Letters to the editor

So the A65 will continue to be a ratrun for heavy goods vehicles coming from or going to the M6, and these vehicles are set to get heavier. Residents of the villages affected can look forward to increased noise, pollution and danger for at least a decade to come.

Coun Graham is totally wrong to say that the last Government cancelled the bypasses. If the Conservatives had won the election, the bypasses would have been started by now.

She also calls for an action committee, obviously unaware that one exists, with representatives appointed from the parish councils of Gargrave, Coniston Cold, Hellifield, and Long Preston.

This action group will be pressing for a weight restriction on the A65 for heavy goods vehicles, and for North Yorkshire to look at funding bypasses through a Private Finance Initiative.

What a shambles of a roads policy Prescott has put together! And would it be cynical of me to suggest that it might be more than a coincidence that Bingley and Selby, which are to get bypasses, both have Labour MPs?

If Prescott chooses to drive north in his air-conditioned Jaguar, he'll get told what "the people" think of his policy.

David Crawford,

Mill Bridge,

Bell Busk.

Village has charm

SIR -- I fail to see what Mrs Hawkins hopes to gain by airing her parochial views (Square parking needs sorting out, July 31) in the Craven Herald. There are other more direct channels for her complaints.

Through her ongoing correspondence, she shows herself to be a rather persistent terrier gnawing at a bone which has been chewed over by many authorities, local and otherwise, for many years.

Grassington is a very old village with narrow streets and cobbled walkways, often ill-equipped to cope with the majority of modern traffic.

The visitors to this part of the world see these difficulties and appreciate the need to give way to delivery vans, agricultural vehicles and private cars when walking the streets and crossing the village square.

Despite all this, they like Grassington as it is, full of old-world charm.

The constant traffic flow certainly does cause annoyance at times, but this is also the case in many other holiday centres throughout Britain -- the small fishing villages so popular in Devon, Cornwall and on the Yorkshire Coast -- and yes, the car parking facilities in all these places are invariably few and far between and generally full.

To change the system by any great degree would be to destroy the intrinsic charm and character of these villages.

Grassington undoubtedly is, and has been for generations, a popular holiday destination, and to change this would be very much against the wishes of tourists and local residents alike. Naturally, it is not the wish of the various authorities to reject all things modern and confine Grassington to the realms of antiquity. To do so would be folly.

The answer is to retain the best of what already is, to adapt it wherever necessary to suit the needs of the consumer, and to accept all things new and beneficial, provided that to do so does not seriously harm the quality of life already enjoyed in this quintessentially Yorkshire Dales village.

I trust the authorities will continue to do this.

Martyn Fretwell,

Rose Bank,

Hebden.

Unfair charges

SIR -- I have lived in Skipton for 22 years and always believed tourists were welcome. Obviously I am wrong. Promoters likes Yorkshire Dales Promotions should be helped by the local council, not hindered.

The introduction of the entertainment licence at a fee of around £3,000 by Craven District Council is pure greed on their part.

Last year, around 1,600 people per day visited the country music festival. Not all stayed in site in caravans and tents; some stayed in the town's guest houses and hotels.

All enjoyed the entertainment in the evenings, but many toured the local places of interest and amenities in the area through the day, eating in the town's cafes and restaurants, and spending their hard earned cash at local supermarkets, shops and market stalls.

I agreed music events should be licensed to ensure safety etc but at a fee that is fair. So please Craven District Council rethink your licensing policy so this event can go on for many more years. And encourage more promoters to put events on in our area.

M Ellin,

Alexandra Ville,

Skipton.

Ridiculous expense

SIR -- In last week's letters page in the Craven Herald, I read with great interest the letter from Earl Binns, concerning the licence charges that Craven District Council are imposing in respect of a country music festival near Carleton.

How can the council justify that amount without prior notice to the organisers?

I admit to being a country music fan and to attending the last two festivals, and am looking forward to this one. It will be disappointing if they move the event further away, just because of the greed of the council.

I might add, the event is well organised and self contained. I cannot see any expense incurred on the council in cleaning up afterwards etc as the organisers do it all themselves. How can they burden Yorkshire Dales Promotions with this ridiculous expense out of the blue?

Mrs M Howard,

Sharphaw Avenue,

Skipton.

Internet reader

SIR -- I don't know if you are keeping tabs on where your website readers are. However, if you are then you have a reader near Philadelphia USA. As someone who was born in Skipton and still knows many people in the area, I enjoy reading the site every week.

My only disappointment is that the famous front page is not reproduced, a minor gripe indicative only of how spoilt I have become thanks to the masses of information available to me via the web.

Vini Corrigan,

Cheltenham, USA

(ViniCorri@aol.com)

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.