some councillors that central Government is insisting on the provision of facilities for young people, an objective we would agree with, but the Government does not insist on these facilities being put in the wrong place to the detriment of those who live close by. The Government wants more affordable housing but it doesn't insist on the kind of development the council is pushing for on the South Sea Front.
So, I would suggest to the young people of Felixstowe, if you wish to exercise your democratic rights, live in the South East Ward for when they exercise their right to say "NO" they are taken notice of - and rightly so.

Barry Farr, Hon; Chairman, CPCA.

Letter 2:
 
This letter was written after a recent press article in the local paper about the Skatepark proposal, in which Councillor Raymond Herring (Leader of Suffolk Coastal Dictrict Council) dismissed any suggestions that the Skatepark might be sited elsewhere. Here’s the text of our reply:

Dear Sirs,

We read with incredulity your article "Skateboard park bid hits brick wall over location" most of which is the S.C.D.C press release. It is surprising how ill-informed Cllr Herring is.
If positioned correctly the nearest home would be, not 25 meters as stated by Cllr Herring, but as far away as the nearest home on Orwell Green i.e. 55 to 60 meters away.
The sports building is not made of steel, the first 10ft from the ground is of brick construction and the rest we think is a composite material.
Brackenbury Sports Centre already has toilets, monitored CCTV, a car park, lighting, manageability and most importantly from a parents point of view, security, on-site first aid and access to a telephone for emergencies, none of which are available at Orwell Green and most of which will not be provided.
We don't insist on Brackenbury being the chosen site but it is top of the Councils own list of suitable sites. The noise issue is a smoke screen behind which the Council tries to hide.
We have asked for a copy of this "Noise Study" in the past and have been referred to a study done 8 years ago in 1997, before the Sports Centre became a council facility. It would be far easier, and cheaper, to suppress noise at Brackenbury than at Orwell Green. It is the Councils argument, on this point, which is "fatally flawed".
Brackenbury would give the long-term viability needed for the success of such an expensive facility - at least £70,000 of Felixstowe Council Tax payers money. Half of the 7.5% coming years Town Council Tax rise is due to the £10,000 first instalment for this Skateboard park. This is the first of 7 yearly £10,000 payments.
Cllr Herring states we have misguided opinions, maybe if the Council gave us the truth instead of all of this misleading, un- factual information they put out we would be able to form valid judgements.
We think it is somewhat disingenuous of Cllr Herring to suggest that we are NIMBY's when the minutes of the Felixstowe F&GP committee meeting of 17th November 2004 record "The Ward Councillors" for Brackenbury "emphasized that the proposed site was not acceptable to residents".
One of our Councillors would like this Skateboard park built down by the sea front, near to where she lives. This alternative site is being blocked by Councillors who do not live in or represent this ward. Their excuse is they want that site for 3 or 4 days in the year for other functions. They would not be prohibited from pursuing these other functions, if the Skateboard park was built on the site, but they are not willing to share it. Orwell Green is surrounded by many elderly residents, some in sheltered accommodation, and in our view it is inhumane to force this facility upon them.
We are told by the Councillors and their Officers of the desperate need for this facility, at a estimated total cost of £110,000 (and we have seen figures which reach £170,000) we believe the Council Tax payers of Felixstowe should be told how many skaters will use the park, what is the cost per head of users in providing this facility, how much it will cost to maintain and what is the cost of Liability Insurance per annum. All these questions we have asked of the Council last year and we still await their answer.
S.C.D.C says it believes in consultation (though they did not score well on consultation in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment) then I suggest we have a public meeting. They has been no full disclosure of what they propose to provide and the letter sent to residents is bereft of information.
In conclusion, if S.C.D.C and the Town Council believe in democracy this size of expenditure should be put to the whole town. Let the Town Council Tax payers decide whether they wish a large amount of their Council Tax to be spent on a facility which goes in and out of fashion and will attract a relatively small number of users.
Yours faithfully,
Barry Farr, Hon Chairman, CPCA.