Residents should not foot repair bill

I too am a resident on Main Street. I wrote to North Yorkshire County Council to address the matter of repairing the roadway.

I suggested that it was the Council's responsibility to make good the severe damage that has been caused to the roadway by these so-called "rat runners". I received a response from Mr R Marr, divisional engineer at North Yorkshire County Council, who says that, as he is not directing traffic over the roadway, it is not his responsibility to repair it.

It is as a direct result of the road works on Main Street that the adjacent private road is being used by the great volume of traffic that it is.

I would say that, on an average day, around 10-12 vehicles use the road. On the day I wrote to the council I counted 87 cars, 32 four wheel drive vehicles, 12 vans, two tractors and even a lorry (the road is narrow and has an L shaped bend in it!).

I also mentioned in my letter to the council that, because of the poor condition of the road, my car is being damaged every time I use the road to gain access to my parking area, to which Mr Marr responded that the residents should affect repairs as soon as possible to avoid third party claims.

This is outrageous. So the residents should not only pay the costs of the repairs to the road, but should also be responsible for repairs to the rat-runner's vehicles whilst they are damaging the road?

In closing, I make this plea: Would people please stop using the road to the rear of Main Street, Cross Hills to bypass the traffic lights.

If the county council continues to refuse to put right the severe damage that has been done as a result of the roadworks orchestrated by them, it will be the residents who have to pay, which is unacceptable.

Chris Cowie,

Main Street, Cross Hills

Calling cards

SIR - On Sunday I took my horse for a ride up Scot Gate Lane from Conistone. It was later in the afternoon and most of the walkers had come down from the tops.

Although it was a murky afternoon, the views one gets from going up that lane are superb and so they were - until I went through one gate and my eyes fell upon someone's lunch remains. Two crisp packets carefully tucked into the wall (so obviously done intentionally), two cola cans, a pile of orange peel, bread crusts and an egg - hard-boiled I presumed. It was disgusting.

The paths have only just been re-opened and already we have this mess. Will someone explain why people who obviously love the countryside as they are walking through it cannot see how they insult the land by leaving such litter behind and how they spoil other people's enjoyment of the land?

Perhaps we have to ask the national park wardens to place litter bins at every "could be" picnic site. Surely that defeats the object of walking through wild land. Any ideas?

Jane Pighills,

Conistone with Kilnsey.

A hole-y mess

SIR - Are we ever going to see an end to the endless nightmare that is the constant digging up of Skipton's Broughton Road? We've now had road works every month for a few months.

Whether it's the council, or the gas company, it's really tee-ing off the people who live down Broughton Road. When the road is up there's a constant queue stopping us getting into town, or going to work, it's even reached the outskirts of the town on weekend days, blocking the ends of all the streets downstream from this mayhem. Why do we pay council tax? Because we have to!

Nic Foxton,

Pendle Street, Skipton.

Impressive hospital

SIR - Whilst on holiday in Yorkshire I broke my ankle and had to go to the Airedale Hospital Accident and Emergency department.

I was seen promptly and efficiently and was most impressed with the treatment I received there, both in the X-ray department and while in ward 10 following an operation, where I was nursed with care and skill by all the staff. My consultant anaesthetist and the registrar who carried out the operation were all courteous and went to great lengths to make sure I was as comfortable as possible.

Having read an article in the national press about the food served at Airedale, I considered it was exceptionally good. As a southerner, I have nothing but praise for those I encountered during my stay.

Rosemary Dean,

St Leonards Road, Amersham.

Housing fears

SIR - Your correspondents' comments (Craven Herald January 18) on the planning permission in Long Preston makes disturbing reading about the council's approach to planning applications.

In Embsay, the tannery is relocating. The site it currently occupies covers a large area including, on Pasture Road, three dams, a public footpath, a wooded valley and a landscaped landfill site. Many people walk on Pasture Road as a pleasant route to the reservoir, passing the 17th century Manor House, which overlooks one of the dams. They bring their children to feed the various ducks on the dams or admire the other wildlife which abounds. It is altogether a picture of a rural idyll.

Few people are likely to miss the tannery buildings and offices and indeed there has been a mill of some sort on the site for about 150 years. However, rumours abound - bolstered by the obvious surveying and marking out of the area - of suggested plans for 54 houses on the site and for the tannery dams to be drained, presumably to facilitate them, although no planning application has been made.

In this day and age, it is seen to be perfectly acceptable for companies to maximise their assets usually by selling for housing. It is then acceptable for the builders to make as much profit as they can by building as many houses on the site as is possible.

In some cases, this can improve an area where a factory is redundant - the centre of Skipton is a good example where the factory site in Lower Union Street has made a nice residential area.

But Embsay is not central Skipton. When and if a planning application is submitted, it should be seen as beneficial to the village and not just to the owner and the builder. It should take account of the additional pressure on services, e.g. the primary school, roads, etc, which in time adds to the pressures on Skipton services, e.g. secondary schools.

But importantly, the dams and the existing rural scenery should be preserved. Perhaps as part of the '"planning gain" the applicants could consider allowing the village to have the dams with a suitable trust fund for maintenance. A great responsibility rests on the planning officers, councillors and members of Craven District and the National Park.

Regrettably, your pages show that in the face of commercial pressure they do not always appear to be as robust for their communities as the local people expect them to be.

I hope that with this matter, when they have an application to consider, I can be proved wrong.

Miss JM Robinson,

Pasture Road, Embsay.

Editor's note: Mr Robert Brookbank of Brookbank Industries said that "any development proposal is likely to be restricted within the site of the existing tannery buildings and the intention would always be to retain the dam in its current form and to safeguard and enhance the visual amenity of this important area of Embsay.

"The company appreciates this will be a sensitive proposal but is confident that the scheme ultimately proposed for the redevelopment of the site will greatly enhance what has now become a redundant heavy industrial site on the edge of this attractive residential village".

Same old excuses

SIR - Yet again an article in your paper (January 25) whereby the council is defending its inability to grit "low priority" roads.

We see similar articles, with the same arguments, two or three times each winter. North Yorkshire County Council reckons to spend £1 million more than the Audit Commission suggests. Could this be because gritting is carried out when it is bucketing down with rain, as on Monday January 14?

We, the council tax payers, could all contribute to this argument and quote similar sightings but I personally fail to see why, at around 6 o'clock in the evening, the gritters are pounding their way through the town centre when there is so much traffic that it is immediately dispersed.

With such volumes of traffic the frost would not have any effect on the road anyway. Any feeble attempts at justifying these actions will be immediately contested in favour of gritting "low priority" roads.

Bob Wright,

Raikes Road, Grassington.

Dangerous flood

SIR - The £25,000 granted to Cononley for flood defences is welcome.

However, I would draw your attention to the fact that the main body of the village is above the river and was at no risk from the floods in autumn 2000. There are 19 houses in Cononley at river level and only 11 of these were affected - those on Aireside.

There was devastation that night and we were refused evacuation, although young children were involved, and it was a dangerous situation.

It is interesting that we received no approach or offer of assistance from Craven District Council. I wonder if this has anything to do with the persistent rumour that the sluice gates on the canal were opened that night in order to save Skipton?

Mrs Carmel Reynolds,

Aireside, Cononley.

Diseased trees

SIR - With reference to the article in the Craven Herald regarding the proposed redevelopment at St Stephen's School, a statement attributed to Dr Nolan was made that trees were being cut down at Ermysted's school grounds to make way for its new building.

I wish to point out that the tree demolition was the removal of an elm tree which had Dutch Elm Disease and was taken down for health and safety reasons. Furthermore, it was not on the proposed site of the proposed building. All the trees in Ermysted's grounds are subject to preservation orders and no action can be taken without the consent of North Yorkshire County Council and/or Craven District Council.

K Oxley,

Clerk to the Governors,

Ermysted's Grammar School.

Village neglected

SIR - Long Preston does not want new houses. Hellifield has had over a hundred houses, flats and towers built in the last few years. We have had more than our fair share.

We have had problems with our electricity supply for years. We were told we needed a new sub-station but have not got one.

The Poor of Gargrave Trust owns the Black Horse pub building. It is an eyesore and if it was in Gargrave they would soon get the brewery to sort it out. We want a pub back please, no more flats.

Steeton says the bus fares have gone up for the children to get to the grammar schools. Hellifield is not even in the catchment area even though we pay our taxes to Craven council. If you do get a child in for A levels we have no passes - or buses.

Cononley has been given an Environment Agency grant for its flooding. Hellifield gets nothing, our village hall and surrounding houses flood.

Kettlewell doesn't want new toilets. Hellifield would love it if our public toilets were refurbished.

Hellifield is ruled by the railway. Fences, walls, embankments and land surrounding the station make the village untidy.

Lancashire Highways rules the state of our roads. All Hellifield gets is a big motorway sign in the middle of the path telling you how to get to Skipton.

Our village is friendly, outgoing and neighbourly. It may not be a pretty village but it would look better if all the services and Craven District Council could remember where we are. They have put things off, blamed foot and mouth, last year for not mending things. But this has been going on for years - please can we have some action.

Frances Sample,

Midland Terrace, Hellifield.

Careers success

SIR - May I, through the pages of your newspaper, convey my thanks to everyone who supported the recent "Choices 2002" careers convention.

Thanks go to the Hanover International Hotel for the venue and to Skipton Careers Centre for their help in promoting the event. I would like to extend thanks to our exhibitors, such as Outward Bound, Army Careers and the Library Service and especially Skipton Girls High School and South Craven for their attendance with displays and information.

Finally I thank everyone who turned out on such a foul night: The event was visited by over 300 people, from East Lancashire, Craven, the Aire Valley and Ilkley, looking for advice and information on post-16 education and careers options.

This was the first time Craven College has organised such an event, in an attempt to promote the wide range of post-16 education and career options available in the Craven area. It may not have included all the providers we would have liked and the message might not have reached everyone, but there is a consensus of opinion that agrees that such an event has been sorely lacking in Skipton. Hopefully, future assistance from the Learning & Skills Council might enable the event to be extended and developed far beyond the means of the college alone.

One thing is clear: Choices 2002 was a success and Craven College, in collaboration with its many partners, intends to provide the same opportunities of choice in the future.

Alan Blackwell,

Principal,

Craven College, Skipton.

Double support

SIR - In response to Mr Abbey's letter concerning the road repairs that are required on station road, I should like to agree with him for two reasons.

Firstly, and most important, is that he is correct on all accounts, although I have not actually counted the catseyes, these repairs should be done for the benefit of all road users.

The second reason being that summer is on the way, heralding the return of the morris men and far wittier contributions to the letter page from the pen of Mr Abbey as I am sure we can all remember!

R Younger,

Badgergate, Threshfield.

Radical building

SIR - What a wonderful, radical, yet forward-thinking plan for the new Ecology Building Society head-quarters in Silsden.

One would have thought that the local planning committee, as custodians of our land, resources and heritage, would have welcomed such an ambitious and responsible project.

Well the plan has eventually been passed, albeit with certain conditions, but with one vote against.

Why? Martin Leathley's comment that the new building will make the area become a "theme park" is an insult to the integrity and sincerity of the architect and the board. In case you failed to grasp the concept, Martin, this building minimises pollution and uses recycled materials.

The council should be giving out grants for this type of construction, not putting obstacles in its way.

Barry Inman,

High Street, Sutton-in-Craven.