Why not give SKIPP a go?

Brian Ayling’s complimentary comments on the SKIPP Committee’s successful organisation of the recent seafront shared-space crossing protest along Eastern Esplanade highlights the fact that the Saxon King In Priory Park protest group – now at the head of a wide range of possibly surprising supporters – is fast becoming a polished little local, Big Society like, democracy-on-the-streets-in-action outfit to be reckoned with (YA letters Jul 27).

Indeed, they are emerging as an important conduit and rallying point for public disquiet in the scheme of local government affairs that affect us all hereabouts.

Not least, for my money, their proposal – eventually to be put before the council in professionally planned detail – that the current Victoria Avenue Library would make an excellent local arts centre in which to house the Beecroft Collection when it is vacated for the new town centre venue in Elmer Square.

This on the ground that only two percent of the Beecroft Collection – which includes paintings by Constable, Rossetti and Leyden plus a 19^th Century costume collection that attracts viewers from as far away as Broadway, would you believe – ever gets to see the light of day at any given time because it has too long been housed in an unsuitable, too small, out of the way building in effect just an ordinary large house) without even disabled access.

Council intent of it eventually being re-housed in the proposed mega0million Cliffs Museum – which may or may not come to fruition and, at any rate, is around two decades away even in a ‘best case’ scenario – may or may not ever be realised.

And that Victoria Avenue Library – almost purpose-built and positioned for exhibition purposes such as these – may well get replaced by another high-rise block of flats or some-such in the meantime. You never know with the council... There’s one rising 30 feet from my kitchen window as I write.

So hop to it... SKIPP ain’t just a bunch of tree-huggers y’know... give ’em a look at www.skipp-saxonking.org. It’ll stop you jumping to the wrong conclusions.

John Harran

Leigh-on-Sea