I READ with interest the latest vision to be offered to Salisbury.

Words such as “innovation”, “aspirational” and “iconic” seem to sit uneasily alongside “community”, “sustainability” and “transition” let alone “historic”. Another vision, another exercise, another report by self-appointed visionaries seeking to inform the rest of us how Salisbury should be.

No one denies that this city needs to think about its future: what it might look like by 2015 or 2075. Wouldn’t it be nice, however, if such thinking began with the people of Salisbury being asked what they wanted?

A series of genuine conversations involving all within our community is essential if key issues are to addressed: coherent educational provision which tackles the skills and learning for life agenda; the effects of climate change on housing, energy and transport; social cohesion and the consequences of an ageing population and the democratic deficit which prevents trulyinnovative policies being developed let alone implemented.

These and others are the real conversations around Salisbury as a Transition City.

This vision, like the others, will sink into the sands because of zero-funding, zero-political will and zero-community interest as the people of Salisbury were excluded from the process. This report is someone else’s pipe dream. Now, can we starting talking about our vision for the future, please?

JONATHAN PLOWS Salisbury