Readers' letters: Turn former Lancashire hospital site into country park

The wildlife is incredible, with many varieties of birds singing, squirrels abundant, deer crossing through, rabbits and hares scampering around, and ducks gathering around the pond.

The whole site has a vast number of trees and would make a wonderful country park for the enjoyment of the people of Lancashire, being just six miles from Preston city centre.

Homes England has tried for years to get developers interested in a huge housing development but to no avail as the cost of developing brown field sites does not interest them.

Taylor Wimpey has built 125 houses on a greenfield site and has no further interest in developing it further.

Covid-19 has taught us

we need local areas for exercise instead of travelling vast distances.

So now is an ideal time for Homes England to hand the site over to a conservation body to preserve our heritage and make a country park for which Lancashire can be proud of instead of ruining a natural habitat for wildlife.

Peter Watson

Goosnargh

DEFENCE

We don’t want more noise

One of the few benefits of lockdown has been the relative peace and quiet.

The Royal Air Force Typhoon Display Team, one of 10 RAF display teams, has cancelled its programme due to the pandemic.

Yet the RAF said it has “already started planning for the 2021 season” and vowed to bring “noise louder than ever before”.

What planet is the RAF on?

It’s certainly not in tune with the British public, which won’t want taxpayers’ money spent on more noise.

The Defence Secretary needs to take a close look at the RAF and ensure it is fit for purpose – front-line defence, not fun and games, not showing off and noise.

Lester May

via email

retail

Spending

more locally

Re: Shop Local campaign. I love your reports which are very good and always upbeat.

As a councillor for Overton in Great Harwood, I have been a great advocate of getting local people to seriously spend more money locally so the local businesses will benefit.

Whilst realising supermarkets are a necessity, we can all spend more at local butchers, cafes. cake shops, chippies, pubs and so much more.

Hyndburn Borough Council is launching a massive campaign for people to spend locally.

The great thing is it intends to use local councillors to constantly share this message and, vitally, it is politically non-partisan, with neither party setting out to score points against the other.

All towns can benefit from this brilliant campaign.

Patrick Mcginley

via email