We have already lost key parts of our history with the loss, for example, of all remnants of the "Bestyett" bottling plant, the Honest Lawyer public house, Blubber Creek and other places of renown, and are at risk of losing more. Friars Walk is a pleasant lane yet already the vicarious crows of prosperity are gathering to ruin yet more of the environment.

It is a tragic discovery that the council, who should have our interests at heart are not acting in our best interests in how this area holds its identity.

Norfolk County Council and the police on the other hand go out of their way to communicate with the people of the Friars. It should be the same with all agencies.

When the council do engage, they are less than transparent in their dealings. This turns upside down the master servant relationship.Not good for democracy.

Bestyett pop factory. Part of King's Lynn industrial heritage: the site of the old Bestyett bottling plant, awaiting construction of houses and flats. Beneath this site lies archaeology going back to Saxon times. Medieval history lies in abundance according to surveys completed here.

Greenland Fishery sign The Friars Community Group is indebted to the Norfolk Community Foundation for their support and assistance. We encourage all struggling community groups serving the wider interest to contact them for help.

The surprise is not that a Friars Community Group exists, but that it has taken so long for one to be formed. With a heritage under threat and having lost so much, and with the recent challenges facing the town in the form of a now defunct Marina and housing scheme, the economic climate, the low economic profile of the town, the NORA Project, an increasingly diverse population, a declining NHS and a police force fully stretched, there is much to be concerned about.