Gazette comment (From Gazette Series)

Gazette comment

THIS week has been notable for the amount of unlikely news stories popping up locally, nationally and internationally.

We have seen the end of the dithering over the Dursley skatepark project, while January-like weather descended on us when we should have been getting sunburnt.

For the sports fans among us, we had rank outsiders Greece winning Euro 2004 - the players becoming the greatest Greek icons since Zeus and Hercules were on the go.

Speaking of the ancient Greeks, it feels like it was around about then that someone first mentioned that Tesco was building a supermarket in Dursley.

Councillors' conservative estimates suggest this project has been ongoing for six years, but many are aware that the original supermarket plan is around 20 years old.

What is so complicated that it takes six years to arrange?

Stroud District Council is organising a supermarket, not the Olympic Games (although it appears to possess the same lack of urgency as the Greek stadium builders).

The district council is now being asked to provide answers about why it is dragging its feet so blatantly.

Hopefully we will see some straight talking because the lack of tangible developments makes the talk of "further progress" all the more mystifying and irritating.

Dursley needs the investment of major corporate names to help it prosper and we can not wait forever.

The district council and Tesco need to be more forthcoming - after all, every little helps!