Forty years ago, my husband and I moved into our present house.

We liked Sutton. It had an original high street with many interesting and decorative shops such as Johns, with its glass showcase outside, and Shinner, which also had some input in producing the lovely arcade. There was James Walker down on the right with mahogany display cabinets.

These are just a few of the buildings that were serviceable and also pleasant to the eye.

Over the years Sutton has changed. I believe in progress but all our character has gone out of Sutton. So imagine my surprise when I opened your newspaper.

Subsea 7 is building more offices, even though we have ones lying empty.

Sutherland House is being converted into private housing.

Sutton station improvements have seen the traffic lights outside the former bed shop placed too close to the junction with Mulgrave Road.

Times Square has been stripped of the pretty arcade.

The Premier Inn will provide new jobs, but do we need another similar hotel.

Through these changes, and many more, we will have more families living in Sutton and we already do not have enough schools, and you can feel that Sutton is changing like Croydon did in the late 1950s and 60s.

LINDA JUNESI
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