Letters to the editor

My wife and I ran a market stall two years ago, and it was a complete disaster. Having paid £5,000 for the transfer of the pitch, we spent a year running at a loss. When we tried to then transfer our pitch on to a local clothing retailer, this was blocked by the town council on the grounds there were enough clothing stalls on the market already and “another one would create unfair competition”. As a result, we walked away with nothing.

No doubt the council official who decided we could not transfer our pitch suffered no financial loss whatsoever. We, however, lost £5,000. Other stallholders have also had to similarly walk away from their pitches in the past couple of years, some losing much greater sums than we did. The council, however, remains utterly unaccountable.

As a result of the slow drip of traders leaving their pitches, ugly gaps are starting to appear between stalls.

What can be done to arrest this decline? Well, the first, and easiest thing, would be to pedestrianise the High Street on market days. This is a no-brainer. A couple of years ago Skipton High Street was voted the most attractive in England. The simple question is, why would you want to clog up your most valuable asset with traffic?

Anybody who has visited the town during the Christmas Market would agree that the whole atmosphere of the High Street is transformed by pedestrianisation. Why could this not be replicated on market days? I’ve personally suggested this to a local councillor, and he agreed it’s a great idea, but then concluded it’ll never happen! Oh dear.

Second, the number of market days could be reduced. By diminishing the frequency of market days, you would create more demand on those days when the market was in operation. I have even been told this by some stallholders. If you held Christmas Day four times a year, rather than once a year, it wouldn’t be so special.

The third solution to the market’s decline is the most difficult. That is, the ownership of the setts. Due to an historic anomaly, the properties along the High Street own the setts outside their properties. They don’t own the pavement or the road, but they do have title to the setts. Consequently, the rents they charge the stallholders vary considerably from shop to shop (the most expensive rents can be eight times higher than the cheapest, per square footage).

If it is at all possible, the council needs to look into the whole issue of ownership of the market pitches, with the eventual aim of evening out these crazy discrepancies in rental values. This might make life a bit easier for some beleaguered stallholders.

The fact is, the market is the financial life-blood of Skipton. Tourists come from all over northern England to visit the market, and if it declines, the town declines with it.

NICK HEWES.

Nelson Street, Skipton.

WITH reference to Airedale Chemicals, we have yet more planning applications for this rapidly expanding site.

Firstly, not all residents, and businesses, within close proximity to this site have been informed. This means that quite a lot of local people will not know what is happening until it is too late. Letters appear to have been sent out quite randomly.

The current plan – 32/2015/16081 – is for yet more lighting and pipe support gantry. This site is mushrooming out of all proportion, and plans and promises over the years have not been adhered to.

Bear in mind this site is within 30 metres of local businesses, residential housing and a busy commuter railway line. The light pollution is appalling, and yet more lights are requested. The structures are two metres higher than originally agreed (too late now, we are told, but if this was an unplanned porch on a private residence, removal would be enforced!).

The original amount of storage bunds is now rapidly expanding – 16 in total. Again, they will be higher than is acceptable. The size of the site is insidiously growing, with any adjacent business areas being rapidly acquired, presumably for the storage of yet more chemicals.

Originally, several years ago, local residents were assured (again randomly!) that hazardous chemicals would not be stored on this site. We were assured that dye stuffs and additives for the food industry were the only chemicals being stored. So it was a shock to the village when a spill of nitric acid gas happened last year (a driver from a local firm did suffer and a court case ensued).

At the moment, the main area of this site is stacked high with one-metre cube, plastic storage containers. We are told they contain non-hazardous materials too. However, these containers do all carry warning labels, harmful to skin and eyes, evidently to be used in water treatment. This is obviously not the site for this company – it is too dangerous.

Airedale Chemicals is extremely busy promoting its ‘green’ credentials to the world, applauded by various environment agencies. Recycling waste, caring where it disposes of contaminated water etc, etc. What it is doing is very cleverly glossing over what it is ‘actually’ doing. I do hope local people voice their concerns and loudly.

JENNY WOOD, Concerned resident and member of Glusburn and Cross Hills Parish Council, Station Grove, Cross Hills.

I WRITE in response to the letter last week from Trevor Graveson, chairman of Settle area swimming pool committee – Pool delivers a vital service for all (Craven Herald, September 3).

We understand the disappointment of Mr Graveson that core funding from Craven District Council is to end. We have supported Settle Pool with core funding for many years, including £16,000 in the past year. It is also worth noting that projects in Settle have received 31.5 per cent of the total core funding pot for this financial year.

Unfortunately, we have to change the way we work with organisations in the district, due to ongoing severe cuts to council funding. In December 2013, we reviewed the grants we give to community organisations. We knew community groups would find it very difficult if we simply stopped our funding, which is why we took a staggered approach, agreeing to continue with our core funding programme for an additional two years (2014/15 and 2015/16) to give organisations plenty of time to make plans for when the funding ended.

It was made very clear in granting organisations the funding that this would end after 2015/16. One of the conditions of the funding was that organisations would need to work with the council to ensure their sustainability once the funding came to an end, and we have been working with Settle Pool to secure the sustainability of the organisation in the future during the past 18 months.

This has included support from the manager of Craven Pool and Fitness Centre and conducting a review of energy efficiency measures at the facility. We will continue to support the pool in developing its business plan during the coming year. We have given a commitment to Settle Pool that we will work with them to help them access partnership funding, including capital funding.

An example of how partnership working with community groups has worked recently is the new skate park and pump track in Aireville Park, which was brought to fruition by Friends of Aireville Park and Craven Youth Council.

CDC worked with the groups and provided some funding, which came from Section 106 money contributed by the developers of housing developments in Skipton. The 106 money must be spent in the community and was used as a lever to draw in more funding. The majority of the funding came from sponsorship, external grants and community fundraising.

Craven District Council has to save a further £1.316 million by 2022/23, and in 2016 alone we will need to save £457,000 from our revenue budget.

This can only be achieved by changing the way we work and, in the case of providing funding for community projects in the future, working smartly, as we have done with the new skate park and pump track in Aireville Park.

CLLR LINDA BROCKBANK, Craven District Council’s lead member for communities.

HAVING attended all three of our local agricultural shows and enjoyed them immensely, I despair at the toilet facilities that are provided.

They are totally lacking, to say the least.

People are putting a lot of time, work and effort to put these shows on, and they are always well attended. Could the organisers not consider the portable toilet blocks with hot water, and people servicing them regularly through the day?

Most outdoor events have these facilities now. I hope the days of the portable loos are over. Let’s get our traditional shows into this century.

RICHARD WELLOCK, Calton Hall Cottage, Calton.

IT would appear that Craven District Council will need to change its approach to dealing with dog dirt.

It is blatantly obvious that writing threatening words on the bins neither discourages people from using them for their intended purpose nor does it aid in emptying the bin.

Maybe the newly-elected district councillor for North Ward could point this out to the appropriate department in our apparently clueless council.

R WOHLRAPP, Raikeswood Drive, Skipton.

FURTHER to the article on the development of 38 dwellings in Addingham, I should like to make two main comments.

Apart from the social housing, most of these houses will attract people from outside the village, who will be commuting to work. This may well make the parking problem in Ilkley much worse.

The only vehicular exit from the development will be into Bolton Road. Those of us who use this road on a regular basis know full well how busy and congested it becomes.

There are six side roads and a small car park feeding into this road, in addition to the school, a church and a nursery. The poor sight lines due to bends and parked cars make crossing the road very hazardous, especially for children and the elderly Aynholme residents. The long single file section due to parked cars causes numerous hold-ups, often with traffic backing up into Main Street.

I don’t understand how anyone could consider using this road as the only exit from this development. A more sensible solution would be to have more exits.

JANE WHITESIDE, The Acres, Addingham.

I WRITE regarding the complaint by residents about workers’ parking in Skipton.

Here we go again. Residents of a large estate complaining about workers parking in their roads. Do they think this is a problem that only affects them?

They should spend a day in the Middletown area, Brougham Street, Devonshire Street, Neville Street, Lambert Street etc. We also have a day nursery and a primary school.

We have workers arriving from 8am and, yes, in certain areas, they park on pavements, block access roads and park across dropped pavements and junctions.

This has been going on for years and there will not be a solution while parking costs are so high. The council is giving up parking land to build shops on and allowing apartments to be built without parking spaces.

So, sorry to say, it is something we all have to put up with. At least when you take your car out for whatever reason, you can be sure of a parking space when you return, namely a drive. That is something street dwellers don’t have.

H SIMPSON, Neville Street, Skipton.

GRASSINGTON’S Got Talent was a night organised and run by the people of Grassington, with all proceeds to charity.

Hosted by the brilliant Maurice Grumbleweed, the only professional to appear, it was a night of song, dance, singing and lots of laughter.

Grassington certainly has got talent, from the very young to the not-so-young, they came and gave it their all. It was a superb night and you wouldn’t have been better entertained in a West End show.

The people of Grassington and surrounding villages came in their hundreds to support the show, and the hall was bursting. And I don’t think anyone left disappointed.

It was brilliant. Well done. Just what the doctor ordered.

Grassington, be proud of yourselves.

Maurice Grumbleweed, thank you for giving your time, you were brilliant.

More please.

MR AND MRS B WALKER, Grassington.

BRITAIN has a tradition of offering shelter to refugees from war zones, and the current refugee crisis in Europe requires the same generosity and compassion.

It is mere chance that we live here in a war-free part of the world. Let’s be grateful for that chance, but not complacent. Other human beings are suffering terribly. Will we help, or turn away from fear and ignorance?

All over the UK today, ordinary people are donating tents, clothing and other useful items to charities, who will distribute them at refugee camps. Please urge your readers to give what they can. There are many different ways to help and the Avaaz website – secure.avaaz.org/en/uk – is a good place to sign up as a volunteer.

Please, do what you can.

JAY ASTARTE, New Street, Halton.

I AM the son of a Kindertransport refugee.

If it were not for Britain’s generosity and care for those most in need at times of peril, then my father would most probably have perished in the Holocaust – as did his parents.

We are facing the same refugee crisis today. As a UK citizen, I do not want to close the door of my country to people as desperate and needy as was my father.

Let’s all call upon our Government to act with care and compassion to do our share – standing firmly alongside our brothers and sisters in Europe.

This is not a swarm. These are fellow human beings in terrible need. Let us not turn and look the other way.

SIMON KAYE, Catholes Farm, Kirkby Lonsdale.

I READ the Care Quality Commission report into Spring Bank Nursing Home at Silsden – ‘Inadequate’ care home must improve (Craven Herald, August 27) – with great disappointment.

I have been attending Spring Bank for 14 years in my capacity as an entertainer.

Of course, every nursing home has the occasional glitch through staff absenteeism/illness etc, but I can honestly say that Spring Bank has always been a happy environment and the staff produce a high standard of care. Also, the residents love living there.

GEOFF HANSON, Cross Hills.

LET’S see, someone unfortunately falls down the canal bridge steps, so the council decides to spend £10,000 on a feasibility study just to see if improvements could be made – Council takes steps to make bridge safer (Craven Herald, August 6).

My suggestions are either: a) declare that the steps are perfectly safe to use with reasonable care and attention (as is the case), or b) build new steps.

Please send the £10,000 to my address, as supplied.

ROD MEREDITH, Langcliffe.