Readers' Letters - May 14 2009

Readers' letters from the May 14 issue of the Observer.

Time to appreciate going green means action, not words

Well done Mr Dunn for taking the initiative and installing a renewable energy generator in the form of a wind turbine.

Chichester council has spent thousands of pounds of public money on promoting renewable energy through the printing of leaflets, brochures, sending out expensive information packs, employing staff and attending shows and exhibitions.

More tax payers' money is spent in this case by making mistakes indicating Mr Dunn's home was in a conservation area. Next they don't have the common sense or decency to check out Mr Dunn's turbine on a windy day, as he requested. They have now decided it would be harmful to the area without checking out the full facts.

Whether this council likes it or not, renewable energy is here to stay. We are the windiest country in Europe and we should make good use of this free, clean and green energy source.

We all know we are being ripped off by energy companies and Mr Dunn has done something about it. Save money and help the environment – that's the best incentive when it comes to tackling climate change.

Wake up Chichester council, do the job we pay you to do and stop pretending you are green. (You don't tell the public that your quarterly newspaper sent to every home is printed hundreds of miles away in Wales when it could be printed locally!).

Providing Mr Dunn's wind turbine is not constituting a nuisance to his neighbours, then what is the problem?

Robert Lee, founder, The Climate Change Challenge

I found the article on page three of last week's Observer rather disturbing. The council has ordered a householder in Sidlesham, who has gone to all the expense of putting up an energy-saving electricity producing windmill on his property, to dismantle it.

It seems it is in a conservation area.

We are continually told to save electricity and all the other things produced from the earth's resources. We are told the more electricity we can produce from the sun's energy, or the wind, the better.

We are also told we should avoid causing air pollution as much as is possible.

If you have ever seen one of our massive power stations in operation, you will see just how much pollution the production of electricity can cause. This windmill in Sidlesham produces no pollution. It is one of the reasons why the government has given the go-ahead for the building of more wind power stations.

All this sort of thing comes under the headings of conservation and green.

Our council considers itself to be green. That's what it tells us, anyway. However, when it comes to the actual point, they obviously have absolutely no idea what is meant by it.

M Holmes, St Pancras, Chichester

Terrible choice - why not develop barracks?

I read, with some alarm, the article regarding 'planned self-contained accommodation' for 310 students on the vacant site of the former Girls' High School in Stockbridge Road.

This site is in one of the most congested areas of the city with its only access on to Stockbridge Road, one of the busiest roads into the city.

It lies south of the railway with its only access to both college or university via the level crossing, which closes two or three times an hour in the morning and afternoon, causing considerable delays.

And, incidentally, it is also surrounded by an area of warden-assisted flats devoted to many of our retired residents, many of whom have chosen an area which is quiet.

In short, it would be difficult to have chosen a worse site.

There are many letters on the council's planning appeals file, all dealing very forcibly with the objections shown above, but a more useful approach would be to try to suggest an alternative site for a very real need.

There are actually two other vacant sites which could have been suggested – Graylingwell and the Military Police Barracks. Both lie north of the railway and are adjacent to both the university and college.

They are both owned by government departments and, knowing the national need to make provision for ever-increasing student numbers, they should not be subject to crippling auction (such as if they had been owned privately).

The ideal of these two sites would be the former barracks. There is ample space for the planned blocks of self-contained flats, possibly even for future expansion, and ample space for vehicle parking.

There is also space for recreation within the site and it also adjoins the rugby club's playing fields, the theatre and tennis courts, where many of us often sit out on summer evenings.

In short, the site could have been designed for the benefit of students.

Why was it not suggested earlier by either the college authorities or the planners? Could it be the city hoped for a higher profit from a private developer?

Which is morally more important?

JR Brigg, Stockbridge Road, Chichester

My only concern would be the availability – or non-availability – of parking at the site.

Whoever takes on the development should ensure the number of parking spaces is adequate for the number of students who would be living there.

The ideal ratio would be parking for two vehicles for every student – that's one bay for them, plus one visitor bay.

Lesley Bell, East Wittering

The planning committee turned down the last proposal for the High School for Girls site because of the volume of traffic, some 98 cars, which would be generated on to the busy Stockbridge Road.

Now the new plan for student accommodation proposes no car-parking facilities at all, except for 11 visitors' spaces.

How can anyone imagine young people, having passed their driving test, would not want to have their own car? This is their first priority.

If there is no provision for parking, the adjacent streets and every other available spot will be used.

This proposed huge development for some 400 students is out of scale, in size and lack of parking. The planners should refuse this scheme and demand something less overpowering.

R Brundle, Stockbridge Road, Chichester

We're old codgers and proud of it

What a sad life Maribel French must have led not to have a laugh out of two little words – the 'biddies' and 'codgers' used by the taxi firm offering older residents cheaper fares.

I expect she would have taken offence at Terry Wogan's TOG (Terry's Old Geezers).

It's a pity she cannot find something worthwhile to do other than knocking on people's doors trying to discredit a worthy and useful service.

Good luck to the firm – after all, she does not have to use their taxis.

Mrs LM Cook, High Street, Selsey

I felt I had to write in support of Area 24/7 taxi cabs and minibuses. What a wonderful advert but how sad a person must Maribel French be to take such offence at what is obviously a very tongue-in-cheek advert.

When my sister was born 83 years ago, the midwife who delivered her said to my mother 'what a lovely little biddy' and she has been called Biddy ever since. It is a term of endearment, not insult.

I have spoken to her about the article and she was very amused and not insulted at all.

I only hope no-one takes action about the advert and leave Area 24/7 alone to carry on the good work and service they provide to the local community.

In the present economic climate, with all the doom and gloom that is surrounding the country, how petty can one person be?

Mrs French must be a very lucky person to have only this to worry about! Unfortunately, people like her give the rest of us elderly population a bad name.

Mrs R Allen, Chichester

I agree with Maribel French and can well understand her upset.

I have just returned from Dubrovnik in Croatia where all the generations live together. They have respect and love for the older generation, and we found the locals friendly and helpful in spite of very different languages. Their country is very beautiful and they have suffered hardships in recent years.

Sadly as a nation we have lost a lot of our true values but we must keep a sense of humour.

However, as a senior myself, I was horrified and maybe someone will offer Selsey a better taxi service.

Mrs V Wood, Henty Gardens, Chichester

Hay Fever catches a cold...or perhaps not

The Chichester Festival Theatre undoubtedly deserves congratulations on the recent transfer of Richard Eyre's production of The Last Cigarette to the West End. Sadly, however, the production of Noel Coward's Hay Fever did not build on this success.

Phil Hewitt's critique in the Observer included a comment on a 'turgid' first act which had sent a population of the audience asleep. I can confirm things had not improved when I visited the theatre.

There is no denying there was a distinct improvement in the second half, noted by the Observer critic and myself, but on both occasions the first half was notable only for its general dreariness.

It is undoubtedly true the characters as written by Noel Coward are vain, egotistical and thoughtless. However, they have a vitality and energy which stops them being objectionable.

The cast, led by Diana Rigg, picked up on this in the second half, saving the production from what seemed to be certain failure.

However, it was a close call and a failure early in the season would have negated The Last Cigarette's success.

It was also irritating the actors were at times having to cope with other members of the cast either deliberately, or accidentally, obscuring them at critical moments.

The stage obviously has its limitations for this style of comedy but they are surely not insurmountable.

Ironically, another Coward play was being presented at Brighton's Theatre Royal by the Kneehigh Theatre Company in an approach which is intended to appeal across the generations.

Sadly, Hay Fever did not attempt to rise to this challenge, which is critical for the long-term success of the theatre.

RB Jago, Wellsfield, West Wittering

I think the Observer critic who wrote the somewhat negative review of Hay Fever at the Chichester Festival Theatre must have been watching something different to the rest of us, we thought it was excellent (yes, even the first act), and judging by the audience reactions throughout the play, and the enthusiastic applause at the end, everyone else did too.

Mary Cameron, Chalk Lane, Sidlesham

A mystery explained...

Tossing and turning with the chance of any shut-eye relegated to that of a welcome stranger, my mind grappled with the big problem in life that effects everyone of us without exception.

A problem which currently defies all logic or the means by which this blight on our lives can be put to bed.

Why do people leave dog poo dangling in little plastic bags from the branches of trees?

For what it is worth, my eureka moment arrived the other night and I now sleep easy – the answer to my concern has at last gained entry to my tortured brain box.

Abandoned dog poo is seized upon, one must assume, in the middle of the night by non-dog owners and then displayed in prominent fashion, all the better to remind our canine friends that pooping is out of the question until production of a doggy bag can be assured.

Goodnight and sleep well.

P Williams, Southover Way, Hunston

We're zero carbon and green, so cycling road tax isn't the answer

D Maltby of Pagham is demanding cyclists pay road tax. I hate to disillusion this correspondent, but there really is no such thing.

Those who keep a vehicle used on public roads pay vehicle excise duty. It is paid directly into central government revenues with no direct correlation to the upkeep of roads.

Local highways are maintained by the county council, using money collected from council tax (which many cyclists pay). Motorways and special projects receive central funding.

The level of duty pre-2001 vehicles is based on cylinder capacity, so my lungs would count towards that, I suppose.

Post-2001 it is based on emissions with some vehicles paying nothing. Well, as a cyclist produces a small amount of CO2, exemption should beckon.

And vehicles pre-1973 are also exempt.

Seeing as the engine on my bike was made some time before that, I get another let-off.

D Maltby should also note that, like many other adult cyclists, I have a vehicle excise duty disc in my car. But my car stays on the drive while my wife and I both cycle to work.

Jasper Richmond, Highland Avenue, Bognor Regis

Perhaps D Maltby could explain how extorting road tax out of cyclists would make them realise how road safety is important?

Surely correspondence from cyclists, including myself, in recent weeks confirms cyclists are very concerned about safety on the road.

I might share D Maltby's concerns about fluoridation of our water supply if this were a revolutionary initiative by Portsmouth Water Company, not merely an extension of the practice operating both in other parts of this country and around the world, following extensive medical research.

Medics also recommend adult humans should drink several litres of water daily, but experience shows total immersion is fatal, while dehydration encourages the human mind to hallucinate.

Don Lambert, Cardinals Drive, Pagham

D Maltby is missing the point. He and I, as motorists, are paying vehicle excise duty because my car, like his, is pumping out pollution into the atmosphere. The bicycle emits zero.

We are also wearing the road out with our cars. The cycle could hardly be said to be wearing out the road surface.

The amount of space the bicycle takes up on the road is negligible compared to the car. Park a bike in the kerb and the traffic still flows; park a car and the traffic flow is obstructed.

The car also pollutes the roads with lubricants it drops – the same cannot be said for the pedal cycle.

He'd like to see a bicycle MoT. Well, that's quite a good idea judging by some of the things I see while I am cycling.

But any number of these people are elderly, too, and their bikes look and sound in dire need of some maintenance.

So we then move on to other elderly road users in their electric buggies, wandering all over the public highway. Are they insured? What road awareness tuition have they received?

No doubt D Maltby would like to see these also taxed, insured and subjected to an MoT.

A number of quad bikes hurtle around on the public highway with no registration plates, etc. One would assume these should also be on the list.

I quite agree tuition for children isn't enough. A recent report states the UK has the 17th worst road safety record for children's road safety out of 24 western-world countries.

I did see cycling road tuition being delivered to some children in Walberton and can only applaud the task they were undertaking.

Michael Flanagan, Pagham

All these extra homes will destroy community

The masterplan document prepared by Hallam Land Management for Arun District Council sets out three potential options for the development west of Westergate.

The main purpose of the plan is to improve access to the Bersted development and Bognor Regis, by means of an A29 Westergate bypass.

It is claimed this relief road with its two primary access roundabouts and three secondary roundabouts – so-called arrival points – will transform communications on the north-south link between Bognor Regis and the A27, and relieve traffic through Westergate.

How building 2,500 houses around Westergate and improving the link with Bognor Regis is going to reduce traffic flow is not explained, especially with the planned housing and commercial developments at Littlehampton and Angmering and congestion problems with the A259, as well as a further 900 homes distributed round the villages.

A great deal of this extra traffic will involve lorry movements wanting access to the A27, with its notorious bottlenecks at Arundel and Chichester, and distance from motorway links.

Options 1 and 2 provide for a business park at Oldlands Farm to the south of the area, together with a community hub, a new primary school, public open spaces and play areas and SuDS – sustainable drainage systems – or ponds.

Option 1 provides for 1,500 housing units, within the relief road and to the north of Nyton Road and joining the A29 on Fontwell Avenue just north of the war memorial, with the balance of the housing built in Eastergate and Barnham.

Option 2 reduces the housing build to 900 units and cuts out development north of Nyton Road, but linking the relief road to a new roundabout at Crocker Hill, to which, it is claimed, the Highways Agency has agreed. The hope is the Oldlands Farm business park will provide sufficient employment obviating the need for further commuter traffic either by car or train – unlikely.

Option 3 is a smaller-scale development of 400 units behind Meadow Way in Westergate and linking up with Hook Lane in Aldingbourne.

This option involves the destruction of two houses in Meadow Way for improved access, without any additional facilities.

The masterplan also claims it will 'deliver a sustainable mixed use urban extension that effectively integrates into Westergate'.

It would be more correct to say 2,500 homes, with the additional infrastructure, will destroy the homogeneity of Westergate, Eastergate and Barnham for ever.

Other claimed benefits such as 'a new medical centre, an enhanced high-frequency bus service between Westergate and key local centres, ie Bognor Regis and Barnham railway station (with its existing parking problems) supporting economic growth and local employment, as well as exploiting opportunities for synergy between existing educational establishments and an enterprise centre encouraging small start-up businesses' – unlikely.

Rational thinking would seem to indicate large-scale development to the north-west of Bognor Regis in the Bersted area would harm the regeneration of the town and divert employment and funding elsewhere.

It is also claimed the relief road will provide a fast and effective route from the A27 to the heart of Bognor Regis, the new business park and the expanding retail area – clearly fanciful.

In conclusion, Option 1, whether modified or not, as outlined in ADC's Options for Growth, and apparently the most favoured, is, in the view of Hallam Land Management Ltd, dependent upon the construction of the so-called Westergate relief road, funded by the building of a large number of houses and consequent infrastructure within Westergate and Aldingbourne parish.

This is clearly to the detriment of Westergate, Eastergate and Barnham as a whole and is being strongly resisted by the parish councils concerned.

Michael Hutton, chairman, Eastergate Parish Council

Hallam Land has made a mockery of Arun's carefully-planned public consultation process for the Local Development Framework, so Mike Turner is right to call on behalf of the Villages Action Group for a further six-week consultation for Aldingbourne residents.

Without this Arun has no alternative but to reject Hallam's proposals, because Hallam has undermined local democracy in submitting the plans without opportunity for comment when those fighting other options have been able to challenge developer plans.

Readers should know not only did Hallam fail to consult, they had to be shamed into providing Aldingbourne Parish Council with more than one copy of their masterplan.

A quick read of a borrowed photocopy showed the masterplan is completely at odds with Arun's core strategy, which rightly has sustainability at its heart.

They don't even bother to make a sop to reducing carbon emissions, but credit where credit is due: Hallam is honest enough not to pretend old-fashioned plans for a by-pass, 1,500 houses on open countryside and 3,000 more car borne commuters within view of the South Downs National Park have anything to do with sustainability or tackling climate change.

Nevertheless, everyone in the villages should take these flawed proposals seriously because Hallam hedges its bets with a pitch for 400 houses under Option 1.

The problem for the landowners, Henry Adams and the Bognor Vision Group (an apt title for the short sighted) who back this masterplan is they are now tainted by Hallam's cynical lack of respect for Arun's consultation process.

Will they be brave enough to support the need for further consultation?

Will they stand up in public in Aldingbourne with Hallam and defend their actions?

Will Nick Herbert MP put 'awkward in-depth questions' to them, as Cllr Smee says Mr Gibb did with the Church Commissioners?

Will Arun respond to VAG's request, please?

Louise Beaton, Nyton Road, Aldingbourne

We need short-stay free parking

As a Rose Green resident, I was glad to see the issue of parking has been raised.

I applaud Roger Tampling and PCSO Nick Baker for starting to tackle the issue.

A very valid point is raised in the lines painted on the roads are very faint and do need repainting so everybody can be clear where they can and cannot park.

However, the installation of concrete bollards would be a sorry waste of money. All this would achieve is to move the problem further down the road and up the side streets, until all our pavements are armed with concrete posts.

The problem I have found is where to park. A parade of shops needs parking, and this must primarily be for customers to the local businesses.

The sad truth is that without the support of the customers, there would be no local shops or services.

I have spoken to many people who do not use Rose Green shops because there is no parking. The solution is free parking, as we have now, but for a limited time only.

I believe no-one would spend more than two hours in the village to do a complete shop.

A car parked outside the newsagents (for example) all day denies many others the chance to stop, and use the shops and services.

Surely no trader in their right mind could argue with this because it will increase footfall in and around their businesses.

While employees may have to park further from work, this will safeguard their jobs if it allows more trade in the village, and perhaps a conversation with local churches may provide a solution to this.

This would generate enough parking to satisfy the needs of those who are currently forced to be 'parking offenders' by removing the real parking offenders.

Christian Lowry, Rose Green

More warders could help stop dog-fouling problem

It's true to say whenever my wife and I walk along the Bognor seafront, there are always dogs off leads and the inevitable fouling that is caused by these free-roaming 'pets'.

Unfortunately the blatant disregard for other people, whether it be dog walkers who do follow the rules or those of us who just wish to enjoy our environment without having to consider the danger of loose dogs and their fouling, has led to this ban.

However, whatever is decided, there will always be the few who continue to have a blatant disregard for anybody but themselves.

So can we please see more wardens actively enforcing whatever rules are imposed.

Gary J Mason, Camberley, Surrey

I would like to correct a statement in the Observer in which I am quoted as saying the dog training club is happy with the council's proposal to allow only dogs on leads in Hotham Park.

This is incorrect. What I actually said was I agree the other 'lead areas' are sensible, meaning places where children are playing or those areas which are crowded in the park.

I was under the impression the 'lead areas' in the park would be restricted to specific areas in the park and not to the whole park.

Saying this, people should use their discretion about where they let their dogs off the lead and not just let them run wild.

Hilary Sykes, secretary, Bognor Regis & District Dog Training Club, Felpham

I would like to take issue with a comment in the Felpham Life magazine.

There is a comment from Felpham Parish Council regarding King George V playing field. According to the paragraph, there appears to be a 'concern regarding the number of dogs running around the field off the lead and some owners appearing not to be picking up any mess left behind'.

As long as my animals do not harass other park users or other dogs, and I continue to fastidiously clean up after them, I will continue to exercise my dogs off the lead within the field.

While I appreciate not everyone is a dog lover, I am surely within my rights to allow my dogs to exercise off lead in the park as long as I continue to be a responsible owner.

Unfortunately, I see many owners allowing their dogs to foul the field (and streets) and walk away without clearing up.

Most dog owners, like myself, find this as repugnant as everybody else.

Mrs Thompson, Outerwyke Gardens, Felpham

Fly tippers and litterbugs ruining our beautiful common

Several years ago I took on the voluntary task of monitoring the rights of way and open access of Midhurst Common.

I was astounded by the amount of litter and rubbish which had been dumped on the Common, so decided to take on the challenge of clearing and improving the area.

Together with a small and loyal team of helpers, over the past four years, we have cleared many hundredweights of rubbish. On our twice-yearly litter clearance days, undertaken under the banner of Friends of Midhurst Common, Chichester District Council has assisted, through its voluntary parish litter clearance scheme, by collecting the items and bags of litter we accumulate.

However, sad to say, on our spring clearance day at the end of April, a considerable number of items were discovered under trees in an area behind properties adjacent to the Common. The items consisted of builders' planks, plastic flower pots, buckets, foam cushions, some chain-link fencing and what resembled the drum of a washing machine.

We also found a window frame with the glass broken and jagged.

In another area are large stones dumped from a collapsed wall. The dumping of garden rubbish is also a big problem.

This constitutes fly tipping and all these items could and should have been disposed of at the local amenity tip.

It is very sad this lovely area should suffer such abuse and this sort of dumped rubbish cannot be blamed on youngsters.

Unfortunately, because of modern thinking, litter will continue to be a problem, but there are facilities available to dispose of such items, without littering Midhurst's own personal open access area.

I would like to express my thanks to all the helpers who have worked hard and have been, and continue to be, supportive in clearing litter and being instrumental in the vast improvement of the appearance of Midhurst Common.

It is important we all show responsibility to care for and respect this area of Common land by helping to keep it clear of rubbish, so walking there can be a pleasurable experience.

Mrs J Hicks, Fox Road, Easebourne

Forget 'tribal' issues - look at bigger picture

So Cllr Smith wants the 'sacred cow' of free parking in Midhurst and Petworth to be tackled' (Midhurst & Petworth Observer, April 30).

Cllr Smith represents Lavant and surrounding villages and one is led to wonder how many times he has visited these two fine towns and whether he has ever spoken to business people in them.

Politics at times seems to be getting ever more like African tribal arrangements, with every politician looking only at the needs of his own 'tribe', even to the detriment of the wider district.

Has nobody ever noticed what has happened in other similar-sized towns around the country?

Councillors feel parking is a useful 'cash cow', especially if it does not apply locally to their representation.

They are then surprised when residents say 'no thank you' to parking charges and travel to shop at that nice big supermarket with its free parking.

Local shops with their highly-individual service then either close down or move elsewhere. In response, astonished councillors say that, of course, they had to cover the costs so 'there was no alternative'.

Councillors may feel responsibility to only their own very local area. However, not all Midhurst and Petworth business people live in those towns.

Although the payment of business rates does not grant the right to vote, traders do have a vote where they live and can take account of the attitude of any councillor when it comes to using their vote as a private resident.

Geoff Pocock, Lavant Workwear, Midhurst

I register my incredulity at the frequent illegal parking that goes on in Pound Street, Petworth.

Despite the existence of a perfectly-good car park within a minute's walk of the takeaways in this street, it would appear many locals and visitors are simply too arrogant and lazy to use it.

This impedes traffic flow through the town as there is only room for one-way traffic when cars are parked along here. The other day I saw a bus struggling to get past a lorry that had pulled up for fish and chips.

There is also noise and air pollution caused by traffic having to slow down.

I know from local sources hardly anyone has been ticketed along here and it is rare even for drivers to be asked to move on.

If our traffic wardens are not capable of enforcement in this area, why doesn't WSCC put bollards in to prevent this anti-social behaviour? Let's keep Petworth civilised.

Matthew Cooke, Toronto Road, Petworth

It is to be hoped the county council in its traffic improvement scheme for Petworth will consider the situation in Grove Street-Grove Lane.

The lower part of Grove Lane, a single-track unclassified former farm lane, has become more and more used as access to the surgery, library and as a rat-run into the town.

Every type of goods vehicle uses the lane despite a small notice at the Haslingbourne Lane junction saying it is unsuitable for heavy vehicles.

The very largest articulated lorries are to be seen two or three times a week.

Residents are unable to park off-road because of walls and high banks. The result is damage to vehicles and even one write-off.

The lane is now being used as a bus route following access difficulties in Byworth.

The white bollards in Haslingbourne Lane might be better used to restrict large vehicles entering Grove Lane. At present they provide a good sight line for motor cyclists to travel even faster.

D Simpson, Grove Lane, Petworth

Charity needs to show support

I am quite shocked at having just found out Canine Partners are 'dropping' Allen Parton. I was seriously thinking of becoming a Canine Partner volunteer, having only heard of them because of Allen's book about Endal.

Allen and Sandra have raised the profile of Canine Partners and dedicated 12 years of their time to the charity.

Because the exceptional, beloved Endal has died and EJ taken his place, this is no reason to treat Allen this way.

They should support Allen and EJ, and the fact he belongs to Allen and not them, and that Sandra had the knowledge and initiative to choose and buy her own dog that had all the characteristics to become a suitable assistance dog, actually took pressure off the charity, as they didn't have to find or fund a partner for Allen.

Canine Partners should cut the red-tape nonsense and support EJ as if he had been bought and trained by them.

I hope Allen does set up his own charity and if he does so, I know which one I will support.

Sue Holden, Hopgarden Road, Tonbridge

Please keep supporting cancer appeal

A while ago the Observer featured my wife, Isabella Stephens, as one of the faces of the appeal for funds for the new Cancer Care Day Unit at St Richard's Hospital.

Sadly she recently lost her long battle with leukaemia but was passionate in her support for the appeal so others could benefit from the new facility.

Throughout her treatment we were in awe of the quality of the care provided by the staff of Ford Ward, the haematology ward at St Richard's. A quite exceptional standard of nursing was dispensed with great concern and compassion. We are fortunate to have such commitment available locally and I believe we need to ensure the facilities provided match the level of medical care.

Please continue to support the appeal. Cheques, made payable to St Richard's Hospital Charitable Trust, and marked for the Cancer Care Day Unit Appeal, may be sent to St. Richard's Charitable Trust, Freepost (SCE 1529), Chichester, PO19 6BR. Or just call 01243 831799 to donate.

WA Stephens, Oldhouse Lane, Coolham, Horsham

To the point...

Presumably we are not the only ones to receive our official poll cards for the European Parliamentary and West Sussex County Council elections individually enveloped and posted first class all four members of our household.

As the elections are not until June 4 there is no immediate urgency and second class would have allowed more than enough time for us to prepare ourselves to vote.

The cost of this inefficiency is unbelievable when multiplied by the number of people on the register.

Who is the person responsible for organising this huge mailshot?

Jill Hayward, Walberton

I have read the various complaints about the lengthy queues at Chichester post office for stamps.

Spare a few minutes and walk down South Street to the Tourist Information Centre – we sell stamps for UK, Europe and worldwide, and even those for businesses using large-letter stamps.

You will also be amazed at other services we offer – telephone cards, photocopying, fax, theatre tickets, car-parking vouchers, day excursions, tickets for special events both locally and afar, not forgetting our complimentary services regarding local events and attractions.

Helen Wassell, Tourist Information Centre manager, South Street, Chichester

G Gray (Observer letters, last week) speaks as having recently moved here and feeling committed to vote off those councillors responsible for fortnightly rubbish collections.

Might I humbly suggest if this matters so much to G Gray, then the choice might have been made to move somewhere else; somewhere with a more acceptable household waste disposal policy. Whatever flies your kite...

As a 'blow-in' myself, I generally consider it prudent for newcomers to wait a bit before rattling the bars of the cage. I don't believe there is a community in the world that likes noisily to be told how to do things by recent arrivals, however impassioned their conviction.

Michael Whyte-Venables, Chidham

While sympathising with letter writer W Brewer, who complains about the anti-social behaviour of young people in Selsey, just blaming parents is not going to resolve the problem.

What is needed is a co-ordinated approach, since society as a whole is responsible for the children it produces.

In particular, schools have a vital part to play in teaching the values upon which good behaviour is based, such as respect, caring and co-operation, with schools and parents working together and supporting each other by instilling these values both at school and at home.

Churches can also help by conducting school assemblies for worship and sharing their moral values with the children.

In addition, local councils have an important contribution to make by providing more leisure facilities for young people, as a means of channelling their energies in a positive and creative direction.

Rev John Brown, Manor Way, Middleton-on-Sea

The hatching of four healthy peregrine chicks this year is great news but I was sorry to hear from the RSPB representative in the Cloisters Cafe Garden there was not enough spare RSPB cash to fund the webcam already in place in the nest.

Apparently it costs about 500 to host and run the live cam and it would have brought many visitors to Chichester last year – visitors to the cathedral viewing the live cam probably had a coffee or meal while they were there too, thus bolstering cathedral funds.

Perhaps a collection could be co-ordinated on behalf of the RSPB to fund the hosting of the webcam.

Rosie Hanbury, Cocking, Nr Midhurst

I notice (Observer, April 30) our local fire service is now the proud owners of a second motorcycle.

Why do we, the tax payers, in difficult times, have to finance the purchase of these machines which are of no use whatsoever in the role of the service?

Moreover, what qualifications do these officers hold to preach road safety to the motorcycling public?

Road safety and advice surely comes under the role of the police.

The new motorcycling test has almost put a stop to applications of new riders anyway.

Proper training by qualified instructors is the only answer, not firemen swanning around at our expense with no real brief other than to show the flag.

As a motorcyclist of 40-plus years, I thought I had seen it all. Bet you 1 you won't see them out in wet weather or October to April (a little like the police, then!).

Alan J Green, Clydesdale Gardens, Bognor Regis

I spoke at the planning meeting to point out Barnham Parish Council had every intent to reinstate the football pitch on Murrell's Field, and that the field could actually accommodate two football pitches and a cricket table.

As the time was short, I was not able to elaborate why the original pitch had been removed from the field.

It was for safety reasons, as rabbits had dug holes in it. It is our intention to reinstate a pitch near the hall as soon as possible.

With respect to where everything is sited on the field, due care and attention was taken of the relative position and distances from residential properties to minimise any possible problems that could be caused.

Mike F Young, chairman, Barnham Parish Council

Having read the article about the cars going along the High Street in Bognor Regis, I fully agree the signs are too high.

I looked at them this morning coming into work (I work in the High Street and every day see cars coming through the wrong way), and what is needed is a proper red no-entry sign – that way, nobody should go through it.

You don't see many people in other areas or roads go into a no-entry signed road, so why can't we have one here? I wouldn't think it costs that much money to supply and erect.

I do at times purposely walk across the road if I see a car coming along and just stand there and point up at the sign.

Most times they do stop, look up and then go along Bedford Street, but obviously you get the rude and ignorant drivers who just look at you and drive straight on.

I now intend to telephone to report these drivers as it does infuriate me.

Joan Williams, Oriel Close, Barnham

As a frequent visitor to the Bognor Regis area, I am always interested to see and hear what is going on in the town and surrounding villages.

I was horrified to see notices along the A259 indicating the scale of the proposed development and then to hear at first hand the details at the exhibition.

But then the notices disappeared.

So what are they scared of? Democracy?

I noticed a number of other notices remained in place throughout the weekend before someone puts forward the 'distraction argument' by way of justification.

What is going on down on the coast? Or is local government just a sham in West Sussex, and in Arun in particular, with the powerful few doing what they want to do and the poor electorate, while thinking they have a voice through their councillors, nothing could be further from the truth?

Joy Hawkins, Purley Oaks Road, Sanderstead, South Croydon

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