Letters September 19th
Dog dirt message wasted!
I EMPATHISE with Joyce Whittam's exasperation in her letter about dog fouling in local parks (Letters, September 5th).
I expect the whole newspaper could be filled with similar complaints, going by the continuing comments made by those attending various meetings.
How to persuade irresponsible dog owners to clear up their pet's mess has been a problem besetting townsfolk for an extremely long time, even though there is an almost constant publicity campaign, including enormous posters on advertising hoardings and smaller signs throughout the town.
Those on the railings along the public footpaths surrounding Primet High School all-weather pitches were destroyed and those stuck onto railing support posts were scratched off, indicating the contempt irresponsible dog walkers have for the rest of us.
It would seem they believe their pets have every right to leave the heaps of noxious mess wherever they like, regardless of it having to be cleaned off footwear, buggy wheels and cycle tyres by fellow residents.
The threat of heavy fines and public shame plus the availability of free dog mess bags at the town hall and dog waste bins at every possible site makes no difference. We seem to be doomed to wade through a rising tide of the filthy muck.
I know I am not the only person to have to clear up dog mess from my garden nearly every day. Yet there is a dog waste bin within a few steps of my front door. I feel sick and angry every time I am forced to undertake this disgusting task. I am only too aware that perhaps this is what the irresponsible dog walker passing by seeks to achieve.
I did wonder why responsible dog walkers do not remonstrate with their dog-owning compatriots as to good citizenship in regard to cleaning up after their dogs, but recently, as a rambler, have noticed the extraordinarily idiotic practice of some dog walkers of picking up after their animals only to leave the full dog waste bags at the side of the path, slung in the hedge, hung on rustic gates or flung over railings.
If they have any intellect processes at all, who do they think will pick these horrible packages up?
I even discovered, as a member of Colne in Bloom, such a bag poked into Millie, our lovely statue at the railway station!
Perhaps some of the "pick-it-up, bag it" message is comprehended, but presumably the bag of mess is too heavy for the owner to stagger to the nearest dog waste bin to dispose of it, although I manage to do this nearly every day!
Whether these nasty smell bags are preferable to the thick coating of dog excrement usually to be found on both sides of local public paths is a matter of opinion.
A neighbour asked me recently if I was tired of litter-picking the paths around the Primet Heights all-weather pitches. I told her I could hardly castigate the schoolchildren about littering when the track they walk to school is used as a dog latrine.
Sports days are a nightmare when mothers arrive with younger siblings, prams and buggies. I hold that allowing dogs to foul such areas is akin to child abuse, putting their health at risk, at least a stomach upset, at worse, loss of sight through toxocariasis.
Surely children have the right to play safely on unpolluted ground? It would require a change of attitude by these primeval non-thinking dog owners. Going by their behaviour so far, I doubt they are capable of it.
YVONNE M. MAY Colne town councillor
Health centre facts
WHAT is happening about the proposed new health centre in Colne?
A reasonable question asked by your correspondent Mr Martin. It is a pity he used the question to make silly political attacks on Pendle councillors. Here are the facts.
The NHS Primary Care Trust is proposing to build a new health centre/day hospital in Colne, providing many more services than the existing small health centre in Market Street – something we all welcome very much.
The PCT held a public consultation earlier this year and one of the questions raised was a suitable site. As Mr Martin says, there was a general agreement a town centre site is needed. The alternatives, on the North Valley are, in our view, not appropriate.
There is an obvious disused site in the town centre – the former Kwik Save store and car park, and Pendle Council asked the PCT to look seriously at using it. It has done so and it is very clear it is not large enough.
So where else is there?
As local councillors, we think the best site is the old market hall (the former Kippax's factory) below the Dockray Street car park, and adjoining land. (And incidentally as far as we aware it is not owned by Barnfield).
The PCT is concerned about the slope but most of Colne is built on a slope – along with much of the rest of the world – and we are simply not convinced an imaginative design cannot use that site.
PCT representatives, including people closely involved in the project, met senior Colne and Pendle councillors and staff on July 14th. We discussed the old market hall site along with another proposal from the PCT.
Unfortunately, they asked us to keep this second proposal confidential for the moment.
We said that, in our view, there are serious problems with this second proposal and asked them to look again at the old market hall site (which already has outline planning permission for such a use as a result of a private initiative on behalf of the owners). There is another meeting planned for the end of this month.
The reason it is "taking so long" is that finding a suitable site is not proving easy. There is not a large amount of flat unused land in or near the middle of Colne. If anyone can magic up such a site, please let everyone know!
On an important project like this, it is more important to get it right than rush into a scheme that will do more harm than good.
And we will be telling the PCT that if it is persisting with its further proposals, it must allow us to put them in the public domain so they can be properly discussed in the town.
TONY GREAVES (Coun.)
More regeneration
I WAS amazed to read about how Nelson town centre is going to be redesigned and rebuilt yet again in the name of regeneration.
As an economics graduate, I am confused as how some new benches, paving and flower boxes is going to create jobs, improve skills or give greater access to jobs in thriving areas of the North West like Manchester and Leeds.
It appears Pendle Council's administration is run by people who are at best incompetent. Although many in Pendle may not be aware, but were it not for certain members of this Liberal administration the M65 would have been extended and run towards Leeds along Colne's South Valley.
Instead we now have a traffic nightmare everyday from 2-30 to 6 p.m. and congested roads all the way to the Yorkshire border. I just hope Pendle can survive until the next local elections without even more waste and idiocy!
PETER HILL Keighley Road, Colne
Shops: Let us choose
ALTHOUGH I sympathise with the parking problems that may occur for residents of Halstead Lane, are the Booth's plans the only development in that area in recent times?
In Newbridge, there has, and is still on-going, building work for housing and industry. The Riverside development, including the new college and all the trappings with it is causing a fair share of problems now and in the future.
There are any number of shops in Barrowford selling goods in the top price range, so what is different?
Where senior citizens choose to shop is for them to decide and not be dictated to by a minority of protesters shouting: "Not in our back yard"!
"INTERESTED PERSON" (Name and address supplied)
Quality workmanship
I ALSO heard the broadcast by Tony Greaves which Mr Barnes comments on (Letters, September 12th) and was somewhat surprised to hear references to bad workmanship.
Over the 40-plus years I have lived in the area, I have seen Mr Barnes working many times and have always been impressed by his efficient and neat workmanship. I have seen the work at Colne progressing in appalling weather conditions.
It seems from Mr Barnes's letter last week that it is the quality of the goods supplied and not the workmanship that let the job down.
PENDLE RESIDENT (Name and address supplied)
Compensation need
IN reply to Mr James's letter of Friday, September 12th ("A Complete Mess").
As a resident and homeowner, I applied to have a council tax reduction and was told "No".
The council digs a great playing field up, the noise of diggers, trucks and everything else is horrendous. What was once a quiet haven in my back garden is just noise. Two metres away from my gate is a 30m drop and a road – great!
We need compensation and a reduction, not the council abandoning us.
B. STRONACH Halifax Road, Brierfield
Plants look lovely
ON behalf of the residents and visitors to Barrowford, I would like to congratulate whoever was responsible for the selection of plants in the containers through the village. They have looked really lovely for months and still do and one and all, everyone has enjoyed them and said how special this year's display is.
Thankfully, the vandals have left them alone this year. Congratulations and grateful thanks to all concerned.
A BARROWFORD RESIDENT (Name and address supplied)
Mr Pendle's mischief
I CANNOT allow Mr Pendle's comment in his diary for September 12th to go unremarked.
Mr Pendle implies I was wrong to have objected to the postponement of a meeting of Nelson Town Council because the meeting "clashed" with Ramadan. He goes on to ask whether I would not therefore object to a meeting of the council on December 25th.
This is mischief making on Mr Pendle's part, intended to create trouble between my party, representing the indigenous community, and those who have settled here in recent times.
Let me make one thing clear: neither I nor the British National Party advocate hostility towards those of a minority race or religion who are lawfully present in this country.
If, however, such people are present in our country it really is incumbent upon them rather than the rest of us to fit in. This would equally apply to any nation.
Were I, for instance, to try distributing copies of the Bible in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, I would be in trouble. I am not one to invite trouble, so do not expect to see me in Riyadh any time soon flouting Saudi law, whether or not I agree with it.
In this particular case, Ramadan lasts a whole month; it is a private matter for a Muslim to observe if his beliefs require it. The devout Muslim fasts during this period during the hours of daylight, but that apart, his day-to-day secular activities are unaffected.
For this reason I opposed the departure from the anticipated meeting date; any Muslim councillor would not have been prevented from attending. Coun. Iqbal happily attended a meeting with the council's chief executive, myself and numerous others on Friday, September 5th, four days into Ramadan.
I fear the proposal to postpone the Nelson Town Council meeting was a simple stunt designed to demonstrate their perceived separateness and specialness of some Muslims.
I am sorry non-Muslim Liberal and Labour councillors went along with this charade, which actually plays into the hands of those extremists wishing to stir up disharmony.
The British National Party exists to promote the traditional values and culture of these islands. We also believe passionately in individual freedom – any man is entitled to adopt whatever religion he chooses.
We do not, however, welcome attempts to impose a worldwide Caliphate by stealth, as exemplified by recent suggestions we adopt Sharia law. In this respect, Islam differs from Judaism and Christianity.
COUN. BRIAN NORTON PARKER, BNP, Marsden Ward
We do act on dog dirt
I WRITE in response to a recent letter about dog fouling in Marsden Park, Nelson. I would like to reassure Mrs Whittam we take dog fouling in our parks very seriously and are doing everything we can to encourage people to clean up after their dogs.
Our dedicated park-keepers regularly patrol all the parks throughout Pendle and do issue fixed penalties to anyone not removing their dog's mess.
We routinely hand out free "poop" bags to ensure dog walkers do not have any excuses for leaving dog dirt in our parks. We are also working hard to educate people about the law. Pendle is a designated area under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act. This means it is an offence not to clean up after your dog on any land in Pendle where the public has access, including parks and green spaces. We give out information leaflets that explain this to dog owners and display posters in our parks.
If any readers have information about repeat offenders, contact us on 661600 or 661611 with a description of the owner and dog, date and times. We will endeavour to catch and prosecute the offender.
Pendle has some of the most beautiful parks in the region. This has been reflected by our recent Green Flag success and we are hoping to win more green flags in the future.
So come on, dog owners, take pride in the places you enjoy and clean up after your dogs!
LEE JOHNSON Section Supervisor, Pendle Council Park-keeper Service
Too loud allowed?
YOUR edited version of my letter on Shamania makes its main points very clearly, but one sentence you left unaltered has become mysterious!
The "dire consequences then predicted" refers to the effects predicted by local opponents of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act some time ago.
I suggested these had been outdone by Shamania, at least as to noise and environmental damage. It is too early, of course, to judge its effects, if any, on wildlife.
However, since I wrote, I have had the benefit of a lengthy and amicable conversation with the "friendly farmer" of Jenny Jackson's letter, Chris Robinson, on whose land the event was held.
I have to recognise he puts forward a good case for the propriety of the legal and practical aspects of the festival.
In fairness to him and its organisers, these should be acknowledged against some at least of the claims so far made.
Nevertheless questions remain. Farmers are urged to diversify. If they are to survive, many must. I hope Chris has received a useful boost to his chances of doing so from the sponsors of Shamania. I am pretty sure he will have earned it.
New money, post-Thatcher, has moved into most of the other ex-farmhouses in Gisburn Old Road. Like most of us, their occupants prefer quiet nights.
Between the noise of one form of diversification and that condition of a pleasant existence there may be divided sympathies.
Those who suffered recently from the open stages at the blues festival in Colne may take one side, devotees of commercially driven, over-amplified pop music the other.
It may be time, though, to ask whether the present limits, not to mention present assumptions, as to the level of intrusion we should tolerate, are adequate. It seems public officials were present and checking all or most of what happened. But it still went on.
On this aspect of what is likely to be a continuing issue, I am on the side of Janet Almond, and I guess many other readers will be.
DONALD MITCHELL Ruskin Avenue, Colne
Both right, both wrong
THE footpath saga doth continue (Letters, September 5th).
Mr Partridge may pontificate ad infinitum on this matter, but this is my final letter on the said subject and I realise that, over the years, different town hall workers have "modernised" many ancient laws to aid so-called developments.
In the 1950s, on a flimsy excuse of security for a works in Windsor Street, Colne, the public had the old "goose neck" right of way taken away from them.
The said footpath gave access from New Oxford Street to Oxford Street and was the last remnant of a track from Foulridge to Skelton Farm – the Crofters Cottage, Ninevah Street, before the Normans came.
Now the only way is via Windy Bank or Skipton Road.
The right of way, Keighley Road, was closed one day a year by the landowner Walter Townson (my relative) to emphasise his right.
The snicket leading from Walton Street bottom into Waterside was served by a gate which was padlocked one day a year for the same purpose.
Therefore, we will leave it at that ... we're both right and both wrong.
JACK LUND Ellesmere Avenue, Colne
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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