Residents deserve to know what is going on
WOULD it be too much trouble, if Manchester council’s planning department could let the residents of Elbow Street, Levenshulme, know what the decision was to build 68 houses in the area?
What is the point of having a planning department when they are totally ignoring the wishes of Elbow Street residents?
I would also like to know why Levenshulme councillors have never made any contact with Elbow Street on this matter, and about the concerns of local residents?
I was under the impression that it is the law to let objectors know what a planning decision verdict was, or does that not apply in Manchester?
The planners are also attempting to build a new road off Elbow Street, leading to this new housing estate.
This idea is absolutely crazy as Elbow Street is a very narrow road that already has a very large amount of traffic using the street as a rat-run to dodge the centre of Levenshulme.
The obvious place to build a new access road for this new estate is on Chapel Street (where there are no houses).
Manchester planners should get their act together now and try talking to people, instead of ignoring them. John Howard, Levenshulme
Bin services are working
IN response to the letter blaming Coun Nigel Murphy for everything from potholes in the road to teenage bad behaviour in the schools – stick to the point.
Something had to be done to stop the volume of litter accumulating in the bins and on the streets of Manchester.
Like many residents I too thought it would be impossible to manage with the reduced bins, but guess what? With planning and careful thought the bins are full and collected on the allocated days.
Well done, Coun Murphy (and no, I’m not a fully paid up member of Labour Party). E Haughey
Spice users are criminals
I WAS saddened to read and see reports of scenes in Manchester of people addicted to the drug Spice.
It not only blights or city but costs a great deal of money. We need to stop looking at these people as victims – they use these substances by choice, it is against the law and should be treated as such.
By all means they should be picked up and taken to a place of safety until they recover but repeat offenders should be fined the same as other criminals.
Manchester attracts a lot of tourists who spend money – they don’t want to see this behaviour. Salford resident
Have say on White Paper
WEAKER planning rules will not solve the housing crisis.
The new housing planning policy in England will ignore ordinary people and could mean more blots on the landscape. But together we can make the government think again.
The government has been dismantling planning controls since it came to power in 2010, meaning people are gradually having less of a say in what gets built where they live.
The new Housing White Paper acknowledges that we aren’t building the homes we need in the right place.
But the proposals it includes on planning only ratchet up this problem. It will be another nail in the coffin of planning rules, making it easier for developers to build exactly what they want, where they want.
Friends of the Earth Manchester is calling on their supporters to ‘tell the government they’re getting it wrong on housing.’ This can be done in a few moments at act.foe.co.uk/act/ tell-government-theyre-getting-itwrong-housing Andrew Wastling
Cup success for society
AT the Manchester council allotment awards dinner, Gorton Horticultural Society carried off the Coun Hugh Lee Cup for the best society in Manchester in allotments – plus, they also took the Harry Sharp cup for the best allotment plot in Manchester. Well done to all concerned at Gorton allotments for their amazing prizes, and congratulations all round to another Gorton group leading the way in Manchester council’s awards. Allan Grafton, Chairman, Gorton events