THERE were real tears at the Wessex Hotel the other evening as over 100 dancers met there for the last time.

Men and women, aged from their early forties to late eighties, all dressed as if for a special occasion, came from a wide area to dance on the often-crowded floor and sit, chat and nibble goodies around the plentiful supply of surrounding tables.

It won't happen again, as it's impossible to squeeze that many people into any of the places the council planners told the Planning Board were viable alternatives.

But who cares about the unjustifiable loss of another amenity valuable for residents and visitors alike?

Is this just another example of the complacent and contemptuous way in which some of our elected representatives seem to ignore the very voters they are supposed to be representing? And who gains from all this?

Certainly not the local population, or Bournemouth as tourist destination. Naturally those who make money out of such developments, directly or indirectly, do. And Torquay, or course. No tears there, I imagine, as Bournemouth, at a stroke, hands the English Riviera thousands of extra tourists. Is this the "Better Bournemouth" we are told is being built? I have yet to be convinced.

ROBIN DAVIES

Portarlington Close, Bournemouth