I WAS disappointed to read (Cornish Times, 22.12.06) that the lease of the Cornish Ivy winebar in Liskeard is up for sale, less than 12 months after the business was opened. There may, of course, be any number of reasons why someone's ambitious new venture is already likely to be changing hands but if it's because the people of the Liskeard area were voting with their feet – ie they didn't really want another licensed outlet – perhaps it's time for the authorities to consider the most appropriate future for such a prominent building in the town centre. The Cornish Ivy is probably better known as Jack's nightclub but I can go back further than that to when it was a cinema before Ken Allen re-opened it as the Carlton nightclub in the early 1970s. Now, I'm not suggesting for one minute that the good people of Liskeard really want to see a nightclub established again in the heart of the town, with all the noise and late-night nuisance implications which may follow. But what about a cinema? When everyone was talking about redeveloping The Bubble on the eastern edge of the town there was talk of a bowling alley and small cinema going there, too. I think I may have even added my name to a petition in support of the project. But as we now know, the redevelopment went ahead without any of those much-needed recreation facilities being provided. But now there may be a real opportunity to get a cinema back in the town and, perhaps, even a bowling alley too. What does anybody else think. Do we want another nightclub, a winebar or a cinema? I think Summer Holiday with Cliff Richard was the last film I saw there – and even that still beats the rubbish we were served up on the box for Christmas TV!

COLIN JOHNS Looe