Parking fiasco threatens traders

Today I read: “Retail expert slams ‘flawed’ superstore bid” – a judgement rejected by the developers.

In the words of Mandy Rice-Davies: “Well they would. Wouldn’t they?” Presumably they are not developing premises for any other reason than making a profit for themselves.

Whilst professing to be in favour of preserving the town centre, our “elected representatives” seem to be making an effort to destroy it.

The new development beside the town hall has reduced car parking enormously. Visitors coming to Skipton are indeed fortunate to find an expensive place to park in the town and I have been told of some who have gone elsewhere when confronted by the parking situation.

The shopping charm for visitors doesn’t rest with global chains which guarantee to supply us with near-identical products no matter where on earth the location. The magic of attractive shopping experiences is created by the small traders who offer interesting alternatives and ambiences to the daily supermarket routine.

Out-of-town supermarkets are perfectly reasonable and not only enable transient travellers to buy a packaged sandwich and a bottle of potable fluid but they remain part of the day to day routine. Sadly Skipton’s development to date has spawned not only a parking fiasco but has exacerbated the threat to small traders and victuallers.

Had Skipton Council really wanted to rejuvenate the town, perhaps they should have opted for a multi-storey or underground car park as opposed to a new arcade. Visitors and Craven residents alike could then enjoy the town’s facilities, leaving their essential shopping to out-of-town supermarket chains where there are ample parking facilities.

The Seven Wonders of the World might have remained unknown had there been no place to “stand and stare” or “park and take in the sights”.

Before I came to Skipton in 1978 I looked up the town in a guide book.

It read: “Castle, canal, Aireville Park and listed alongside “good parking”.

Losing money in the sale of land and transforming a historic town into a conduit of traffic problems rather than to the relaxing Gateway to the Dales is such a catalogue of blunders that one wonders whatever will be next!

Adrienne Fox, Skipton

Wrong signal

Sir - As someone who has been a retailer in the town since 1986, I wonder if I may give my view on the Wyvern Park development.

In that time, Skipton has seen a lot of changes, Tesco (Hillards as it was) built on the railway sidings, B & M (Focus) on the Dewhurst Mill site, Morrisons on the old Auction Mart and most recently, the development of 9 High Street.

Any investment into the town is obviously welcome but the defining difference between these developments and Wyvern Park is that all have parking for their customers within easy walking distance of the High Street.

Because of that simple fact, the larger retailers create an environment in which we smaller retailers can thrive and the virtuous circle created is of obvious benefit to both.

To now allow Sainsbury’s to build on the outskirts of town would not only pull the retail focus away from the High Street (a trend already started by granting Aldi permission when the ideally situated Sunwin House building was vacant) but also sends the wrong signal to others.

Having granted permission to one supermarket, the gate would be open for others to follow, with the inevitable creation of a trading estate on the fringe of town drawing people away from the High Street and putting the viability of smaller retailers at risk.

The centre of York is now suffering for precisely that reason.

The fact that more industrial units are needed is not in doubt and reflects that Skipton is a great place both to live and do business but to argue that unless Sainsbury’s is granted permission those units will not be built seems a little disingenuous. If the problem is just a shortage of industrial units then let a solution be found for that but that alone. To grant permission for Sainsbury’s is to risk the High Street. To risk the High Street is to risk why people want to live and work here in the first place.

Tony Barrett, Belmont of Skipton Ltd

Devastating effect

Sir - I write regarding your article “Retail expert slams ‘flawed’ Skipton superstore bid”. Sainsbury’s and the developers have little or no regard or concern for Skipton or the people in the town.

This development, if allowed, will have a devastating effect on the town. Loss of jobs, loss of tourists, loss of shops and the knock on effect will be that all businesses suffer, accountants, banks even this newspaper with loss of advertising.

This development will do nothing good for the economy of the town. All it will do is stop people that would have come into town, from coming in.

Sainsbury’s executives were as good as boasting on their open days about taking 35 per cent of the overspend from Tesco and Morrisons and 10 per cent of the tourist traffic.

They are not so quick to tell us they could take 30 per cent of the jobs also.

Chris McGrath, Wonder in Wood, Skipton

Load of rubbish

Sir - A new Sainsbury's will have an adverse impact on the town centre – how exactly? What are they going to sell that Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi don't? What a load of rubbish and it just shows that you can engage an expert to produce any findings you want.

William Barker, Skipton

The inconvenience of closed toilets

Sir - There was enough derision when the new bus station was built because nobody liked it, or the two-toilet block that cost £110,000 and had to be resurfaced because it didn’t fit in with the plans. Now the council has decided to close the block, maybe just keeping a disabled cubicle there, to save costs.

So anyone who is not disabled “can walk to Coach Street” can they? Buses come in from Leeds, Preston and Southport and it's highly likely that at least some of the passengers will need “to make a call”. What about people with children and those who don’t live locally and may well not know where Coach Street is?

There also seems to be something strange going on in the High Street car park toilets as there is no longer a person in charge (council saving wages?), just a coin slot asking for donations.

These toilets have always been kept in good clean order so what’s going on there?

I have heard council people moaning in the Craven Herald as a new cafe opened that Skipton would soon be known as a “tea and pee town” as visitors made a brief stop before passing through. Well it looks like they are now doing their bit to make sure the tourists can still get the tea but will have to go elsewhere to get the pee.

Patricia Mason, Skipton

Impossible task

Sir - It has been known for many years that it is impossible to cross one’s legs and walk a quarter of a mile to a toilet at the same time.

Bus drivers and the public deserve better.

The fault may lie, not in Sweden, but in the frequency of maintenance.

Derek Boden, Skipton

Treasure on show

Sir - I’m afraid for once, I must disagree strongly with Councillor Robert Heseltine and his fellow councillors’ opinion that the removal of the Shakespeare First Folio during the Tour de France through Skipton is a missed opportunity.

If we are to believe the intended numbers expected to gridlock Skipton are as predicted, then no-one will be able to move easily, and the last thing on their minds would be to visit the Craven Museum. Indeed those not interested in a cycle race have been encouraged to avoid Skipton.

I think it is a safe bet that on July 5, far more people will have an opportunity of viewing the treasure in York than in Skipton.

On a similar vein, it was recently reported that Harrogate was expecting “a million people” for the race, and a spokesman for Betty’s Tearoom said that they must not let them leave without a visit to their establishment. I just hope they can cope!

Robert Hall, Thornton-in-Craven

Good luck

Sir - In response to the letter in your February 6 edition from Emma Fisher. In 1989 my late husband, John Wainwright, organised an event called Boathaul ’89.

This involved teams of volunteers, mainly from Grassington Volunteer Brigade (now a retained station), and from Skipton, Settle and Bentham Fire Brigades. The launch of the narrowboat (donated by Pilkington Glass), was reported in the Craven Herald on August 11, 1989, and the 127-mile journey began on September 20 from Liverpool, and ended in Leeds on September 29.

Other brigades along the route joined in with the fundraising as their shift work permitted. It was reported in your paper that, at the same time, Hampshire Fire Brigade were simultaneously pulling a boat 200 miles along the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Proceeds from Boathaul were shared out between the burns units of three children’s hospitals – Alder Hey Liverpool, Booth Hall Manchester, and Pinderfields Wakefield – and also the National Fire Service Benevolent Fund.

After the project, the narrowboat, valued then at £16,500, was handed over to Falklands hero, Simon Weston, who headed the charity, Weston Spirit, which aims to promote improved lives for inner city youngsters. I know that my husband, John, who died two years ago as a result of pancreatic cancer (the fifth largest cancer killer and for which the research is the least funded) would join me in wishing you well with your venture. Emma, he would have appreciated your event organising skills.

Good luck.

Sue Wainwright, Grassington

Support independence

Sir - Mr Cameron has asked people in Craven to urge Scots living in this area to support the union between Scotland and England. As a Scottish dancer and lover of Scotland, I urge the Scots around here to do the opposite and support independence for Scotland.

If Scotland becomes independent, one of the first things Alex Salmond will do is to tell David Cameron to take his Trident submarines out of Scottish waters. This will be the first step in getting rid of our so-called independent nuclear deterrent.

When we are struggling with the effects of rapid climate change and are facing severe cuts in social services to waste £100 billion on something as useless as Trident is criminal.

The next time David Cameron goes to Scotland, I urge Scots to emulate what their ancestors did to Edward II after the battle of Bannockburn and send him home “tae think again”.

Keith Bradshaw, Ingleton

New shelter, please

Sir - Great news for drivers! Airedale Hospital has increased its car park space (Herald, February 13). Perhaps they could now look at public transport provision to and from the hospital.

Currently the no 68 bus takes 45 minutes to travel five miles from Skipton and runs infrequently. After visiting the hospital you then climb a long flight of steps in a dark, grubby tunnel and emerge by the main road bus stop to Skipton. You then make a difficult decision. Do I stand on the pavement in the rain and wind watching for the bus or shelter in the tunnel and risk missing it? It’s great fun in the dark at 6pm if you've had day surgery or drops in your eyes and cannot see well.

Perhaps Airedale could divert some of the revenue from their new car park to build a decent shelter for patients and visitors, many of whom are elderly are infirm and who travel by bus. Now that really would be progress.

S Brown, Skipton

Station facelift

Sir - Referring to the Neighbourhood News item about Hellifield Station in last week’s Craven Herald, it should be noted that West Coast Railways lease all the station buildings and that part of the main platforms not used by Northern Rail.

For many years there have been two highly successful groups based here, the Friends of Hellifield Station maintain the West Coast property both inside and out, plus another group which presents slide and powerpoint presentations throughout the winter months. Neither of these require further assistance much less a talking shop!

The area of the station in need of TLC is the Northern Rail portion, anywhere else would require the express permission of West Coast Railways.

Strange how all this has blown up since the whole of the exterior has recently received a facelift! Nobody local previously wanted to know about the station.

Bob Swallow, Settle

Claim is not credible

Sir - The claim made by Yorkshire Lib Dem MEPs, Edward McMillan-Scott and Rebecca Taylor, (Letters, February 13) that job losses will occur in the region if we leave the EU is not based on credible evidence; rather like the exaggerated and disingenuous claims some years ago about the costs to the British economy if we failed to join the euro.

One popular argument is that three million British jobs depend on exports to the continent. Although that figure may or may not be true, it would be wrong to argue that those jobs would suddenly be lost if Britain were to leave the EU. British companies would go on selling their products to the EU as normal.

No one would suddenly start slapping tariffs on British products arriving in the port of Calais in France; after all, a great many European jobs depend on exporting goods to Britain! Let’s not forget, we buy far more from Europe than they buy from us. For certain, the offices of McMillan-Scott and Taylor, along with a whole gamut of superfluous bureaucrats, EU lobbyists, researchers and associated jobsworths will find themselves redundant. Perhaps such a prospect was paramount in their deliberations!

AJA Smith, Secretary, UKIP Yorkshire Dales, Cowling

Missing the point

Sir - In claiming “an improved retail offer for Skipton can help retain more consumer spending in the town”, (Craven Herald, February 13), the spokesman for Henry Boot completely misses the point.

This plan will do no such thing – the whole point is it’s an out of town superstore. It won’t bring trade to the High Street, it can only suck it away. It will be a one stop shop – in and out off the bypass with no links to the town centre. If Sainsbury’s seriously wants to invest in the town itself it might be a different matter, but if this ill thought out plan gets permission why would their shoppers come into town at all?

Brian Verity, Skipton Properties, Cross Hills