YEP Letters: March 3

I am writing to raise my grave concern about the open prostitution area in Holbeck.

I recently bought a house in one of the new constructions in Holbeck – only keeping in mind the area is developing once again and local government is trying to improve the condition in the area. But these plans will ruin my life.

I am working as a college lecturer. My wife is a qualified teacher as well (not working at the moment to raise the children) my sister, 21, lives with me and she is studying to be a dentist. My 64-year-old mother also lives with me peacefully.

The reasons to highlight these are, if you want to improve the condition/reputation of this area where local government is already spending a lot of money on infrastructure and facilities you don’t need to make any compromises on such an illicit activities.

If Holbeck is looking forward to bloom and to attract the best people living in the area all these types of activities should be completely banned and should not be allowed in any case.

I didn’t buy my house in this area to stay in the shadow of all what you called as legal.

I’m not English, but I always praise the respect British culture provides to women, but open selling of women only for the satisfaction of men is only happening in Third World countries; not where Government tries to provide you jobs, free education, money to raise the children and even some financial support if you are not employed.

I’m raising my voice on this and sending an email to the Prime Minister as well as to the Leader of the Opposition.

We, as a family, strongly oppose the idea of this “managed area” and look forward to a strong and positive (to stop) response from the local government.

Airport rail link debate

Mel Smart, Farsley

I note your leader regarding a report of an airport rail link quotes £360m to connect from Airedale.

This is perfectly true because gradients from Airedale are far too steep.

What it fails to mention is that there is a perfectly good link route available from Horsforth station on the Harrogate line.

Two miles is all it takes and, bearing in mind that it only costs £1m per mile to build the track, this would leave £358m left over to build the rail terminal, of which £30m would be ample.

Someone in the transport hierarchy obviously does not want a rail terminal. Please note that all alternative road connections are impractical and very costly. There is an alternative, which is to do away with Leeds-Bradford altogether and develop Church Fenton as a regional/international airport. It has easy access to the road infrastructure, A1,M1,M62 etc, and has its own railway station.

Sharing passion for the city

Rosemary Holmes, by email

Re your article ‘New faces welcome visitors to the city’.

It is great to see the Welcome Ambassadors on the streets of Leeds. I have met the group when Steve Crocker and myself provided a half-day training session on “local knowledge” for them. They will be an asset to the city.

However, I would like to point out that there is already a team of volunteer Leeds City Ambassadors who have been supporting major events in the city since 2010.

This group of around 300 volunteers is co-ordinated by Steve Crocker and works with Leeds City Council and various organisations within the city supporting events throughout the year. Some of our volunteers will have fond memories of helping with last year’s Sportif event for the Tour de Yorkshire in a very wet Roundhay Park at 6am! Only yesterday some of us were out again in the Headingley area, collecting intelligence for the guide books that our volunteers will be using when we will be welcoming visitors to the World Triathlon event in June.

As a group, the volunteer Leeds City Ambassadors have already said that they are looking forward to working alongside the Leeds Welcome ambassadors, providing complementary and flexible support for events across the city. The one thing that all the ambassadors share is a passion for the many places, people and events that are “Leeds”.

Rhinos plan tip of iceberg

Lindon Dove, Tingley

I noted with interest reports of the consultation meeting held by Leeds Rhinos over their development of Headingley Stadium.

The slick presentation identified the intended sale of land at Old Thorpe Lane owned by the rugby club.

A similar presentation had already been given in regard to a proposal for selling off land off Weetwood Avenue, also owned by the club.

The representatives from Leeds Rhinos put forward a compelling case for the development of the stadium to meet international standards, and indeed assured me that they sympathised with potential local protesters.

Pity they weren’t present in my discussion just before leaving, with four house owners living on Beech Street.

They were devastated by the proposals and declaring their feeling of helplessness against a biased and one sided planning system.

I didn’t have the heart to tell them that in fact, the Rhinos proposal for 170 homes was the tip of an iceberg.

In their Site Allocations Plan, Leeds City Council have identified the intended development of 619 units on both sides of Thorpe Lane, filling in the greenbelt between the A650 and the M62 motorway.

All part of a horrifying plan for an additional 2,224 houses within the Ardsley and Robin Hood Ward.

Their already difficult access to and from the A650 is going to get an awful lot worse.

Put passengers’ needs first

A Paver, Morley

I was pleased to read that there are proposals to overhaul bus services by West Yorkshire Combined Authority in a bid to stem the decline of passengers using bus services.

I am pleased because I believe it is long overdue. It in my opinion that until bus companies put passengers needs first long term bus patronage could decline further.

Putting passengers needs first means listening to what kind of service the public want. Surely the challenge to the bus companies is to tempt car users to use their services?

To do this I believe they have to provide services that run more comprehensively than they currently do.

Services along the main routes are all well and good but if you live away from the main route you may have, at best, to have to catch a second bus and change, at worst you would have to walk to catch the bus on the main route.

PM has worked hard for UK

Margaret Garbutt, Wetherby

Re ‘EU success is phenomenal’ (YEP Letters, February 22). This letter is is A*. No matter what politics, David Cameron has achieved so much regarding European Parliament.

What other politician would have worked so hard for the UK? One other of course, Winston Churchill who, of course, has been criticised in the past.

I do hope he is able to spend more time with his family when he stands down as Prime Minister.