Paint prom, please

I'm sure that every one of us appreciates the wonderful generosity of Gordon Roddick and his family in donating the huge sum of 100,000 towards improving the image of Littlehampton, in memory of dame Anita, who gave so much to the town.

However, I do question the whole idea of providing "the longest bench in the world", its practical purpose and application for the Littlehampton promenade.

My main point is this, is there a real need for any more seating between the pier and the East Beach Caf? I walk along this stretch of the seafront regularly and notice that seldom, if ever, are the existing seats fully occupied, even on a busy weekend in the summer!

Furthermore, if the proposed new bench is to be the "longest in the world", presumably to qualify, it would need to be made in one continuous, unbroken length?

How, then, could this possibly be achieved when there are so many essential existing openings required for access from The Green, Banjo Road, etc.?

The existing promenade seats are neatly recessed and relatively comfortable because they have back-rests and wooden slats fixed lengthwise in the traditional manner.

Presumably, these seats will have to be removed to accommodate the new bench, which inevitably won't be as comfortable to sit on because the slats have to be fixed the "wrong" way in order to create the curving design.

A far more effective way of enhancing the appearance of the promenade would be to replace the existing dull, boring black Tarmac with some colourful, patterned block paving. Local schoolchildren could be involved by producing imaginative designs for the paving.

John Kerry

Emmabrook Court

Sea Road

Rustington

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