I read with great interest your recent article about the threat to our local Mini Store in Church Road. 

Mr Patel (who has served this community for 21 years), after 2 years of seeking council help with the problem, has now been told that the council will mark out short term parking bays to stop commuters taking the spaces outside his shop for entire days at a time.

Epsom and Ewell council has indicated to him that this might not happen for a further 2 years, meaning that he will have had to wait an untenable 4 years in total for something which is clearly critical to the maintenance of his business.  

From a resident's point of view, this seems like bureaucracy dragging its feet in the most ludicrous fashion.  If the council has now accepted that this should be done, then it should be done, and a further delay of 2 years is not only unacceptable but could result for Mr Patel in a loss of his business and for all those of us to whom he provides such an essential service, a loss of that lifeline. 

For me and many other elderly local residents, that would be devastating.  Small businesses, such as Mr Patel’s, are the lifeblood of any local community and many people such as myself rely on the convenience of being able to access essential supplies from a local shop as well as the personal contact which results from regular patronage.  Were the council to lose us this indispensable asset through inaction, it would be shame on them indeed.

Having served the community myself as a GP for 33 years, and as an Epsom resident since 1958, I would hope that our elected council will be prepared to listen to the concerns of residents such as myself.  In the meantime, I urge other residents to support Mr Patel’s shop – Use It Or Lose It! - and write to the council urging them to stop delaying before it is too late.

Dr E E Smith, via email

 


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