2:17pm Thursday 5th August 2010
Sir - I was interested to read in the Craven Herald that something is at last going to be done about the new bus station after looking at feedback from users over the past year.
The glass “cloche” is to be widened and the toilets are to be reclad in stone instead of the glaring yellow they are at present, but what about the clock, surely a necessity for all travel depots?
Is it enough to reclad the toilet block though? Busloads of passengers come into Skipton from places like Preston and Leeds and are faced with these woefully inadequate facilities. Wouldn’t the solution be to build a proper block of toilets that aren’t likely to get jammed doors and be of no convenience to anyone?
And just a thought – what was really wrong with our old bus station that a bit of time, money and thought couldn’t put right? It had individual shelters, a block of toilets – not in good condition, admittedly, and needing an overhaul – and a clock. A cafe would have been nice too – remember Mr Champion’s wooden hut surrounded inside with walls of sweet jars? A few sensible adjustments and I believe passengers and Skipton people would have been well satisfied and the council’s coffers would have been fuller by thousands.
Patricia Mason, Sackville Street, Skipton
So, after a life of 18 months the bus station is to be upgraded.
Skipton’s very own shambles is to be improved. Or does this mean that the cracks are to be plastered over?
lf there had been adequate consultation with drivers, passengers and pedestrians this mess might never have occurred.
Questions: Who commissioned the work? Was it on competence or price?
High Street trees – this problem was known about at least five years ago.
There should have been, should be, a replacement programme. These trees are coming to the end of their life.
The high street needs a general clean-up. Shop facades, pavements and cobbles are quite disgraceful, again apparent for a number of years. lmprovements to the market area would lead to benefits to traders and shoppers alike.
As always with so many of Craven’s problems, there is the lack of real consultation. A point l have made many times over the years. Let us have a community to be proud of. A joy to residents, visitors and tourists alike.
Brian Ormondroyd, Brindley Court, Skipton
Sir - With reference to your article last week featuring the publicity effort being made to highlight the potential nonsensical Skipton court closure, there may be hopeful signs coming from the consultation process.
Both the Crown Prosecution Service and the Law Society have heavily criticised the Government for the scale and type of cuts proposed to the justice system, including court closures. Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson described the consultation as a “sensible step” but also warned the Government not to lose sight of the fact that people need proper access to local courts.
To my mind, closing a court like Skipton will actually cost the taxpayer more money in the long run, and will mean that local justice cannot be served.
Despite the local publicity effort made by the chairman of Craven District Council, Paul Whitaker, and MP for Skipton & Ripon, Julian Smith, at the end of the day such actions will not make an impact at Whitehall. (Indeed, arguably, such findings as they make on their travels could be gleaned from studying local travel timetables.) That is why I would urge as many people as possible to respond to the consultation and make their own voices count. The consultation can be found at
justice.gov.uk/consultations.htm
For those with no access to computers, they should write to: Dyfed Foulkes, Area Director HMCS North and West Yorkshire, Colbeck House, Bradford Road, Birstall, Batley, WF17 9NR, to register their observations/complaints.
Helen Flynn, Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesman for Skipton & Ripon, Low Lane, Darley
Sir - I am writing to you on the subject of the provision of a dog bin at the bottom of the path, known locally as the Donkey Steps, at the end of Hall Gardens which has been mentioned on a couple of occasions in recent issues of the Craven Herald.
There is one there. It has been there for several years in addition to the bin at the top of the Arbour. These are emptied about twice a week by the council.
A question which never ceases to baffle me is: “Why do some dog walkers go to the trouble to collecting their dog waste, neatly tie it up in polythene bags, only to leave it at the side of the path, hanging from the branch of a handy tree or even, on a few occasions, thrown into neighbouring gardens?”
The bags do probably bio-degrade, given time, but are in the meantime a totally unnecessary and unpleasant eyesore.
Anna Hewlett, Grange Road, Farnhill
Sir - Re Elsey Croft – A Question of Trust.
We would like to be the instigators of a new era of openness and honesty for Craven District Council.
Open/honest answers only please.
1. Why did Craven District Council ask Skipton Properties to withdraw their plans for Elsey Croft?
2. Is Craven District Council trying to insult the intelligence of taxpayers, the very people they supposedly represent?
3. Why on the very day of the third public meeting to be cancelled, July 19, 2010, did surveyors move back on to Elsey Croft and Moorview Way road and survey for three days? Is it the result of advice/meetings behind closed doors, we wonder?
This Government is asking for public input. How can the public of Skipton believe they can provide constructive inputs that will be taken into consideration when it doesn’t appear Craven District Council are being open and honest in this issue?
So, Craven District Council, can we trust you?
Sue Harvey, Moorview Way, Skipton
Sir - In the plans shown at the town hall last week on the proposed developments in Skipton, there was one obvious omission – the effect of the plans on the town hall.
Craven District Council has a duty to find the best possible solution for the use of the building. The proposed development will limit any interest in an imaginative solution.
The small car park at the back, an asset for the town hall, will disappear. The size and height of the proposed buildings and their proximity to the back of the town hall will box it in and reduce light to the north and east side.
Situated against a major historic building, they will have a negative impact on this hall in a conservation area. New buildings should be in proportion to and blend in with the town hall and adjacent buildings.
Visitors who come to the town hall car park have a view of an old market town with the church on the skyline. Skipton recently won High Street of the Year. It is a town with its own style. Do visitors expect to be faced with warehouse-style buildings, a clone of so many towns?
I am pleased that consideration is being given to the idea of improved shopping facilities which Skipton needs. It is a hard task to achieve while keeping the character of the town and the identity of the town hall.
I do not believe that the present plans do this but have faith that the developer and architect, renowned for excellent work, will be able to modify their ideas to produce a solution that enhances this important conservation area and the town hall.
Christine Walton, 5 Neville Street, Skipton
Sir - Re the proposed development to Skipton Town Hall car park.
There are a continuous number of shops and offices available all over Skipton, due without doubt to a lack of customers caused by the desperate shortage of car parking. This is the reason why Ilkley and Keighley are the destinations of the surrounding district. They have parking and it’s cheaper to the detriment of our local shops.
Now, we have a great opportunity to increase parking using the council’s private car park, together with the existing one by removing the walls another 170 places become available. Income £150,000/£200,000.
We lost 70 parking spaces at Keighley Road due to the bus station folly. Coach numbers in the town hall car park down from 50 a day 30 years ago to 20 now. No tours with Americans, Japanese, Germans, French or Spanish. As an example of their importance, the pine shop at the car park sent regular lorry loads to Spain.
As a result, coach passengers are down from 2,500 to 1,000. No one must underestimate the importance of the town car and coach parking facilities. Further development on top of a shortage of car and coach parking will destroy the town. With extra parking the town may yet recover.
Marks & Spencer are still on a cheap rent. We did not pay them the half-a-million pound inducement fee. If they are not satisfied I have no doubt they will cease as they already have in Ripon. To developers, letting shops opposite Marks & Spencer is a dream, but without Marks & Spencer it’s not so appealing and will fail and the town will suffer.
Gwynne Walters’ survey clearly showed what the public thought of the council’s ideas which were thrown out. The public should make it plain whether they want more shops or more parking. No one councillor must decide policy as shown by the leak. All councillors must participate and to be able to do so must be informed. Unlike the answer from my councillor, “I presume I am supposed to read the Craven Herald to know what we are doing.”
Norman Simpson, Calton Lodge, Airton, Skipton
Sir - What an eye-opener last week’s plans exhibition in Skipton Town Hall was.
First were the plans for a monstrous block behind the town hall – a design which might fit into Leeds city centre, but completely out of scale for Skipton, and intended to swallow up 100 car parking spaces in the main town car park. So where will locals and visitors park? And how can there be a new shopping development which reduces not increases car parking space? And as for the proposed replacement of 9 High Street – a 2010 eyesore instead of a 1960s one!
Then there was the Belle View Mills plan where Craven has given planning permission to develop its new council offices without any staff parking spaces! Apparently, I was told, council staff will just park in Cavendish Street or Coach Street car parks.
Yet more town centre parking lost by an expensive Craven decision to rent new offices (and I see from the leaked emails that a prominent local developer recommended the council stayed at Granville Street). So the town is to lose at least 150 daytime parking spaces.
It is puzzling therefore why the council fought so hard to oppose a new parking area planned by the castle.
After its previous farces Craven Council is reaching new lows of credibility. Perhaps the present administration should resign now and face the electorate for a judgment on its behaviour?
Barry Peters, IMH Group, Brook Street, Skipton
Sir - Regarding extraction of timber from Cam Woodland.
It is a disgrace to the Yorkshire Dales National Parks administration to have given permission for the timber to be transported from Cam Houses down the Cam High Road to the B6255 Hawes to Ingleton road, a distance of three-and-a-half miles. This road was reconstructed by Dinsdale Moorland Service only two years ago at great expense of taxpayers’ money ready for the Pennine Bridleway and is now a very smooth track.
The Dalesway footpath goes full length, the Pennine Way one-and-a-half miles and Pennine Bridleway one-and-a-half miles of the three-and-a-half miles. The track is 6ft-7ft wide.
The forestry workers are to bring loads of 15 tonnes of logs and 15-tonne vehicles, equalling 30 tonnes on this track. Width of transporter 8ft-9ft, 15,000 tonne estimated, equals 1,000 loads at the first extraction.
Instead of Government forking out tens of thousands of pounds to remove this it would be more sensible to leave trees where they are, as they soak up more carbon and other pollutants from the atmosphere than any other growing thing. If this goes ahead the track will be demolished.
Why not pay woodland owners an annual payment to leave trees growing? Only walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders are allowed on the track.
J E Beresford, High Gale Farm, Chapel-le-Dale
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