Readers' Letters - March 26 2009
Readers' letters from the March 26 issue of the Observer.
Lavant gravel decision: a victory for common sense
Thanks to the hard work by many Chichester citizens, the arrogant and presumptuous Tarmac planning application was kicked into touch.
The case put forward by all the objectors was reasonable, well researched and expertly presented.
The spokesman for Tarmac had no justification to offer except his company's requirement.
The victory for commonsense was despite the West Sussex County Council planners who actually recommended the application should be allowed. An amazing conclusion after it became clear in the debate several big flaws had been overlooked.
We are used to council planners telling us they must favour large business requests, but their remit includes 'testing the practicality and environmental acceptability' of minerals sites and processes.
I intend to write to the head of the appropriate department at WSCC asking for an explanation of the planners' stance. I encourage the hundreds of objectors to do the same.
RP Gould, Roman Way, Fishbourne
I am writing on behalf of the RAGE (Residents Against Gravel Extraction) committee to thank all those who have backed the campaign against Tarmac's plans for extracting and processing gravel at Lavant.
Those who have written letters (more than 450), signed petitions, attended meetings and contributed funds have played a vital role in getting the application rejected.
The turnout at County Hall was a great boost to the RAGE speakers at the meeting and reinforced to councillors the extent of opposition to the Lavant quarries and to the trucking of aggregates through Chichester.
We do not yet know whether Tarmac will appeal against the decision. If they do, your help will be needed again. But for now, many thanks.
Tim Rooth, Orchard Street, Chichester
We wholeheartedly congratulate the RAGE team chaired by Cllr Mike Hall and supported by county councillor Louise Goldsmith, and all who helped in encouraging the county council planning committee to reject overwhelmingly the Tarmac gravel extraction and processing plant proposals.
These proposals were astonishingly recommended for acceptance by the county planning officers.
The professionalism of all who spoke against the proposals and the triumphant victory of commonsense over outdated government targets were a delight
to see.
Chichester and district have been saved from proposals that would have industrialised the Lavant Gap with a huge area of noisy and dusty machinery and light pollution from structures three storeys high which would be used for more than 15 years while a very-much-extended gravel extraction area was being worked.
We would have watched the peaceful village of Lavant being degraded and many residents suffering 12 hours per weekday and Saturday morning working.
Lavant would have taken a share in the huge number of lorry movements heading for the city, adding to the traffic congestion and high levels of pollution already identified, and with no consideration given to the effect on traffic volumes because of the regeneration of the Graylingwell and Barracks sites.
How could the hospital's A&E department be accessed quickly during the working day?
There would have been a concern for the quality of our water supply.
We can only hope we have saved a large area of outstanding natural beauty for future generations so close to the north of our historic city.
Gillian and Michael Berry, Summersdale
Lavant Parish Council would like to thank county councillor Mike Hall for his dedication and unstinting hard work over the past two years in opposing Tarmac's application to extract and process gravel at Hunters Race.
As a local man, he has galvanised the opposition to this proposal and been instrumental in ensuring the people
of Chichester can continue their peaceable enjoyment of this beautiful area of the countryside.
Graham Kelly, chairman, Lavant Parish Council
What a resounding victory for commonsense and well-organised community action!
Well done to the county councillors and RAGE protesters whose vigorous campaign led to the planning refusal for Tarmac to extract sand and gravel north of Chichester.
This demonstrates once again how an effective, well-organised, professional community campaign can and will lead to the right result.
As a one-time campaigner against an oilfield near Pagham Harbour – yes! – I know full well the sense of joy and relief all those residents will be feeling. I am sure there is much celebration in Lavant!
However, let's try to keep a balance in these issues – not all development is bad, and as one who served as the project manager in a major canal restoration in the west country, I found Tarmac plc, and the same manager, Steve Lamb, most helpful and supportive.
This Chichester scheme was clearly not appropriate or well conceived and the impact on transport, the countryside and landscape too great.
Chaloner Chute, Penwarden Way, Bosham
Good project - but what's happening?
We bought into the new houses adjacent the Southern Gate on the basis of the exciting plans to refurbish this part of the city, to be a showcase for all that is best about Chichester overall.
Indeed, plans to replace the old and rather decrepit post office and the Osborne site with attractive new facilities could only be described as imaginative and thrilling. Well done, so far, Chichester District Council.
Subsequent progress has been slow, with understandable economic delay in removing the current eyesores, but sadly other factors have also intruded and brought the overall project to a staggering halt.
Firstly the attractive trees along the water's edge of the canal have been chopped down, since they were apparently diseased (in spite of some very healthy stumps showing still), the Section 106 money promised to refurbish the canal basin has not materialised – and needs to be spent by the end of this month, or we lose it (come on planners), and finally the decision has been taken to massacre all the other trees which currently stop the houses on the northern Wharf side of the basin glaring into the windows of the houses to be built on the southern side.
This removal of healthy green trees, at a time of emphasis upon climate change, can only be described as the work of vandals.
It is not enough to promise tiny new saplings will be planted once the site is built. Adequate growth will not be achieved for ten years.
I very much hope the district council will stick to its vision and save our trees (any builder worth his salt can build round mature trees), but even more immediately, take a decision on spending the 106 refurbishment money, by March 31. Come on chaps!
Terry Knott, Wharf House, Chichester
Open-door policy is wasting energy and money
I was pleased to note the comments by Cllr Andrew Shaxson about open shop doors.
I co-ordinate the eco group at St Paul's Church, Chichester, and for several months we have been considering the issue of shops' open-door policy. By leaving their doors open, not only do shopkeepers waste precious energy, they also waste their own money, heating their shops only to allow the heat to escape.
We have spoken to some local shops whose responses tend to fall into three categories:
* It's company policy (larger shops);
* Research says it increases footfall (medium shops and chain stores);
* We leave the door open only if weather permits (smaller independents, where every penny counts).
Shops which insist on open doors in winter are more than happy to close them in the summer and promote themselves as fully air-conditioned. Maybe they could adopt a 'fully-heated' sign and shut their doors all year round.
The group has written to the chamber of commerce to find out their viewpoint but have failed to get a reply.
Kathryn Manouch, Kent Road, Chichester
Baths plan in hot water
I understood Chichester District Museum was being relocated from Little London to be rebuilt on the Tower Street site behind A&N specifically so it could be placed above the Roman Baths site to provide a sort of additional visitor attraction for the city.
There are fears that, according to the plans at least, the new museum will not now be built over the Roman hypocaust system – or even substantially located above the Roman baths.
It is destined to merely straddle the remains of an underground wall, located immediately next to the existing A&N wall (almost opposite the bench by the library entrance, for those who visit the area regularly).
If the museum is not going to give visitors a means of seeing whatever is left of the city's Roman baths (through the sensitive use of walkways, glass bottom floors, spotlights etc), what on earth was the point in moving it in the first place, and at a cost of so many millions of pounds?
Aidan GW Turnbull, Chichester
Pets shouldn't have more rights than our children
It was always inevitable the new dog-control order proposals for Hotham Park would stir up claims of the council being out to deliberately persecute dog owners and their dogs, and I have read with great interest the various claims and conspiracy theories being thrown around in recent weeks.
I am a massive fan of dogs, having grown up with numerous breeds since I was young child. I am also a massive fan of children; I have my own and I was one myself once and I certainly preferred to learn English and maths at school rather than dog awareness (as suggested by one misguided reader last week). I feel there is perhaps a slight danger we are forgetting where our priorities should lie.
While I understand dog owners are indeed an important group of users for Hotham Park, should we not be putting the welfare and wellbeing of the children and families in our society before that of our canine friends?
Let's be realistic here. The council is not banning dogs from the park completely, but merely attempting to put in place controls that will hopefully result in a more child-friendly park.
Hotham Park is a wonderful facility to have on our doorstep, and somewhere children should be allowed to play, roam, explore, learn, create and exercise without the
fear of marauding dogs and their associated deposits jeopardising this opportunity.
It is a sad fact most parents feel inclined to join the scores of other families safely sectioned off in the very nice but often very busy play area where our kids can run free safe in the knowledge they are caged like sheep and the dogs cannot enter.
The pro-dog faction argue their pets will not be able to exercise properly on a lead, but unfortunately now our streets and any small area of grass within 20 yards
of a residential area seem to be off limits to children thanks to the 'no ball games' generation and boy racers who drive around at frightening speeds, so places like Hotham Park are invaluable in so many ways for both the physical and mental health of our children.
I know those responsible owners will undoubtedly feel a sense of injustice at this proposal and I can understand their desires for having adequate space for dogs to be able to exercise in (a point which has been raised several times and I am sure will be given full consideration following this consultation), but are some of them selfish enough to think their pet has more rights than a child?
In an ideal world the irresponsible owners whose large and aggressive dogs bound around the park as if it was built for them and defecate everywhere would be brought to justice by the swarms of council enforcement officers waiting behind every tree.
However, this will never be the case because local authorities simply do not have the resources to police this district 24-7.
The answer? Perhaps those people with no sense of self-responsibility or respect towards others will stop and think about how their actions affect the lives of others.
Maybe then the council could actually change things for the better rather than having to waste their time and money dealing with the actions of these selfish morons.
But then again pigs (or should that be dogs?) will fly.
One final note for those who have been all too quick to criticise the supposed disregard for conservation within Hotham Park. If you actually taken the time to look at and consider the information on the restoration works, you may have noted the considerable efforts to introduce a huge number of native and non-native tree species, shrubs and plants into the park, not to mention a conservation pond all designed to encourage biodiversity.
Yes, trees have been removed, but for legitimate and well-considered reasons and not just because someone felt like it.
Oh, and the reason why there is an over-population of squirrels, crows and rats in Hotham Park? Because nave people feed them enough bread and nuts to feed a small army at a time.
God forbid if the council ever tried to do something about it – the crow and squirrel appreciation society would be up in arms quicker than a dog off a lead!
J Spencer, Annandale Avenue, Bognor Regis
I was one of those who attended a meeting of the local councillors where they were going to debate this proposal. Before the meeting, we were treated to a presentation on global warming and ways each person could reduce their carbon footprint.
Should Arun, who are always urging us to recycle to save the planet, go ahead with their proposal, the majority of dog owners who use the park to exercise their pets will be forced to make car journeys once or twice a day for 365 days of the year to find an area where their dogs can run freely for the good of their health.
How does this square with reducing our carbon footprints?
We don't want to use our cars daily for this purpose, but we will have no other choice. Surely Arun should be scrutinising their proposed and past legislation to ensure it doesn't lead to increasing carbon emissions and, if it does, the proposals should be rescinded for the good of the planet.
After all, we are supposed to be pulling together to try to defeat this problem and Arun District Council should be leading the way.
Valerie Brown, Walton Road, Bognor Regis
It is also proposed to stop dogs going on the green by the beach huts in Felpham. Why are the majority punished for the minority?
People who let their dogs roam unattended and do not pick up after them will not abide by these rules, so it just means responsible dog owners are being penalised.
Why doesn't the council worry more about catching cyclists riding on the pavement and dog owners who let their dogs foul and then just walk away and leave it for someone to tread in?
Linda Jackson, Brunswick Close, Felpham
Gas bill is no laughing matter...
The winter gas bill came rattling through the letterbox last week and when the wife and I opened it we almost had an apoplectic fit. The gas supplied certainly wasn't laughing gas because the total for the three months to March 13 came to a staggering 373. 70, the biggest utility bill we've ever had.
British Gas, however, no doubt embarrassed by the size of the bills they are sending to customers, went to extraordinary lengths to explain how the bill was made up and it made sobering reading in the middle of a recession.
One of the big surprises was the actual cost of gas represented only two-thirds
of the 373.70 total.
The additional third, about 135, comprised a 20 per cent slice which went to the government in the form of corporation tax, a staggering 19 per cent for delivery to the house, some eight per cent to service a customer's account (even though we read the meter ourselves), five per cent VAT, some two per cent government obligation
to the environment and two per cent profit.
We realise generous chancellor Alistair Darling sends all us lucky old pensioners a winter fuel allowance, but it doesn't take
a genius to work out he is simply giving us back our own money.
There was, however, a nice little coloured leaflet, a kind of anaesthetic, with the gas bill, telling customers their new style of bill was 'refreshingly clear'. It certainly was.. You've got to laugh, haven't you?
George Campbell, Barrack Lane, Aldwick
Take a tip from Chichester
Have Arun planning been to Chichester recently?
Chichester is a vibrant town centre without a food store in sight. In fact, Sainsbury, Lidl and Tesco are a much greater driving distance from the town centre than those proposed plans for Bognor.
If I am doing my weekly food shopping the last thing I want is to wander round other shops trailing bags to get household goods from small shops. I would rather make another journey at my leisure to a place with reasonable parking charges, such as Chichester Cattle Market – 3 for the day!
Is this just another case of 'Do not give Bognor anything they might like'?
Moira Minns, Norbren Avenue, Bognor Regis
Words will never hurt me? That just isn't the case
I read with interest the article about Tony Colpoys' campaign against political correctness. I am surprised someone of Tony's education doesn't appreciate the power of words.
While the sentiments of the old rhyme says 'words will never hurt me', I have grasped the reality words do construct meaning – and the use of inappropriate words convey inappropriate meanings, distorts our thinking and even reinforces prejudice.
That is why Chichester District Council, and others, are seeking to ensure the words they use counter the undertones of prejudice contained in so much of our language.
Many of the words and phrases we use have their roots in a very different age to that in which we live today.
Thankfully ours is a much more diverse and disparate society – that is why language should change to reflect the changed social environment. Sorry Tony, Sir Galahad died a long time ago!
I am concerned Tony Colpoys should take any comfort from the support he received from the Campaign Against Political Correctness. A quick glimpse at that website will reveal John Midgley, one of the co-founders, questions the validity of the Macpherson enquiry into the Stephen Lawrence case.
He considers this highly-respected report, which identified serious shortcomings in the handling of that case, is an attack on freedom.
Most serious political and academic commentary does not question the veracity of the Macpherson report, only that perhaps it should have gone further in its recommendations and that it is not being implemented rigorously enough.
I would suggest if the use of language had been honestly reviewed earlier in our history, then the enquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence would have been conducted more professionally – and perhaps those who murdered Stephen may not have been brought up with the prejudice that so tragically ended this young man's life.
Tony Sneller, North Street, Petworth
Pothole repairs are waste of cash
It is my experience in the Fernhurst-Midhurst area the so-called pothole repairs being carried out are ineffectual because they are not being done properly.
The workmen merely fill in the hole with cold tar, don't bother to flatten the profile of the hole and most certainly do not use hot tar to seal the edges.
As a result the traffic very soon tears the tarmac from the hole and the problem re-occurs.
The council merely erects warning signs advising of an uneven surface ahead.
Idleness, incompetence or don't give a damn – I wonder which cap they should wear as they waste our money?
RBK Lines, Chesholt Close, Fernhurst
Come along and see some living history
Eleven children at Fernhurst Primary School have been taking part in an exciting new project and are looking for your help.
Changing Estates is a heritage project exploring the living history of 20th-century housing estates in rural areas. It has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is being delivered by the charity Action in rural Sussex.
In Fernhurst, the focus is on Napper's Wood, and we would like to invite you to drop in to Fernhurst Youth Club on Saturday, April 4 between 10am and midday, where you can see an exhibition the children have put together using their research so far and perhaps be interviewed about your memories of the area, by one of the young researchers.
There will be refreshments and a chance to find out more about the project, including information on the new online museum being developed for this project.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Zo Ganderton, project officer, children and young people, Action in rural Sussex
Spring success
The Petworth NSPCC committee would like to thank everyone who supported their spring fair in the Leconfield Hall on Saturday, March 7 when 935. 25 was raised.
We are delighted with this amount, which will be used to help children and families in the West Sussex area.
We shall be holding an autumn fair on Saturday, October 2. Thank you again.
Chris Hirons, treasurer, Ann Blunden, secretary, Petworth NSPCC
Stay in the picture
If you're preparing for a spring clean of your finances, it's a good time to make sure that, if you're over the age of 75, you're claiming your free TV licence.
Anyone who is eligible simply needs to contact TV Licensing on 0844 800 5875 with their name, address, date of birth and national insurance number. The licence covers the applicant's main home.
Joanna Pearce, TV Licensing, London
Thanks
On behalf of everyone at St Wilfrid's Hospice I would like to thank the Observer and all the readers for the wonderful support you have given to our Hospice at Home appeal.
The number and range of Blue Days held was beyond our expectations and we are delighted the appeal has raised more than 7,000.
As we approach the launch of our new Hospice at Home service in May, we are looking forward to extending the care we already give to those who need it most in our community.
I know the local people we help and those who care for them will be incredibly grateful for the way in which our community has already embraced our new service.
St Wilfrid's Hospice at Home will cost 300,000 during the first year and we look forward to meeting the challenge of raising the funds to deliver this addition to our high-quality services. We continue to need the invaluable support of our local community and thank you all for your commitment to our work.
Alison Moorey, chief executive, St Wilfrid's Hospice, Chichester
We would like to thank the public for their generous donations to Amnesty International during our street collection on March 14. The grand sum of 325.27 was collected. There were no expenses and the total sum will be used for the work of Amnesty International.
Jilli Webber, River Street, Westbourne
On behalf on The Rotary Club of Bognor Hotham, may I wholeheartedly thank everyone – especially the children – who gave so generously when our illuminated Christmas sleigh toured the area or was at Manor Nurseries, Tesco or Jordan's. Despite the credit crunch, we achieved a record, collecting more than 6,700.
Thank you so much.
If you are a member of a school, club or society or are personally endeavouring to raise funds for local good causes, contact our secretary Ian Butler on 079736 34836. If you would like to know more about our Rotary Club, which meets most Tuesday evenings at The Royal Hotel on The Esplanade, Ian will be pleased to chat to you.
Norma Hemmings, chairman of fundraising, Bognor Hotham Rotary Club
Arun Roller Skating Club would like to thank everyone who helped raise 700 for Comic Relief on Saturday, March 14.
Well done to you all!
David Bidwell, Felpham
What do you think? Click here to send a letter or leave a comment below.
Click here to go back to Chichester news
Click here to go back to Bognor Regis news
Click here to go back to Midhurst and Petworth news
To tell us where in the world you are reading this story click on the link below to add yourself to our readers' map.
MAP
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Chichester
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South west
