Features stick out like a sore thumb (From Ilkley Gazette)

Features stick out like a sore thumb

9:38am Thursday 3rd January 2008

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SIR, - Your article in the Gazette December 20 concerning the new Tesco is very worrying and must cause grave concern to people living on Mayfield Road.

I am against this new superstore and after looking at the artist's impression of the new store some details stick out like sore thumbs'.

1) Re the new entrance: This entrance is already being put in place; but it may be that Spooners have put it there for their own use? Is this to be a joint Spooners/Tesco entrance?

2) The detached brick built house which stands between the entrance and the Old Brewery buildings has disappeared. Is it to be pulled down?

3) The Old Brewery buildings seem to be missing also and there are homes at Cornmill House. Is all this to be demolished also?

4) Firstly the whole of this new store is far too large for the area in which it is proposed to be built and it will cause traffic chaos, no matter what Tesco says. Mayfield Road is only narrow with a very bad bend near Golden Butts Road.

It is the bus route into town and is a very busy road. People going to and fro to the school in Valley Drive and cars going into and out of town, a lot of whom use the car park that was Kwik Save's and it will get busier when M&S open at the Station.

I think we should all say no' to this monster market or we won't be able to move.except in Springs Lane. I have never been asked by anyone if I am for or against the new store. Put me down as an against.

A E Carr 12 Thwaites Avenue,Ilkley

Breast cancer

SIR, - I have just read your article about breast cancer screening - what excellent news for Anne Hawkesworth now that she is recovering from surgery.

In 1999 I too had a lumpectomy followed by chemotherapy (hair loss) and radiotherapy at Cookridge. I received wonderful support and lots of publicity from the Ilkley Gazette during the fund raising that I did for Imperial Cancer Research, raising more than £12,000.

My main aim then, and still is, is to emphasise that self-examination as well as mammography is vital - that was how I discovered my lump so early. I too go for screening at the mobile breast unit on Booth's car park and still remain fit and well.

My concern in your article is calling a mastectomy a mutilation - just imagine the impact of this work on someone who has had, or is waiting for the operation - or even in some cases just going for screening.

Life saving surgery is far more important than appearance and every support and encouragement should be given to face the advised treatment.

I remain indebted to the staff and consultants at Airedale and Cookridge hospitals for the care and treatment I received. Good luck to Ann Hawkesworth in her recovery - I wish her well.

Linda Davies 23 Bolton Road,Addingham.

• Editor's footnote: The word mutilation' was not chosen by our reporter but was a direct quotation of the term used by Councillor Hawkesworth. To alter direct quotes is not an acceptable journalistic practice and would be considered grossly unethical. Secondly, the word expressed Councillor Hawkesworth's personal feelings about the operation for her, it did not represent a comment about general surgical practice in cases of breast cancer.

Elite store protest

SIR, - "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," wrote Thomas Jefferson, and it certainly pays to be vigilant when shopping.

A while ago I was annoyed when Tesco stopped stocking ordinary tomatoes to be weighed up at their Ilkley store, leaving us no option but to buy pre-packed or on-the-vine toms.

Now, it appears, there are plans to discontinue Tesco's staple 27p Value tissues. My sources suggest this approach is being adopted because Tesco Ilkley is now seen as an "elite" store, whose customers can be expected to be parted more easily from their money than residents in an average town.

Kindly note, Sir Terry, that not everyone in Ilkley lives in Middleton and/or drives a 4 x 4. We are not all rich and do not want to be treated in this way just because we live in LS29!

I invite your readers to join me in protesting to Tesco's Customer Services Department against any attempts by Tesco to get rid of cheaper products in Ilkley, particularly Value tissues. Do please remind Tesco of the old saying, The customer is always right!' And don't forget to take your empty tissue boxes and other cardboard to Ilkley's first-class recycling centre. After all, every little helps!

Hugh Little 12 Beverley Rise,Ilkley

Quango decisions

SIR, - Just before Christmas you reported on two items of news. Both of these were generated by the pontifications of two non-elected, non-accountable bodies. Both of them made me gasp with their total lack of practical understanding.

The first one was the directive (what else can you call it) imposing an increase in Bradford's housing by some 20 per cent overall. This would be sheer lunacy.

For a start, these people could never have witnessed the near gridlock of many of Bradford's roads at peak times.

Add 20 per cent more traffic and the roads would block totally. Quite apart from the obvious environmental destruction, consider the following- one-fifth more schools, teachers, hospitals, playing fields, nurses, jobs, water, sewerage, gas, electricity, carbon dioxide, etc. etc.

The cost of all this would be horrendous. It would cost many tens of billions of pounds.

Just where does this quango expect the money to come from? The Government? (fat chance!) Council Tax???

The whole scheme is totally unrealistic. Cloud Cuckoo Land comes to mind.

The other news item concerned the imposition by the EU of much lower noise limits on Leeds Bradford Airport, reducing from the present maximum of 75 decibels to 55 decibels. Again a totalitarian imposition without considering the consequences.

It is not a sound reduction of one third, as the decibel is a logarithmic unit of sound pressure.

Ten decibels equates to a sound power difference of ten times. Twenty decibels corresponds to a sound power difference of 100 times.

So the EU directive will mean that somehow the aircraft visiting Leeds Bradford Airport will have to produce sound power levels of one hundred times less than is the present case. Again this is sheer lunacy, it is impossible. I have no doubt that heavy fines will be imposed for not meeting the required figures.

We are suffering from imposed top-down government by non-elected, non-accountable bodies. The UK is a very densely populated country and the last thing it needs is more population and yet more endless directives.

These autonomous bodies seem to generate these diktats without any real understanding of the results of their implementation.

Just what are the qualifications of these dictatorial people, and how do they come to hold such power?

Arthur Bailey (Dr)Chartered Engineer 7 Nelson Road,Ilkley.

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