SIR — What a refreshing change to see the town councillors of Watchet have got their priorities right - kids are the future, after all. It would appear that the dual issues of somewhere to go and something to do have been addressed with the provision of a purpose-built youth shelter (Free Press August 26). This is something the young people of the Seaward Way estate can only dream of – if they haven't abandoned all hope by now. With there being little or no integration with the West Somerset Community College (where not so long ago and especially before this estate even existed there did used to be a youth club within the 6th Form building), this estate remains slightly cut off from the rest of town. To be fobbed off with 'Well, they've got Connexions now' is just not enough – the youngsters need something a little closer. Somewhere to call their own is something I've been calling for on behalf of the youth at the Seaward Way Community Group meetings since it was set up almost three years ago. All the younger generation of this estate have received are false promises of football pitches and the like. They have had their hopes raised and dashed on more than one occasion – the assurance of a youth facility being contained within the extreme sports centre which was to be built near Aquasplash being but one for instance. Whatever happened to that? I am also of the understanding that something like an extreme sports centre would, in the long term, bring more visitors to the town than the 50,000 guestimate of the mayor's Red Arrows flyover proposal. That just begs another question - besides a tailback from Williton, where are these 50,000 day- trippers supposed to park? If the proposed sale of the Vulcan Road car park goes ahead, the whole of Minehead will lose yet another youth facility – the adjoining BMX track. If we must have a retail outlet on the said site, is it not possible for a few like-minded local businesses to club together with a proposal for the resurrection of the extreme sports centre? That's just an idea, but if we are to halt the brain drain of Minehead's finest young minds, arrest the apathy of the remainder and nullify the notion of Minehead as a 'one-stop' town, then something like an extreme sports centre may just be the ticket. Coming back to Alcombe East, I know we're not going to get a mosque that will survive a tsunami, but I fail to see the problem with the local beat officer's suggestion of a second hand portable building, for kids to use at their leisure, being placed on the marshland between the estate and the Rose Garden. The land is already being used as a rather dangerous and unhygienic shortcut to the main road, a good place to walk the dog, try out your new trials bike, dump anything that the dustman won't take or just abandon another Tesco's shopping trolley. While the Watchet town councillors should be praised for their work, the same cannot be said of Minehead's 'behind closed doors decision making' motley crew. In response to Mr Cordingley's letter of last week, I would have to align myself with those 'unelected busybodies' of the DIRECT campaign – a more caring bunch of activists I have yet to encounter! It won't be long before a lot of this estate's youths turn 18 and will be old enough to vote – I'm not so sure that the furnishing of a couple of bus-stops will be enough to ensure one man's re-election. Andrew Silvera, Sandpiper Close, Minehead.