Why bother if local views are ignored?

It has now been rearranged for October 31 (Hallowe'en, when I'm sure people will have better things to do so do not expect the turnout to be great).

PC Wayne Smith, the community safety officer, is putting two post boxes in the Broughton Road area to find out the community's wants and needs, following a poor reply to an earlier audit. There is funding available.

But is it no wonder people don't bother, because when they do their voices are completely ignored anyway?

At last week's planning meeting, an application was approved to build 31 low cost houses on the Marton Street site in Skipton. This was after an earlier refusal two months beforehand.

This approval was despite the fact that petitions from the local residents totalling 400 signatures were submitted.

The community has been crying out for Marton Street to be developed into a recreational area for the past two years. Now they are to get 31 low cost/Housing Association homes in an area already saturated with low cost homes. They were so close to getting funding to buy the area themselves. However time ran out.

Ah - but it was in the local plan, I hear people shout. Yes, in fact for the entire area of Craven, 25 per cent of the low cost homes were allocated in the geographically smallest ward in Craven and the statistically poorest.

Surely that cannot be right?

The Local Plan recommended 40 per cent of the low cost homes on this site. We got 100 per cent.

The Local Plan recommended 200 per cent car parking places on this site (ie two spaces for each house). We got 100 per cent.

The fact that Craven has already met its allocated housing needs from windfall sites was ignored.

Yeah, and there is still funding out there.

However, after argument, the good old developers are to provide 0.15 hectares of recreation space.

Hands up those who know how big 0.15 hectares are? The wool has certainly been pulled over the planning committee's eyes. Indeed 0.15 hectares is smaller than half a football pitch. So the children can't even have a proper game of football, let alone cricket.

Ings School will continue to have to bus the children to another part of town and of an evening, residents will still have ball games in the street.

At the last minute, the developers threw in a £3,000 sweetener to purchase flashing lights on Broughton Road outside Ings School. Not even five per cent of the children who attend the school live on the other side of the road. Still better than nothing, eh?

Meanwhile, the developers are appealing over the first refusal and may appeal over the latest decision. So we may not even get our 0.15 hectares.

Ironically, two days after the planning committee made its decision, the Government announced a £6.5 million scheme to transform derelict land into parks and public open spaces.

Regeneration Minister Sally Keeble, stated that the 'People's Places Award Scheme' will provide grants to reclaim disused or run down land.

Yeah, there is funding out there alright, but looks like we are to late. Never mind.

Coun Paul English,

Skipton South West Ward

Lack of interest

SIR - Single issue public meetings, on the reorganisation of North Yorkshire Police service and the foot and mouth disease control by culling have filled Skipton Town Hall and even its car park respectively.

Another public meeting, to plan the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in Skipton, only attracted a handful of interested individuals.

Last week the district council's Skipton and West Craven area forum, at Craven College Aireville campus, hit rock bottom when no "member of the public" turned up.

The chairman simply cancelled the meeting.

Skipton and West Craven's lack of interest in the district council and their public service partners, North Yorkshire police and county council, is deplorable.

The other area forums generate much more interest from the villages.

I implore the Skipton and West Craven residents to attend their area forum when it is rearranged later this year. The post office's campaign catchphrase "use it or lose it" springs to mind.

The area forums should be retained and expanded.

You (the readers) can ensure they continue and are not "cancelled through lack of interest".

Eric Jaquin,

Princes Drive, Skipton.

Horror stories

SIR - It is not only the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle line who are appalled about Arriva! Anybody who relies on their trains to go to work has stories to tell.

People in Ribblesdale who use the service early in the morning every weekday complain that trains are cancelled without notice.

However, these complaints are given short shrift - customer care seems an alien concept to Arriva.

In the past, the Craven Herald has also highlighted the problem of dangerously low platforms along the line.

We were promised by Arriva, in writing, that all conductors would, in future, inform passengers at each of the low-platform stations that assistance was available.

So far I have to hear of one instance where this announcement was made! Despite express instructions nobody bothers to carry them out.

The Settle-Carlisle line offers a bare bones service at the best of times. Stripping further trains from the timetable will lead to further alienation of passengers.

Instead of promoting such a valuable asset Arriva continues to drain the lifeblood out of this wonderful line. Yes, they ought to be stripped of their franchise.

Let somebody else who knows how to run trains, take over the line.

Wilf Fenten,

Selside,

Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

Train poser

SIR - When is a train not a train?

When it's a bus! Is there a train driver in the carriage?

Wendy Milner,

Church Street, Gargrave.

Lay-by call

SIR - Driving regularly to Skipton from Settle, I can't understand why the council don't make a lay-by at Coniston Cold, just before the bridge.

The shape is there, but all grass, making it just a waste of space.

It would get rid of the bend in the road, making it safer over the bridge.

Mrs F Hall,

Kendalmans, Giggleswick.

Break in the Dales

SIR - I write at the end of a busy, fun packed four weeks for 12 children from Belarus and their host families in and around Settle.

The Settle Friends of Chernobyl's Children would just like to say a big thank you to all those who have helped us to make this another memorable visit for the children.

Along with all the fun they have also been able to breathe in lots of fresh Dales air and eat some good healthy food, and now they have gone back home equipped with vitamins and good warm clothing for the coming winter.

We are most grateful for all the gifts of money and clothing that we have received during this year, in spite of much local hardship, and for all the kindness and hospitality shown to the children during their stay.

We particularly thank our good friends at Giggleswick School for all their financial and practical support, and also the staff and children at the local primary schools, the Rotarians, the WI and many others.

Our special thanks this year to the Skipton Police for their invitation, which became a highlight of the visit for many of our visitors.

We had seven new children this year and several new host families. It was also the last visit for another four of our regulars, so we are looking forward to welcoming more new faces next year.

If you think you might be interested in helping in any way with the work of the group, please come along to the AGM at the Settle Sports Centre, Kirkgate on Tuesday at 8pm. We will be pleased to welcome you.

John Diggles,

Chairman, Settle Friends of Chernobyl's Children,

Mainsfield Rise, Giggleswick.

Lovely chimes

SIR - I wholeheartedly agree with Helen Reid's letter in the Craven Herald (October 12) regarding the Giggleswick chimes.

In my opinion people who wish to be anonymous are being hypocrites. Are they frightened to give their names in case they are going to be ostracised? Life would be very monotonous if we all had the same opinion.

If people desire to live in the countryside they must know beforehand what different sounds to expect, ie church chimes, and if they do not wish to accept them they should stay where they are.

I love living here in this beautiful part of North Yorkshire where the people are so friendly.

Hearing the sound of church chimes is a pleasure to enjoy, compared with living in a city where there is a constant noise of traffic and pollution.

I am very glad that the chimes are back to normal and hope they will continue eternally and this matter is laid to rest.

Stuart Fairbrother,

Stackhouse Lane,

Giggleswick.

Cyclist's problem

SIR - On Thursday October 18 I was cycling up Wysick Hill just before the Punch Bowl near Earby.

Temporary traffic lights were in operation. They were at red and I waited behind two cars.

When they changed to green I rode up the hill only to be met halfway up by the traffic descending.

One truck driver, through his window, asked if I was colour blind.

Now I am 70 and not Olympic gold medallist Jason Quealley on his 60mph racing bike, and the hill is quite steep.

Whoever sets the delay on these temporary lights should take into account the low speed of ascending cyclists.

Perhaps the ones concerned should have a test run on a bike and risk being crushed by an oncoming lorry.

Francis Forrest,

Dale Street, Earby.

Christmas plans

SIR - This letter is to say how much the Skipton Christmas Lights Committee regret having to cancel last Saturday evening's Great Night Out because the tickets sales were too low to make it viable.

We would like to thank the Black Horse, Fred Trueman and AMC Music for their support. It was hoped to raise several thousand pounds on this evening as £2,000 is still needed in order to ensure a good display this year.

We are very grateful to those individuals and businesses who have supported us so far by monetary donations, and attending the fun night, supporting goods for a bric a brac stall and raffle prizes and sponsoring Clare Goldie in the Great North Run.

We are currently working closely with R&B Electrical, who have already rewired with new connectors some of the streets.

It has all been done as cost effectively as possible with committee members doing the refurbishment on the displays. Our next fundraising event will be a Fresh AM on-air auction of items donated. Also we will have another bric a brac stall on December 1, so anything suitable will be gratefully received at my shop.

David Goldie,

High Street, Skipton.

Brazen effrontery

SIR - The genesis for my writing this letter to you was a documentary I listened to on the BBC World Service.

It concerned the sale of videos showing how to be proficient as an Islamic terrorist.

The documentary focused on a shop in Birmingham where 500 videos had been sold. Several young men had been champing at the bit to join the forces of Bin Laden.

Never before in my 55 years have I been so angered and outraged at such brazen effrontery.

Sir Oswald Mosley and his wife Diana were interned in prison during the war for being Nazi sympathisers. German citizens were also interned.

The political rhetoric since the ghastly attacks over the last few weeks has been of appeasement and conciliation. The whole situation is so reminiscent of the late 1930s with Neville Chamberlain coming back from Munich waving his piece of paper.

The paradox about this sorry state of affairs is that my son was refused British nationality.

He was born at Airedale Hospital in May 1993. His mother is Romanian and I am British. At the time I was still married, legally, to my first wife; we had been separated for two years.

British nationality only comes through the female line and we literally had to flee the UK; we fled to New Zealand.

My son was persona non grata. It didn't matter that his paternal grandfather was in the 1st Battalion the Welsh Guards at Dunkirk and was wounded at Caen in 1944. His paternal great-grandfather won the Military Cross in 1916 for outstanding bravery in face of the enemy.

But the British authorities, we heard on the grapevine, were planning to deport my son and his mother to Romania.

Ironically we have ended up in one of the most wonderful cities in the world. My son is at the prep school to Melbourne Grammar and wants to be a doctor in the Australian army.

I read in the International Express today that certain elements in Britain want to change the words of Land of Hope and Glory.

This would probably be pertinent, as the line "who art born of thee" is not relevant any more.

Huntley N Burton,

(ex The Folly, Settle),

Powlett Street,

Melbourne, Australia.

The real heroes

SIR - The heroes of the Afghan war are the aid workers; the victims, the Afghanis; the terrorists, America.

What other country would bomb a nation on suspicion of harbouring a criminal?

K Clegg,

Town Head, Settle.

French solution

SIR - Against a background of local authority public toilet closures, I was pleased to hear of consideration being given to the introduction of French-style "pissoirs" in Hull.

I believe the French have always had a more enlightened attitude in this sphere, and have long thought that this type of convenience could be the answer here for male use.

Simply consisting of a metal roofless screen encircling a drain, they could be easily constructed, and would need minimal maintenance.

They would provide no shelter for the drug-user, pervert, or vandal.

I look forward to the day when enlightened local authorities start to introduce them.

Barrie King,

Avon Drive, Barnoldswick.

Hospital is safe

SIR - May I thank Dr Crawford for so kindly and courteously explaining how Airedale Hospital gets its funding.

This is very reassuring as it does away with the myth that the people of Craven would be deprived of the facilities and inpatient treatment at Airedale Hospital if the proposed Craven and Harrogate Primary Care Group Trust was established.

Dr Crawford tells us quite clearly that Primary Care Trusts will commission hospital services and as the proposed Craven and Harrogate Primary Care Trust have been at pains to assure us, on several occasions, that they will precisely do that in respect of Airedale Hospital and maintain the status quo, we have nothing to worry about.

We shall not have to worry about having to go to Harrogate for hospital treatment etc which seemed to be a main concern and was quite unfounded.

I am now perfectly happy to leave the final decision to the Secretary of State for Health, especially after Dr Crawford explained hospital funding so carefully.

Harold Rose,

Main Street,

Long Preston.