Work was stopped in the shopping centre for Christmas and New Year, so that traders and shopper were not inconvenienced at a busy time of year.

By the end of the the scheme, an area from Sandy Lane to Guywood Lane on one side and the main precinct shops on the other will have been repaved. The new crossing is proving popular too.

Over recent years the council and partners have spent a great deal of money upgrading the shopping areas to encourage shoppers to visit.

I recall working with ex-councillor John Ingham on the first scheme to remodel the flower beds and grassed areas so that the precinct looked more open and welcoming. Benches were installed - funded by the Rotary Club - at this time and are used on a regular basis by shoppers and visitors.

We have introduced District Centre Rangers to keep our shopping areas clean and tidy, and I am sure he will appreciate the new paving as it will make his job much easier!

The station, which is at the heart of Romiley, has been cleaned up and even more money is being spent by the GMPTE on it in the near future.

So it with real pride I watch the most recent investment in Romiley as it turns from the dowdy, dusty shopping street of a few years ago into something much smarter and welcoming.

Over £30,000 is to be spent on new drainage for Romiley Park. I have been asking the Council for years about the flooding in the park, so when money was offered for this, I grabbed it! - the plans have been drawn up and work should commence in a few weeks time. Work on the park will also include new paths and safer routes to Romiley Primary School. Once the work is finished the ‘Friends of Romiley Park’ will be involved in the new planting scheme.

National Grid plan to run cables through a disused rail tunnel that crosses the Peak District National Park. If they go ahead, the tunnel could no longer be used as a railway, despite there having been several proposals in the last 10 years to do just that (Central Railways, Arriva, and Translink–all rejected by the Government!) That would be a big mistake.

MPs and local people are trying to persuade the government to intervene, to protect the route so that it could, in future, be re-opened and provide much-needed passenger and rail-freight services connecting the east and west sides of the Pennines.

See recent article in the Guardian Please act quickly as the National Grid work is scheduled to start in January 2008.

We need MPs across the country to sign Early Day Motion (EDM) 459 calling on the Government to intervene and help safeguard the Woodhead Tunnel for future rail use. Campaign for Better Transport have set up an easy e-action form on their website.

Click here to write/send an e-mail to your MP asking them to sign EDM 459:

Plus there’s a petition online calling for the railway to be reopened: Visit the Save Woodhead Tunnel website.

Happy New Year to all!

Here’s to a succesful and peaceful 2008.