CLR Peter McBride (Mailbag, March 17) writes that ‘the council now has a plan identifying what land is considered fit for which particular purpose.’
If we are to believe him then we must also believe that the council is deliberately keeping people in the dark.
We know about proposed developments at Chidswell and Cooper Bridge, but apart from those the site specific plans are being kept secret.
This is presumably an attempt to confuse and confound those who would object to particular schemes.
Meanwhile, as we saw at the March 6 Extraordinary Council, leading Labour and Lib Dem councillors launched an extraordinary attack on the Examiner’s Barry Gibson for having the temerity to publicise the fact that Kirklees Council planners are considering reviewing the green belt status of land in 64 sites.
After hearing the attacks by Clrs David Sheard and Kath Pinnock, I checked the KMC website. Barry’s report was accurate, so I can only assume that the ire directed against him was generated by pique at having failed in the attempt to ‘bury’ the detail among a mass of other data.
I can only assume that firm plans have already been laid but have not been made public.
In Ashbrow, land between Bradley Bar and Park Hill is included in the 64 sites identified for review. I am now convinced that earlier plans to build some 3,000 houses off Bradley Road have been resurrected.
These plans will see the end of most, if not all, of Ashbrow’s green belt (no mere 1% for us), the loss of Bradley Park golf course and the completion of a conurbation linking Bradford Road at Fixby to Leeds Road at Bradley.
That is what Clr McBride’s letter tells me. He could, of course, tell us that Ashbrow’s green belt will be preserved – since he apparently knows exactly which land is earmarked for which purpose.
Bill Armer
Conservative candidate, Ashbrow
LDF parties ‘on the run’
IT looks as though we’ve got the Labour and Lib Dem councillors on the run over the Local Development Framework rumpus – and rightly so.
It is they who are scaremongering, not our Dr David Hill of Golcar. How dare they put it about that Kirklees Community Action Network supports the Conservatives?
Our spokesman, Robert Bamforth, said quite clearly in his press release after our meeting on March 9 that ‘KCAN remains fundamentally a non-party political network.’
The article in the Examiner dated March 16 also says quite clearly ‘KCAN members decided to back any candidate in May’s election who opposes the LDF.’
Neither do I like their opinion that we don’t know what we are talking about.
We are a group of 16 organisations, we have a broad range of members, some have university degrees, some have PhDs and we have at least one barrister in our number.
We all have a wealth of life experience and common sense. We have spent many hundreds of man-hours researching the Kirklees LDF, despite the difficulty we had finding some of the information we needed.
What unites us is not politics, but a passion to stand up for what is right and just and to protect the countryside around us.
Also a belief that everyone in Kirklees deserves to know all the facts about the LDF, a belief which Kirklees Council does not appear to share.
Keep running, you councillors who voted in favour of the LDF.
Hopefully, in six weeks’ time those of you up for election will be out of a job, whatever your political affiliation.
Tina Newsome
Meltham - KCAN member and proud of it!
Bryan Road safety
THERE has been a safety issue raised by the Greenhead councillors about Birkby Hall Road on the double bend opposite Bryan Road.
The area is residential with a school nearby and seems to attract drivers who travel very fast no matter what the road conditions.
I have reason to believe the safety issue is very serious.
A few years ago I was travelling in my taxi at the bend when a young driver, coming very fast from Birkby Hall Road, lost control of his car and hit my taxi.
We ended up in hospital and the taxi was written off. The young driver had no insurance or driving licence.
I agree with the group that is protesting against the installation of ramps. These have a limited effect on people who insist on driving at speed.
But the area does need some form of speed restriction and, if not ramps, then a 20mph limit and speed cameras could save innocent lives.
Manjit Singh
Birkby
Blue badge benefit
I HAVE read with interest about the number of people who are getting parking fines at the Dunelm retail park. I number myself among them.
I have a blue disabled badge and you are allowed up to three hours’ parking with it.
I read the board put up by ‘Parking Eye’ and it doesn’t say anywhere that disabled drivers are including in the two-hour limited stay.
I wrote to Parking Eye after I paid the fine to tell them this and as I was there under the three hours they have refunded my money on appeal.
I say to any blue badge holders who have received a fine that you should send a photocopy of both sides of your blue badge and you could get a refund – until they alter the notice board, that is!
Pam Harris
Golcar
Playing old vinyl
I WONDER if any Examiner reader could help me?
I am having a 70th birthday party on April 13 at the Albert Hotel but can’t find an old-style set of DJ gear so I can put on a disco to play my old vinyl records.
I hope that someone out there has some I can borrow or hire. My mobile number is 07516070362.
Eddie Sykes
Slaithwaite
Staking out the garage
HOW heartwarming and reassuring it was to read (Examiner, March 17) that two policemen spent two hours counting cars going into a petrol station, then went in – in true Columbo fashion – to buy a bottle of wine, proving indisputably that they were selling alcohol!
I can’t wait for the next episode of these intrepid police exploits.
Brian Horton
Berry Brow
First council houses?
IN an article in the New Statesman on March 12, Thomas Calvocoressi describes the 1899 Boundary Estate in Shoreditch as ‘the world’s first-ever council housing’.
However it was pre-dated by nearly two decades by the 160 houses erected at Turnbridge in 1880-82 by Huddersfield Corporation.
Progressive municipal politics were alive and well in the ‘provinces’ before the London County Council was conceived.
David Griffiths
Edgerton
