Re: ‘Community to have their say on future civic precinct', The Weekend Sun, February 25.

So now it starts, the 20-year plan turns out to be a one-year plan. The hundreds of hours of public input, the tens of thousands spent on consultants and staff, the huge increase in rates and now the Commissioners wish to change it.

Well shucks what's the point of signing off on a plan if you're going to want to change it a couple of months later.

The change appears to be to rip into the whole central city plan in one go for the modest sum of $300m. This will require a rates increase. We all know that the normal overrun of 50 per cent will apply as will the overrun in construction time.

Whether any retailers in the city will survive the six years of construction is another story. It's interesting that on the day this story unfolded, they also proposed to sell the parking buildings. What! It won't be long before we have no clothes to stand up in. Someone in council said: 'Why are council involved in renting spaces in parking buildings anyway?” Well hello, we have parking meters, we also have parking buildings. This is your job!

I hope our public reject the fast option, there is the same amount of work in both and the retailers will be able to handle a slow considerate construction period if each section gets completed before opening up the next. And for goodness sake, get a contractor who won't take half of his staff and machinery away each time he gets another job.

D Russell, Tauranga City.