Recently I had the very simple task of having to travel into central Weymouth with the intention of buying some new shoes. Or so I thought.

To say that I was shocked at the continued decline of central Weymouth is an understatement.

I just cannot believe how poor the shopping experience is and the general state of disrepair that I witnessed.

For a so-called Olympic town it is quite simply embarrassingly bad.

Goodness knows what people will think of the place come this summer when the eyes of the world are upon us.

Shop upon shop was boarded up; public houses had steel shutters in place; Brewers Quay remains empty; the Methodist church which burned down 10 years ago is still in the same condition.

The Pavilion area is completely dysfunctional. Very few shops were of genuine quality in my opinion and the place just reeked of stagnation and decline.

I know we are in tough economic times but surely with an urban area of some 75,000 people and 120,000 for the wider area, it can support and deserves better than what is being offered at the moment?

And yet, just eight miles up the road the small town of Dorchester seems to be attracting new shops and restaurants every other day.

Private investment into the town seems to be pouring in; seemingly to Weymouth’s detriment – how can this be?

Yes, public investment in the transport infrastructure, due to the Olympics, is very welcome, but where is the private investment for other developments?

What is Dorchester doing that those in this authority are not?

Are they more accommodating and positive?

Does Weymouth put too many restrictions in place?

Where is the vision?

Where is the drive to take the town forward? It seems that maybe the new road has had the opposite effect to that intended and that it is now easier to get out of Weymouth and people will frequent Dorchester instead?

And did I get my shoes? No.

J Bull, Khartoum Road, Rodwell, Weymouth