Selfish protesters who don’t care
WELL, I have seen it all now.
The comfortably housed and comfortably off residents of Bamford are protesting at plans to build new homes in their area.
They obviously don’t care about the obscenity of homelessness in Britain today.
They don’t care about young couples unable to get a foot on the housing ladder because of sky-high prices caused by the housing shortage.
They don’t care about the need to build a million new homes a year across the country, or the 700 a year needed in Rochdale, to tackle the shortage.
No. They are protesting about building on land their dogs go walkies on.
‘Save our Dog’s Playground’ was just one of the placards at a recent demonstration.
They obviously care more about their dogs than people.
How selfish can you get? Anne Williams Wardle Road
THEY SHOULD SUPPORT TOWN
I SEE George Smith made himself look a bit of a fool on Saturday (Your Views, January 14)
He spent his whole letter moaning that Rochdale has nothing going for it when in the same issue there was a double-page spread of the stunning images of the new leisure and retail development proposed for the town centre.
I for one am looking forward to the new cinema, new M&S, Next and other top names that will be coming back.
Do Mr Smith and his ilk walk round our town centre with their eyes shut?
Does he not see our beautiful town hall and gardens?
The stunning river reopening? Touchstones? Gracie’s statue, the transformation of Newgate House into a world-class headquarters for Tetroysl?
The new shops and eateries opening?
The new colleges, council offices, bus station and Metrolink?
And he has the nerve to say drab Oldham is much better than Rochdale.
Why is it some people take pleasure in forever knocking their home town?
If they spent all that wasted energy supporting Rochdale it would be a far better place.
Yes, every northern town has its problems, but I honestly believe Rochdale is turning the corner and there are some really fantastic changes taking place. So come on, George, take your blinkers off and be proud of our town! Ken Blackwell Spotland Road Rochdale I WOULD like to reply to Coun Allen Brett’s letter dated Saturday, January 14, in the Rochdale Observer about David Hennigan.
Dirty tricks is going on a lot more in politics these day and getting a lot worse.
We hear or read more about the dirty tricks and slanging matches now than we do about any policies.
I found the letter very amusing all the same.
Perhaps Coun Brett would like to explain why he left Milnrow and Newhey to stand in another ward, leaving his Labour replacement to be defeated by a Lib Dem candidate at the last local council elections in May 2016.
Would it have anything to do with finding a safe seat for himself because he was facing certain defeat in the Milnrow and Newhey ward?
I couldn’t understand why Coun Brett didn’t stay and defend his seat in the Milnrow and Newhey ward.
On the subject of the councillors’ 34 per cent pay rises, would Coun Brett like to also explain to us the justification for the over inflated pay rises for councillors?
The council has made cutbacks to services. Also cutting the pay and conditions of the employees of the council and making employees redundant in some cases because of cost cutting.
Employees have had to take a pay cut or below inflation pay rises in recent years.
The pay rises proposed for councillors are well above the inflation rate and more than double that which employees have had in recent years, which is quite obscene when you think that the councillors are always moaning that there is no money and services have to be cut.
Yet they seem capable of finding money when they want to.
Would Coun Brett would like to explain all the points I have made? Kenneth Hall Fairway Milnrow
PLEASE GIVE US VILLAGE GREEN
I AM part of the Friends of Heritage Green group which has successfully persuaded Rochdale council to reverse its decision to sell Heritage Green, fields at junction of Caldershaw Road and Cut Lane in Norden, to developers and is currently endeavouring to have Heritage Green registered as a village green to protect the field for leisure and recreational forever.
This can be achieved either through a tortuous and costly process, requiring local residents to expend an enormous amount of time and not inconsiderable money, or by Rochdale council voluntarily dedicating the field as a village green at little cost and quickly.
Despite repeated attempts to persuade Rochdale council to do the latter, they won’t nor will they investigate the field to see if it has any commercial value. Older readers may remember that back in the 1990s, 24 houses were built and demolished next to the field due to severe subsidence issues.
Flooding of the field is commonplace to this day and signs of subsidence on the field itself are visible with Heritage Green resembling a bowl, yet Rochdale council won’t even undertake an inexpensive ground survey (low hundreds of pounds) to assess the land. They cling on to the uninformed hope that the land is fit to develop and may raise a few quid one day.
In these times of austerity for local authorities, you would think they would consider our request or at least dig a hole, but no. The Open Spaces Society says ‘2017 should be the Year of the Green, when local authorities and developers dedicate new greens for public enjoyment and give the public secure rights of recreation,’ but obviously this has made no impact on Rochdale council. Mark Hope Friends of Heritage Green