Ilkley has always been a class apart

When I had to leave I left a piece of my heart here and throughout the years, wherever I have lived, I and my family have visited whenever we could.

Now, in our 80s, my husband and I have been blessed to live here again.

A week after we moved in the snow and accompanying bad weather enveloped us.

The point of this letter is to say to Ilkley and its residents a huge thank you for still being such a lovely spot, unchanged in so many ways. The people we have encountered, from schoolboys to elderly people, have been so kind, courteous and thoughtful.

Thank you Ilkley for remaining in a class apart.

L Kay

Ilkley

Don’t be a scaredy cat – speak out about Tesco

I am writing to encourage all us scaredy cats who feel intimidated to voice our opinion about the proposed new Tesco supermarket.

I cannot believe that the petition of 5,000 signatures is the majority of the population of Ilkley.

As a resident born and bred in Ilkley, I have seen many changes in my 58 years, we have gone from having two cinemas, youth clubs and various dance venues to having absolutely nothing for the young people of this lovely town to do, it’s become like an elephants’ graveyard.

I think Tesco could help to put this situation right by encouraging companies to think about making the old store into either a cinema, small bowling alley (like in Skipton) or some sort of sports centre with drop-in coffee shop or ice cream parlour, there could be an underground car park and the rest of Tesco car park could be used by commuters going to work in Leeds and Bradford.

That would ease parking in Mayfield Road, Wellington Road and other roads which have become one-way streets because of parking on both sides of the roads.

I live on Mayfield Avenue and think that the traffic problems could not get much worse, Ilkley is just about grid-locked. The traffic that uses our street, especially in the summer months when the main Leeds Road is queuing traffic from morn till night, is unbelievable. We get articulated lorries, cement mixers, school buses and all other sorts of vehicles in between. All this traffic must be turning right at the top of Mayfield Avenue to get back on to the main road which means there is already heavy traffic on Valley Drive, Little Lane and Mayfield Road. So it wouldn’t make much difference to the traffic on these roads. I am sure it would lead to less traffic in the town centre.

The population of Ilkley must have increased nearly twofold since the old store was taken over from Hillards. It just isn’t big enough and we are missing out on a lot of the range of goods that Tesco can offer. I find it hard to believe that other shops in Ilkley would be under threat considering we have so many hairdressers, beauty salons and designer clothes shops, none of which Tesco provides.

People that use the independent butchers and bakers would no doubt still do so, otherwise they would be using the supermarket already. As a working-class mother and grandmother, I cannot afford to do my shopping in Ilkley so travel out of town to get more reasonable priced goods. Tesco would bring much-needed employment and a more enjoyable shopping compared to the old depressing store with no natural light and poor stock of goods.

Sue Johnson

Mayfield Avenue, Ilkley

New Tesco store will ruin Ilkley forever

Now that Tesco have finally and convincingly demonstrated to everyone that they neither care not listen then, it falls on us all to make one last effort to preserve Ilkley as we know it.

I am constantly being asked ways in which people can do something to help stop plans for such a large store.

Well, firstly, write to your local parish and district councillors with your concerns.

Secondly, when the time comes you all must write to the appointed inspector with your objections. Public opinions will be taken into account so a repeat of the support shown at the two previous meetings would bolster the efforts of those of us who have worked so long and hard on this.

For Tesco to succeed, all that is needed is for us to do nothing. If Tesco build their superstore, Ilkley will be ruined forever, please don’t let’s look back in ten years’ time and say “if only I’d written that letter”. We have the chance, now let’s take it and join the select band who have had the determination and character to say ‘no’ to Tesco’s power.

J Saltmarshe

Brewery Road, Ilkley

Parish Council debates are open and all-embracing

I was not surprised to read the diatribe from Edwin Schirn regarding Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, given his persistent hostility towards her over the issue of the chapels in Ilkley Cemetery. What did surprise me, however, is that Mr Schirn has joined the small band of fantasists who believe that Coun Hawkesworth and her fellow Conservative Group members on Bradford Council have control over some of the members of Ilkley Parish Council.

In reality, the Conservative members of Ilkley Parish Council have neither followed a party line nor had one imposed on them from Bradford Council, the local association or the national party. All members of the parish council, be they Conservative or independent, stand for election to serve the residents of Ilkley, and bring their own, diverse views and expertise to the council chamber when debating matters of interest to the parish. Coun Hawkesworth is indeed a democratically elected member of the parish council, and attends meetings in that role and not as the elected member for the district council. Her role as chief whip for the Conservative Group on Bradford Council has never impinged on her activities as a parish councillor, and in fact she has always been very careful to declare interests and to absent herself when the parish council makes decisions which might encroach on her responsibilities in Bradford. During my time on the parish council, party politics has rarely intruded on the business under discussion and, to my knowledge, has only reared its head once, about 14 years ago, over the issue of under-age drinking. Much comment has been made in the press recently about the issue of independence on the parish council, however, the motivation of all members, regardless of party affiliation, is to do their best for the people of Ilkley.

Perhaps Mr Schirn and others who are under the misapprehension that the Conservative members follow a fictitious party line, should attend a few parish council meetings just to see how open and all-embracing the debates in council really are.

Councillor Heathcliffe Bowen

Woodlands Rise, Ilkley

Green Lane residents happy with changes being made

With reference to your recent article on Green Lane, Burley Woodhead, the undersigned residents of Green Lane would like to make it clear that Robert Thornthwaite (Gazette, February 11) does not represent the views on the lane.

There are seven dwellings above the passing place, with planning permission for another two. This passing place makes life so much easier for the houses above it, and has been of great benefit in the cold weather. We cannot understand why such a small but life-enhancing measure should be the subject of such controversy. We quote the Ilkley Gazette’s report of the Burley-in-Wharfedale Parish Council meeting in July 2007: “There was a consensus that the road works were unwarranted and passing places would be preferable. The residents of Green Lane who attended the meeting said they were pleased with the council’s decision.”

We accept that the project has not been completed as required by the planning department, but on contacting Mr Brook-Crispin we were assured that the requested works will be completed when the weather allows.

Harry & Barbara Johnson and Andrew Johnson, Green Lane

David & Carol Moss, Onion Farm, Green Lane

Damian Quarmby, Leanne McDonough, High Meadows, Green Lane

Electoral boundary campaigner is clutching at straws

I had to smile on reading the rather predictable response of Andrew Dundas to the decision of the Keighley Area Committee not to change the current electoral arrangements for the Ilkley parish, as it shows that he is clutching at straws in the vain hope that his proposal will be taken up in the future. This will never, I trust, be the case.

As we survey Andrew's attempt to alter the ward boundaries of the Ilkley parish to suit his own party's political advantage, let us not forget that this review has cost the Bradford District taxpayers thousands of pounds, money which could have been better spent on improvements in other areas. I am sure I am not alone in questioning what has been the benefit of this exercise, and the answer is, precisely nothing. Apart from Andrew, none of the electors of the parish were clamouring for change prior to the review and, from the response to the first round of consultations, a clear majority expressed a view to maintain the status quo. Clearly, the issue had disappeared from everyone’s consciousness by the time of the second consultation, as no responses were received from any electors.

In responding to the decision not to change the current arrangements, Andrew expresses the view that the area committee could re-open the review at some later stage. Regardless of the fact that under the legislation the local authority does not have a duty to conduct a further review for another two years, I find it incredible that a Labour Party activist advocates wasting further sums of public money on a review that is not a burning issue amongst the vast majority of local electors. Sadly, this appears to be symptomatic of Labour policies in general, which have resulted in enormous increases in public spending for little tangible benefit and a huge rise in our national deficit.

At a time of both national and local stringency, we cannot really afford ill-considered and politically-motivated attempts to alter electoral arrangements. All who stand for election do so on the ground that is laid out in front of them, and no candidate should expect indulgence to assist their electoral prospects. If Andrew or a member of his party stands for election in May, I trust that they will do so on their party's record in government, abysmal though it is, and not seek to hide behind spurious arguments about so-called ‘unfair votes’.

Councillor Michael P Gibbons

Prospective Conservative Party Candidate, Bradford MDC