Wirral News Letters – April 7

Apr 14 2010 Birkenhead News

Conservation plan is just nostalgia

I ATTENDED the Bebington Conservation meeting described in the News of March 31.

However, I am surprised that with only 100 people present, this is viewed as a ringing endorsement to try and get conservation status for parts of Bebington.

Furthermore, I don’t remember there being many present under the age of 50.

It is therefore not surprising that the level of debate included references to the old Dog and Gun pub and memories of the local blacksmiths.

I had the feeling this had less to do with preserving buildings than with the nostalgic hankering after a village atmosphere that harked back to the 1930's, not the 21st century.

Bebington is no longer a country village and will never return to being one.

I welcome the preservation of such buildings of architectural interest as St. George's Hall, the Liver Buildings, Port Sunlight and Hamilton Square.

However, Meyer Hall is neither of serious architectural or historical interest and compared with the excellent civic centre is a positive eyesore, the rear of which is covered with metal shuttered windows and graffiti.

Nevertheless, if there are those who want to preserve such buildings then I suggest they form a trust or charity and use their own money to carry out the necessary repairs.

MARTIN MATHIESON

via e-mail

Special status?

AS a man who has a keen interest in local history and places of special architectural value, I welcomed the article regarding Councillors Williams and Smith's campaign to have more areas granted special conservation status.

Do holes in the road qualify for conservation, or maybe preservation status as there is no shortage of huge potholes within the area and they've been around an awful long time?

I'm beginning to think there is.

For example, there is one which has had protective guards placed around it outside the vets in Town Lane for close on a year.

Despite several grumbling letters it's still in place and appears to be growing.

In a time of employment uncertainty it must be very reassuring to be in a job for life, such as the person who seeks out and marks these potholes and broken kerbs.

Are we, the constituents of these and other councillors, misinformed? Perhaps there is a preservation order on these pot holes which abound and appear to be coalescing from small beginnings into works of beauty.

TONY WEEDON

via e-mail

Green is good

I THINK it’s a wonderful idea to let people who have the space to erect wind generation equipment like the isolated farm in Heswall (“Wind turbine bid sparks friction”, April 7).

This farm is situated high up on the peninsula and is in the perfect location to generate its own electricity, without any disruption to the surrounding population.

Plus wind generators are far more attractive than electricity pylons and miles of cable slung across the countryside.

Also I do not believe that wind generators make a noise or are a danger to wildlife, this is just nonsense.

There are a number of locations all over Merseyside where you can stand next to a generator and see for yourself. There is no evidence that wind generation has had a decimating effect on the bird life in the areas, there is no evidence that the generators give out any kind of harmful radiation.

What is certain for every location that generates electricity from natural sources, the benefit is apparent in reducing carbon emissions and harmful effect on the environment.

The concept of using wind power and water power or tidal power is the only way forward if we want to leave this planet for our future generations to enjoy.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

via e-mail

No consideration

WELL done to the council for the resurfacing of Park Road South.

The contractors closed off Slatey Road to use it as a lorry park, causing problems by parking low loaders across gateways or opposite driveways, making exiting these properties with a car difficult.

Why could they not open the park gates to park their lorries in and leave Slatey Road clear?

Traffic was prevented from entering Park Road South from Palm Grove for a day and was diverted down St Andrews Road.

If the diversion was placed further back up Palm Grove, drivers could turn left or right into Grosvenor Road, instead making all cars

travel down St Andrews Road, on to Slatey Road then onto Park Road South.

Unfortunately they started work moving machines at 4.30am on Sunday morning, disturbing a lot of residents in the area.

We, the residents can accept that the work needs to be done. But a little consideration would be appreciated.

A RESIDENT

Name and address supplied

Smoke screen

FOR decades Wirral was among the areas with the highest number of chest complaints in Britain and this was put down to pollution in Merseyside.

However over the last five or six years that has been replaced by smoking or secondary smoke diseases by the anti-smoking and heart charities, and of course they have the figures to prove it.

I would like to know how they get their figures.

Would they say that when the pollution was seen as the cause of chest complaints they were wrong?

Since the 60s and 70s the number of motor vehicles has increased. Some even have more than one car. We have many more planes flying overhead and factories that belch out their pollution into the sky.

According to anti-smoking campaigners millions of smokers have stopped – is that fact or fiction? If they have how come there is an increase in so-called secondary smoke illnesses?

Before anti-smoking we certainly had less smoke related illnesses then than now and doctors treated signs and symptoms, not what a patient did as a pastime.

D ALCOTT

Wallasey

Praise bikers

I HAVE just had the misfortune to have read the outrageous, over the top, selfish, bitter, twisted letter from Gavin (Victor Meldrew?) Iredale.

Thank God you’re a visitor to Wirral and not a resident. Who would want to live next door to such a misery guts?

The motorcyclists’ intentions were very honourable and charitable and thus should not be derided but praised.

Yours angrily,

RAY WILLIAMS

Little Neston