The old courthouse on Market Square in Aylesbury town centre  undoubtedly has a long and interesting history. However, this history cannot be used to hold back much needed development of the town centre. We need a vision for the future of the town centre, not rose-tinted spectacles for the past. Many of the original features of the courthouse have been lost. Until recently it was a living building that was adapted and changed. Future use of the building can continue this history and keep the building alive, while being sensitive to its past.

The town centre suffers from a lack of character, expensive parking and a lack of bus routes to bring people in. There have been a spate of business closures. Unless the town centre is to turn into a dead museum to the past, we need to come up with sustainable developments that benefit all of the people of Aylesbury Vale and its businesses. Employment and opportunities are key to this development, but we must also make improvements to the environment that are easy to maintain. The leasing of the court house building can and should be done with stipulations that the immediate environment is improved, that the development has its own parking and it keeps with the history of the building. This way we can remember the past of Aylesbury while securing its future.