DESPITE the hand clapping and back slapping from all corners about the Harnham bunker project, there are some of us, including me, who feel that this is absolutely not the best use of public assets and public money.

The Bunker is a City Council asset and should be retained, sold or used for the benefit of, and in the best interest of, the city’s residents. Likewise the S106 money being allocated for refurbishment should be used for that which it is intended. I do not believe it appropriate we should be giving away the site, for which there is an offer to purchase on the table, and spending some £100k of public money on a private business in return for a six-hour-a-week community music service.

That the Sound Emporium wish to continue to offer their youth service when they leave Grosvenor House is fantastic and I commended them. When it is ultimately decided where to build the Rowbarrow community centre, which I believe is do-able with a bit of foresight and the will, we could put some extra rooms on the end for them to use.

This way the money gets spent on an asset which can be used by any number of local community groups and thus benefit of a far greater number of the public. In the interim there are any number of empty but habitable units on Churchfields, which while not being as “cool”

sounding as the bunker, would not cost the taxpayer anything.

SVEN HOCKING Salisbury City Councillor St Martin’s and Cathedral