Trust issue on council’s misleading behaviour

The newly-released plans regarding housing on the sports centre land and the provision of sports facilities in South Cliff are indeed exciting and very different to what the council has led us to believe may happen to this area.

The sale of the bowls clubhouse and the green, on the site it has enjoyed for more than 110 years, should still be a cause for concern to all regarding the manner in which the addition of the land has been added to the original brief, and the appalling way the council has treated local residents, particularly those who are directly affected by this decision to sell.

As residents of the house whose principal windows look out onto the bowling green, we accept that we are collateral damage and have taken a back seat whilst the bowls club has taken their assertive campaign to resist a move to the Sea Cliff site and retain the green where it is.

Now it is reported that the bowls club could be re-sited on the College Lane, Deepdale site alongside new tennis courts.

This is not on the plans, suggesting it was a last minute decision.

The council presumably planned to move the bowls club to Sea Cliff despite unanimous objections from members until ‘someone’ suggested this alternative.

This cavalier attitude to local people and the strong feelings this issue has engendered does not promote trust and cooperation for the future.

We hope to work with the developer but ultimately would of course love for this well used green area to remain accessible for all as it has for the past century.

In the Character Appraisal document produced by the council in 2007, it reiterates several times the importance of retaining areas of historic interest and green spaces.

Page 8 of the document states:

‘The spatial and architectural qualities of the area are very much typified by this photograph of 1 Weaponness Park, by the eminent architect Sir Edwin Cooper FRIBA, viewed across the open spaces created by the bowling green and seen against the wooded backdrop of Oliver’s Mount.’

This lovely view enjoyed by all for over a century would certainly be less attractive with housing obscuring the view.

We understand the financial pressures facing the council exposed by negative publicity in Private Eye but do feel they need to examine their procedures and the way they treat the electorate.

Several perfectly courteous emails sent to the council regarding issues the residents wished to raise, did not even elicit an acknowledgement let alone a response.

Scarborough Council should be mindful of their role as custodians of our heritage, not the owners of it.

This is a response from some of the residents of Weaponness Park. Residents Weaponness Park Scarborough treatment. So what has happened in the past 15 years? Change of climate with heavier sporadic rainfall has necessitated the increased use of storm overflows discharging untreated sewage.

To reduce the frequency of these coming into operation, there has been investment of more than £50m in increased storage at Marine Drive and at the waste water treatment plant at Cowlam where each of the massive storage tanks is linked to added UV radiation installations to kill bacteria.

More recently the outfall at Wheatcroft has been extended.

In the course of all this, numerous scientific studies have been commissioned, and recently jointly by Yorkshire Water and the Sons of Neptune, to identify linkage between pollution sources and the bathing waters.

Massive investment in improvements will only follow scientific proof not anecdotal evidence. That is the hard reality.

This scientific work has been done and the need for further investment established. Time has not been wasted. The urgency for action is now being impressed and not only by the Sons of Neptune as when pollution impacts on bathing water quality which today exacts standards which were unheard of some 50 years ago – it has to be assumed there will be an impact on marine life and we are indeed fortunate that the inshore fishermen have not been slow to fight that quarter. Freddie Drabble, Leader, Sons of Neptune Scalby Road Scarborough volunteers try to bring some light into their darkness.

At this time of year, we remember the coming of our Lord and his ministry for so many disadvantaged people. We have the same mission here at Westway Open Arms.

This organisation relies on the backing of the public and organisations in the Eastfield and Scarborough community, who support us in any number of ways, such as providing generous donations allowing us to keep our foodbanks stocked with supplies.

The generosity of so many people towards Westway Open Arms is overwhelming. We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all those people, and those who keep this charity in their hearts and prayers. We wish you a peaceful and joyous Christmas and a blessed 2018. Rev Sam Taylor, Westway Open Arms Eastfield