YEP Letters: August 17

Thanks to Take Heart team at LGI

David Martin, by email

I SPENT a great deal of time yesterday having a coronary cardiogram at the Take Heart Cardiac Suite in Leeds General Infirmary.

The whole of the staff team were excellent. Nothing was too much trouble, and they were all so pleasant and jolly.

Thanks must go to all of them, and I wish them all the best as they perform an important role, and are often not recognised.

The NHS is a much-needed organisation.

Do something positive to help on housing

Coun Andrew Carter, Pudsey

I READ with some incredulity the comments by Councillor Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s Executive Board Member for Development, in regard to his continued obsession with building more houses than are required, of the wrong type, and in the wrong places.

He attempts to paint everybody who opposes unnecessary development on greenbelt and green field sites as nimbys, which is far from the truth. Had he spent more time at the month long Planning Examination, when Planning Inspectors examined Leeds proposals to build 70,000 houses over the plan period, he would have realised that most residents’ groups, and ward councillors who spoke, all made it very clear that they understood the need for more housing, but of the right type, i.e. affordable, and in the right places, with many people highlighting the de-graded brownfield sites that exist all around the city, near communities that have desperately been waiting for regeneration for years.

I urge him to read the document prepared by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, headed “The State of Brownfield 2018”, which was a detailed analysis identifying brownfield sites in various parts of the country.

Interestingly, Leeds was one of the areas particularly analysed, and that analysis indicates that in the Leeds local authority area there is nine years’ supply of housing that could be delivered on identified, suitable, brownfield sites.

It is time, is it not, that Councillor Lewis tackled the real issues facing the city, and does something positive to help those people who do need housing.

The attitude of the current Labour administration is unimaginative and reckless in terms of the city’s environment.

Falling behind on transport

Barry Oliver, by email

As A resident of Otley Old Road, your news story with regards to the Lawnswood roundabout doesn’t mention the changes to make Otley Old Road as part of this super plan, which, by the way, has been described by WSP as a method of traffic calming traffic through Headingley.

The whole changes will provide a choke point for the area, providing ample opportunity for added environmental pollution, chaos at rush hours and pain for some residents (for example we will no longer be able to have deliveries to our home without agreement with the council).

This is, yet again a “spend the money before we lose it” act by Leeds City Council. They, and WSP, their consultants, have spoken to the cyclists but have left it very late to talk with the rest of the local residents.

This is the money left behind after failing with the trolley bus system, the tram system, FTR, guided buses and of course the bus lane on Kirkstall Road and the super cycle highway between Leeds and Bradford, all transport master strokes of Leeds City Council.

This great city is falling behind others by not having a more holistic approach to its transport needs lead by our illustrious city council.

Meanwhile we await the reconvened meeting with residents. Perhaps a large hall can be booked and all councillors involved, our MP and WSP can come along and prove this proposal is safe and in the best interests of all residents.

Researching brewing history

Edd Mather, [email protected]

I’m a brewer and brewing historian, currently researching and writing a book on old beers and brewing with a focus on the old breweries of the north of England.

I’m trying to trace any of the old production records of old Yorkshire breweries that aren’t in public archives.

I am appealing to readers for information and possible access to any items in their collectons. I’m especially interested in the following breweries :Melbourne Brewery, Leeds, Bentley & Shaw, Lockwood Brewery, Huddersfield, Hammond’s of Bradford, BYB, Eshaldwell Brewery.

Damage to car shows decline of our district

Alec Denton, Guiseley

ON SUNDAY, at about 1pm, our car was parked correctly outside our house, leaving ample room for sensible drivers to pass on a road with a 20mph limit, but someone demolished the wing mirror.

This was hit with sufficient force to completely destroy the mirror by an unknown vehicle. Judging by the damage, it must have been travelling well in excess of 20mph and the driver failed to report the incident. We normally park off-road, but because of a mechanical fault had to leave the car out on Sunday.

This is the second time in three months this has happened and other neighbours have suffered similar damage. We now feel we have to buy a security camera and if this records a similar event in future, it will be reported for prosecution to the police as a moving traffic offence.

A camera is necessary because the first time a neighbour did see a black Mercedes commit the offence, pause briefly and then continue, but he was unable to get the licence number and the second time there were no witnesses.

The lack of common courtesy this reveals is upsetting. A few years ago Guiseley was rated by a magazine as the best place in the country to live. Sadly our experience shows this is no longer the case.

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