Whatever happened to welcoming good news?

I’ve been quite surprised and sadly disappointed in the amount of negative comments that the new cafe ‘Love Toast’ has received, both before and after its opening.

Personally, I think that this new cafe is an amazing addition to Braintree High Street.

It’s modern, fresh and unique.

However, it really is disappointing to read many comments online from articles published by the Braintree and Witham Times on its Facebook page.

The main comments are; ‘oh no! not another cafe’ and ‘why don’t we have fewer cafes and more shops?’.

The high street is changing! Gone are the days of high streets of old.

I think it is vitally important that Braintree town centre evolves with the times and becomes a place where residents and visitors can spend their money on products and/or services, and eat, drink and socialise.

The Manor Street Development and the future pedestrianisation of the high street can achieve this.

I always try to recognise good news and in the future I hope others will do the same.

Dean Wallace (Con)

Member for Braintree South, Braintree District Council