High-rise life ‘abnormal’ once novelty wears off
I’VE lived on the top floor of two tower blocks in two different cities.
Apart from any safety or cladding issue, sky rise living was always going to be abnormal.
Once the novelty of the good view and the chance to get an all-over sun tan (pre-satellite snoopers) wore off, it was all clunking doors and a cannabis smoke-filled lift movement, like an exploding Tardis every five minutes.
Down on the ground, especially in the city, most people follow the rule, you speak to your next door neighbours right and left but beyond that don’t feel obliged to. Pathetic.
And in a tower block with neither garden nor yard, you can think you’ve no neighbours at all. How bad, or good, is that? But at least you can’t hear many dogs barking. Tim Cleal Coventry
Will student flats get any sprinklers?
AFTER the terrible fire in London and the fact that Grenfell Tower had no sprinkler system which may have saved many lives, I see WM Housing in Coventry are going to put the sprinkler system into more tower blocks. Well done WM Housing for doing that. Can the planners of Coventry City Council confirm that with all the high-rise towers built for student accommodation, these will have sprinklers systems installed and the cladding on the buildings are the approved ones? L M Lenton Coundon
Thanks for helping us save pets’ lives
ON behalf of vet charity PDSA, which has a busy pet hospital in Coventry, I would like to say a huge thank you to all local players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
We have received fantastic funding support from players this year, which has helped us to secure a better future for thousands of pets in Coventry, as well as providing emergency care and lifesaving equipment.
Since January we have carried out over 27,000 emergency operations across our UK pet hospitals, including Coventry; purchased ten critical items through a National Emergency Equipment Fund to repair or replace old or failing clinical equipment; hosted Pet First Aid courses which have equipped hundreds of people with potentially life-saving skills; promoted PDSA’s online symptom checker which has been utilised over 52,000 times. The free tool has helped owners with queries they have about their pets’ health.
Just like people, pets can suddenly fall ill, or sustain an unexpected injury. Whatever the cause, the emergency care we provide is vital. For some pets, immediate assessment and diagnosis can be the difference between life and death. PDSA is home to the UK’s busiest pet A&E service, so this funding helps us provide a vital lifeline for pets.
Over £200 million has been raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery for good causes across Great Britain since the lottery launched – an incredible achievement. On behalf of us here at PDSA and all the pets we treat, well done and thank you. Nicola Martin Head of Pet Health & Welfare PDSA
No one likes tower block ‘eyesores’
WITH all the controversy over tower blocks, it is interesting to see how consistent Coventry City Council’s planning department is with its love of these hideous buildings.
No one seems to like the eyesore that looms over the ring road near the railway station and there is another growing behind the Belgrade with yet another now being planned alongside.
Meanwhile visitors to our city have little choice between the shabby run-down hotels available.
So to the city planners – please take off your blindfolds and notice that the city has residents and visitors, as well as students. Diane Randle Coventry