Readers' letters - March 22

This Test Track plan needs to be rejected

I have lived in Midge Hall for 65 years and would like to give a personal view regarding the Leyland Test Track Development. I would like to put forward my objections to the gross over-development that doesn’t resemble the SRBC local plan (adopted July 2015).

The test track needs developing but should be done as laid out in the SRBC Local Plan. The plan outlined a specific area for 750 houses and a substantial area for industrial use and access via Titan Way only.

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This application is a million miles from the 2015 plan and when overlaid on the local plan shows large areas of green corridor and green belt, together with accesses onto country road Longmeanygate, that will be completely decimated.

The industrial area has been reduced by 70 per cent and replaced by houses, thereby reducing employment opportunities.

Residents were only made aware of the master plan on November 4 on a flyer from Coun Michael Green.

On his flyer he voiced his concerns regarding access onto Longmeanygate, number of houses and loss of industrial space.

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I know numerous concerns have been sent to SRBC regarding the above points with no changes whatsoever.

Why was the increase in the number of houses – from 750 to 1,200 – and the two additional accesses onto Longmeanygate allowed? Why SRBC is selling Paradise Park? I thought this would belong to the local residents. A park in the hands of a developer, I think, is the ultimate nightmare.

I don’t understand why this is purely developer driven and there is no dialogue with the local residents.

I know there are Government guidelines to build a number of houses and I would think 750 is a good contribution, but it doesn’t say at the cost of the quality of life to the residents or putting huge numbers of additional traffic onto a country lane already under severe pressure. Please come to the planning meeting this evening (March 22) at 6pm, at SRBC West Paddock, Leyland, to support residents in getting this application turned down. If it goes through at this meeting, the consequences will be dire for years to come.

John Ward

via email

heritage

Chapel is Heart of the Home

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No doubt most people are now aware that the wonderful Residential Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor is up for sale and the sisters themselves will be leaving Preston very soon.

The sisters first arrived in England in 1881 so there has been an unbroken period of over 140 years.

The Little Sisters of the Poor are themselves an ageing congregation, and there is also a dearth of vocations to the religious life.

All very sad and the sisters will be greatly missed.

But first, we need to pay tribute to The Little Sisters of the Poor and their magnificent work of caring for the aged and poor, mostly from the Preston area and the vicinity around, along with not a few from further afield.

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The love, care, kindness and hospitality, shown by the sisters, have been unique. It was in fact the desire of so many elderly people that they may have the opportunity to end their days at the Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, where they knew they would be lovingly cared

for.

Who or what organisation may take over the home?

It was April last year when the Mother Provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor in England, Ireland and Scotland visited the home and made the announcement to both residents and their relatives about the news.

This announcement was a bolt out of the blue to staff, residents and relatives, along with a number of others, and there was a mixture of sadness and apprehension about what might be the outcome.

There was also indignation and concern.

After listening to the Mother Provincial that evening in April, when she was questioned, all she could say was that “every effort” would be made to find a “suitable organisation” that would continue running the home in the way it has been run for so many generations.

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The question was raised about continuing the Catholic/Christian ethos, in particular, the beautiful chapel, where tens of thousands of residents and the public have worshipped daily over the generations.

It may be said that the chapel is at the very heart of the Little Sisters Home.

Since the initial bombshell, Mother Provincial has visited the home on several occasions in an attempt to pacify certain “rumour-mongers”, making the sale more difficult.

She has insisted, from the beginning, “not to listen to rumours and horror stories” but the backlash continues.

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On her most recent visit this week, and for the very first time, she referred to a potential “buyer” or at least the initials of what or whoever this might be, as being “very interested indeed” and attempted to give the staff reassurance about their future.

The “potential buyer” is certainly not what was expected after the promises in the initial announcement!

Perhaps the most disturbing matter is the information given by the Mother Provincial that, in the event of the potential buyer taking over, the beautiful chapel (described as the heart of the home and a very holy and historic building) will no longer exist but will be adapted for other purposes by the aforesaid “potential purchaser”!

Methinks it’s time for the Little Sisters to have second thoughts.

Name and address supplied

showbiz

Nobody listens to actor luvvies

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When I switched on the TV the other night, I was confronted with a recording of the greatest disaster to face the human race since the downsizing of the Wagon Wheel.

I write about the Oscar Ceremony.

To see the skin-stretched, nose-jobbed, rear-enlarged, breast-enhanced ‘luvvies’ squirming about on stage when their ‘Love-in’ fell apart was nearly as satisfying as listening to Jeremy Corbyn defending the last by-election disaster.

Nothing is more satisfying than seeing and hearing grossly overpaid nonentities making complete prats of themselves when they fall flat on their faces.

President Trump, you may be lacking in diplomatic skills, but you don’t have to worry about what the “I weigh my fee in dollars not count them” actors and actresses think about you.

Nobody listens to

them.

Bernard Darbyshire

via email

politics

How will Labour fund things?

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I was going to nominate Mr Corbyn for a knighthood because since he has headed the Labour party, Barry Freeman has been extremely quiet about politics but, alas, he is on the bandwagon again, churning out his hatred of the Conservative party and so I have decided that a knighthood would not be in order (LP March 20)!

Whilst Barry is entitled to his opinions, all I would like to say to him is this, instead of whinging about the evils of the Conservative party all the time, tell us why the Labour Party is so wonderful and explain to me how they are going to fund all the things that they say they would do without bankrupting the country – as they did last time they were in power.

“Living in awe”

via email

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