Failing our heritage

I very much liked your feature pages about the programme for the restoration of HMS Victory and the inauguration of HMS Prince of Wales as the flagship of Nato (£35m renovation of HMS Victory 100 years after arrival and ‘Awesome’ aircraft carrier is ready for her mission to be Nato’s mighty new ‘flagship’,

January 12). It is truly a historic red letter day. I liked your reflections on the thoughts of the ghost of Lord Nelson ‘flabbergasted’ by the continued naval power over two centuries after his death on the Victory.

I feel that the city of Portsmouth should celebrate its role and renaissance as an historic crucible of British naval power and political identity.

I have been writing to the city leadership for years about the neglected state of The Hard and proposing that it be used to celebrate the epic story of the harbour from Roman fort to international harbour city. There is a remarkable and vibrant pictorial story to tell.

The importance of

The Hard was formally declared in the ‘Shaping the Future’ strategy for Portsmouth in 2010. It set out an inspiring strategy for Portsmouth to be ‘one of the great port cities of the world’ and to use ‘the legacy of the past to create an even more prosperous and vibrant city fit for the 21st century.’ It also said that residents ‘will have the ability to hold their leaders to account for ensuring these are realised.’

But despite my many letters and illustrations showing how this could be achieved at relatively low cost, the leadership have dismissed my ideas and suggestions. They claim that The Hard has been restored and they don’t propose to do any more.

They show a dishonourable disrespect for for Portsmouth’s great heritage and are failing in their duty to be accountable to their formal strategic pledge in 2010.

They are an absolute disgrace and a shameful failure of leadership to do their civic duty.

Jerry Bamforth Sennen Place, Port Solent