Readers' letters - August 10

Please may I ask you to consider including an article in your newspaper relating to our ongoing battle to beat profiteering developers and landowners.

There is a small piece of green belt between Slyne with Hest and Bolton-le-Sands (GB4), cherished by local residents.

It is the only thing preventing our two historic villages from merging and forming an ever-expanding suburb of Lancaster. Over 1,100 local residents signed a petition. The area received the most letters of objection of any in the last consultation and the issue was raised by Mr Morris in Parliament.

Our council chose not to include GB4 in its draft Local Plan, yet local council planners are reconsidering its development potential due to representations by developers and landowners.

Why, when there is a wealth of land without green belt status around our city, is the former under threat?

Pound signs, not public opinion are seemingly the order of the day. Surely this is democracy at its lowest ebb?

The Government wishes to champion a bottom upward approach to planning, yet the voice of ‘little people’ is constantly quashed by companies armed with top-notch barristers and advisers, the Sutton Coldfield green belt being a tragic example. Grassroots planning is a fallacy serving only to heighten and then dash residents’ hopes.

Lesley Bryan

Save our Villages
Save our Green Belt Campaign Group

footpaths

Risk of parking on pavements

Parking on footpaths has become a widely-accepted practice, even though it is a threat to pedestrians.

As it is an offence to drive on a public footpath, then drivers parked on footpaths must have had to break the law to be there.

Drivers seem to be more concerned that their vehicles are not hit by other vehicles than they are for pedestrians, especially the elderly, disabled or children, either walking or in pushchairs.

The vehicles block the pavement access for wheelchair users and for prams.

Pedestrians should feel safe on the footpaths and not be constantly threatened by vehicles mounting the pavements to park.

Parking properly on the road, on the other hand, does in fact have a beneficial effect as it slows down the other traffic.

It also means damage is not done to the footpaths which are not designed for heavy vehicles.

After all it is we, the council tax payers, who foot the bill for this unnecessary damage.

Janet Porter

via email

tourism

Airport chaos for tourists

The chaos at airports throughout Europe appears to be targeted at British holidaymakers under the pretext of anti-terrorist security.

Is it an attempt to make us believe this will be the norm after Brexit?

The solution is simple: on the same basis of anti-terrorist precautions, every French, Spanish, Italian, German and Eastern European lorry coming into the UK through Dover, Portsmouth and Plymouth needs to be unloaded and checked.

How long before the Spanish farmers, German industrial giants and French hauliers put pressure on their governments to relax the airport restrictions?

Derrick Bond

Address supplied

heritage

Looking for information

As part of a heritage project, the Preston Seventh-day Adventist Church on Grimshaw Street, Preston, is keen to hear from anyone who may have any information on the history of this listed building (pictured).

The building has previously been used by the Congregational Church. In 1972, as a result of the national union with the Presbyterian Church, it

was renamed Grimshaw Street United Reformed Church.  

There are plaques displayed in the church from the Great War and we would love to hear from any relatives of the names displayed on these plaques. 

Memories of time spent in the church or school hall would also be very much appreciated.  

Please contact Jabu on 07889 366967 or email prestonsdachurch

@gmail.com

The Preston Seventh-day Adventist Church will be sharing with the Preston community the findings of the research in various forms – Facebook, drama, video and a permanent mural painting.

Carol Love

via email

society

Gender fluidity and pensions

So the Government is to promote gender fluidity, allowing people to ‘present’ as whichsoever gender they wish.

I think they might be well-advised to wait until after 2020 – the year in which age qualification for the old age pension becomes the same for men and women.

Otherwise, I think there might be quite a few men who wouldn’t mind being women for two or three years in order to draw a pension they wouldn’t otherwise receive!

Neil Inkley

Walton-le-Dale

community

Don’t blame EU, it’s down to you

One of the dreams of Brexit was that people wanted to re-establish a sense of community in their neighbourhoods.

Locals taking pride in their parks and open spaces, resulting in less litter and dog mess.

“Rule Britannia”, “Take Back Control”, “Heartbeat England”... call it what you like.

Yet I am disappointed to see that individuals are not responding to this call of duty.

Come on, people!

You can do it, for Queen and country.

With less money going round, it is now time to prove that you mean what you say.

Look after your neighbourhood, your street, your park.

We cannot blame the EU this time.

It’s down to you.

Danny Piermattei

via email