We must stand up to ‘arrogant’ chopper squad

Aug 15 2007 by Kevin Core, Birkenhead News

I THOUGHT the front page story in this week’s Birkenhead News must be a spoof but, no, I’ve looked at the planning application and it is all too true.

Birkenhead School wants “change of use from playing fields to playing fields and occasional use as a helicopter landing site”.

These arrogant people want to save the visiting relative of a child at the school occasional enforced trips from Liverpool airport where otherwise the helicopter would have to land (that would be trips by taxi - public transport is frightfully common).

Neighbours have enough problems round here with ridiculous four-wheel drive vehicles clogging the roads (and pavements) and lovely old houses being knocked down for ugly modern developments, without some rich person’s chopper waving through the skies of Oxton.

The School’s planning application appears to say, in effect, “We have loads of money.

“We are special, so special that the community has to make incredible arrangements to match our whims.

“Our lives are too busy to be delayed by 30 minutes, while your lives are less important and the relative tranquillity of Oxton is naught compared to our needs.

“Public transport is not for us and we can use fuel for selfish reasons as and when we like.

“We teach our pupils to be completely self-centred.”

Let’s hope Wirral’s planners and councillors stand up to the chopper squad and refuse this application in the gale of laughter which it deserves.

KEVIN DONOVAN

OXTON

Complaints are taken seriously

WE WILL not accept poor service at any of our ferry terminals, so I was very disappointed to see the letter from P A Kell in last week’s Wirral News.

I will pick this up with the external catering contractors who operate the café at Woodside and, where necessary, we will take action.

“We are nearing the end of the contract with the current catering contractor and we take these complaints very seriously.

“On a positive note, we remain committed to Woodside Ferry Terminal and our plans are to add life and vitality to the terminal to make it much more popular for visitors and tourists from across the world.

“We have plans to bring U-boat U534 to Woodside as a permanent visitor attraction and exhibition, complementing the Resurgam sub, and we are working closely with all the agencies looking to breathe energy into the Wirral waterfront.

“There are exciting times ahead for Woodside Ferry Terminal, we are working to ensure they come sooner rather than later.

NEIL SCALES

CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR GENERAL OF MERSEYTRAVEL

The best option

YOU report that more than 2,000 people signed a petition against the proposed supermarket for Neston Town Centre.

Robert Halsall, who organised the petition, admits that we need to regenerate the smaller businesses.

The proposal for the new supermarket is designed to do this: how else could it be done?

Heswall (which has a big supermarket) has thriving shops - too many of Neston’s are shut.

No doubt the Borough Council will take into account when they make their decision on September 13 the fact that 70 per cent of people in the area do their main food shopping out of Neston.

Councillors have spent a huge amount of time carefully researching the options, and we should let them take this decision on our behalf.

I think the Sainsbury supermarket is the best option available to give Neston a future, we can’t just sit back and wait for something to turn up.

ROB WARD

LITTLE NESTON

Thanks to all

I WOULD like to say a big thank you to all of the people and organisations, such as Merseytravel, the Captain and the staff of the Mersey Ferries, Bus and Tram Museum Birkenhead, the Old Colonial, the patrons and staff at the Wallasey Branch Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, and all the people that had donated to ensure a visit from the children from Belarus went so well.

They will take back wonderful memories of a good day in Wirral.

Many thanks to you all.

CLLR JOHN SALTER,

SEACOMBE AND POULTON

Postcard problem

REGARDING New Brighton, what has happened to postcards of the area?

I have had students staying with me, from Spain and France, since July 1, and they wanted to send pictures of the area they were staying in home.

They searched various places – WH Smith, post offices, all to no avail.

Some post offices have cards relating to old New Brighton, but these are not relevant to today.

With the so called regeneration we are expecting in New Brighton, even the tourist information is dwelling in the past.

These students have brought books about where they live in both languages, and some live in tiny unknown places.

Why can’t this be done here? Has anybody else had this problem?

RUTH WARREN

NEW BRIGHTON

Medal muddle

I CAN'T understand all the fuss over the Malayan veterans not being allowed to wear an extra medal.

This situation applies to all medals not presented by the government, and as a Korean veteran we have the same situation with The Korean Re-visit medal, presented by the Korean government, and the Sygmund Rhee medal.

Let’s be fair, where would it stop?

As I only arrived in Korea in September 1953 and the ceasefire occurred in the July, I can only wear the United Nations medal, even though I spent the full year there, with some hostilities and Prisoner exchange going on.

Then when I came out I was called back for the 1956 'Suez crisis' and spent one month in Malta and four months in Cyprus, but as I did not spend one full day in Egypt I cannot wear the Suez medal, and as I needed to be in Cyprus for five months I can't wear the Cyprus medal.

To be honest there is nothing in Law that prevents you wearing any medals, i.e. the Hong Kong medal, as I spent nine months in the Territories, the German medal, because I spent ten months there, and of course the National Service Medal.

The fact is it is frowned upon if you wear them alongside the correctly awarded ones.

There is nothing to stop them being worn as decoration, either below or on the opposite side of the Blazer, like jewellery.

KEN GRIFFITHS

BEBINGTON

Nature’s way

AM I alone in being surprised at the push to recycle garden waste as reported in your article of August 1 (p 16)?

There seems to be something rather perverse in trying to get residents to recycle garden waste such as grass and bush clippings and then to have a fleet of carbon guzzling vehicles winding their way around the streets to collect it.

We live in a Housing Association property where so-called gardeners are contracted to cut the grass, and on occasions cut the privet hedges and collect fallen leaves and then take away this detritus for recycling, whilst nature has been doing this quite effectively for eons.

If every home kept its own green waste and allowed it to decompose in compost areas or bins, such a policy would have many positive consequences:

l It would attract lots of insects.

l Which in turn would attract more garden birds and other insects,

l Which would also be good for our gardens in assisting in pollination,

l The resulting compost could be spread around residents’ own gardens to improve the general soil quality, thereby getting better plants,

l It would also reduce the Council’s carbon footprint and thereby,

l Release funds from the limited coffers of the Council Tax for other important services.

It is after all nature’s way and it is mighty efficient at doing it.

T CORNISH

OXTON

Proud of my PJM

YOUR correspondents concerned about not being authorised to wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal (PJM) can take heart.

Entry Number 5057 in The London Gazette of May 3, 1968 reads as follows:

“The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve that Orders, Decorations and Medals conferred with Her Majesty's permission upon United Kingdom citizens not being servants of the Crown by Heads or Governments of Commonwealth... countries may in all cases be worn by the recipients without restriction.”

This notice, which was discovered by some excellent detective work on the part of the Fight 4 the PJM organisation, certainly carries more weight than the mumblings of petty civil servants - most of whom have no right to pronounce on the legitimacy of ex-servicemen to wear medals awarded by a sovereign government.

I was proud to receive my PJM and am equally proud to wear it mounted with my British medals - not as a piece of ‘bling’!

I hope that all other recipients will now do the same.

Full details of the campaign to win this right can be found at www.fight4thePJM.org

HARRY FYNN

COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER