I would like to clarify and then expand on my recent statement at the annual town meeting regarding West Bay.

At that meeting and subsequently, I have referred to West Bay as a concrete jungle, that was an insult to our visitors.

West Bay is a great place to visit for both tourists and locals – the harbour is quaint and views of the coast from the new jetties are exceptional.

I personally love the place and visit almost every day. However, if you see it through the eyes of a first-time visitor you may have a different impression.

The harbour may have an old-world charm, but elsewhere, unless you appreciate a hard landscape with large areas of concrete, an unfriendly traffic system, generally poor car parking, poor seating and with few trees or plants, you will choose to go somewhere else next time.

Bridport and West Bay need visitors – day trippers and those staying longer – and we need to encourage more to return regularly and often.

In order to do that, we have to make an investment in the facilities and structure. More tourists will mean more money and this creates more jobs.

If you look at old photographs of Bridport and West Bay you will note that there are far more trees and bushes everywhere, many of which have been lost and not replaced.

I am sure there are many local gardening and other organisations that would be pleased to help reverse the trend and improve our town. Why do we not encourage them?

The town council has initiated various projects to enhance the locale, including the play area and the planned water sports centre.

These are fine, but they do little to improve the overall visitor experience in general. Our councillors appear to be complacent (especially following Broadchurch and its attendant publicity) and are not looking at the area from a visitor’s point of view – only their own. My request to the town council is that they prepare a radical programme to improve and enhance the whole area.

My suggestions include improving The Esplanade, with raised flower beds with integrated seating, improved access to the beach, tree planting, replacing the ridiculous new traffic arrangements, and implementing a 20mph speed limit in the bay area.

Keith Day

District councillor Bridport North Ward