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I READ in that a review of Dorchester Arts Centre is to cost £10,000 (Echo, May 6). Why is such a review necessary and why does it cost so much?

Part of the answer seems to be that West Dorset District Council wants to 'assess the town's arts infrastructure and potential growth in the future'.

Hasn't this already been done, not very long ago? Flip through the records, check the files, but don't spend all that money yet.

Then, the article goes on, the review will look at how the proposed Maltings Arts Centre at Brewery Square 'could impact on DAC'. Well, most of us know the Maltings just isn't viable as an arts centre as such.

It would need to be part of an arts/conference centre to be remotely self-funding, so to think that the DAC as it is at the moment could become its tenant is unrealistic, to put it mildly.

The 'needs of the arts community and Dorchester residents' have been canvassed so many times - again, consult the records. Planners have already estimated the approximate population of Dorchester in, say, five years, and responses to arts events have been recorded over and over again.

The Dorchester Arts Forum was created to assemble a borrowable collection of arts-related 'furniture' which now exists so I am not sure of the point of the DAF's continued existence.

So, I suggest going through the files for relevant figures and information, assessing what the Maltings site has to offer and at what cost, and putting the £10,000 towards the proposed Maltings Centre, or whatever name it ends up with.

Lorna Low, Dorchester.

7:19pm Saturday 10th May 2008

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