Your Letters June 8

Rail parking

As the current official car park at Hastings station is very small, the closure as of June 1 of a temporary car park next to the station (for re-development) is very bad news indeed, particularly for commuters.

I rang Hastings Council this morning to enquire whether any short - and longer-term arrangements were in place to ensure adequate car parking for rail travellers at an equivalent price (2 per day), given the closure of the temporary car park.

I was informed that no such arrangements were in place (either in the short - or longer-term), and that - to the officer's knowledge - there had been no strategic discussions on this issue. The council officer pointed out that the council does not own the land adjacent to the station, but has simply been managing the temporary car park pro-tem, on behalf of Sea Scape. The council's advice is simply to use the other car parks in the town.

So it would seem that as of June 1, many people wishing to travel from Hastings by train, are not be able to park next to the station, and will have to pay significantly higher prices for this inconvenience (up to 1 per hour would - for me - increase my daily parking fee to 10, where I currently pay 2). Add this increase to the cost of rail travel, and the viability of Hastings as a commutable station is called seriously into question.

It really doesn't take a crystal ball to anticipate this type of problem. So I'd very much like to know why the council and the train operating companies (Southeastern and Southern) appear not to have addressed this problem in advance of the temporary car park closure. If Hastings Borough Council is serious about the regeneration of Hastings, it really should be pro-active in addressing this and similar issues to ensure the improvement of transport links and facilities in Hastings.

Alan Colhoun

Battery Hill

Fairlight

Overall picture

It is a catch 22 situation, the council have lost 500k on the old recycling scheme, so in a reckless manner have now spent over a million on a new scheme.

What they have not divulged is what they are going to do with the massive amount of recycled waste their previous depot could not handle. Excessive trips by lorry is not helping the environment either, as the extra greenhouse gasses generated may well outweigh the energy saving from recycling. Has anyone checked that council offices are actually having THEIR waste collected on alternative weeks to promote recycling too? Would it be worth a chip added to the waste to check to see where it goes as they may be burning it for all we know?

I believe commercial waste would be a far greater source of potential recyclable matter, how many tonnes of office paper are simply thrown in the bin, and all of this is bypassed by the council's new private waste double bin system. It also cannot be implemented across the whole borough, the Old Town being a prime example.

The current recycling facilities are inadequate, the glass bins are always full to overflowing and glass is outside of the new scheme, so unless you want to drive then you cannot easily recycle glass, so that's not very green either!

Add to that the lucrative wheely bin cleaning businesses (one of the top 10 growth franchises at the moment), these things start to have a whiffy smell after a while, with even more journeys and extra water usage, and the massive amount of private commercial waste collection vehicles clogging our roads then the management of our country's waste has become big business.

The council need to look at the overall picture in deciding where a million pounds could be better spent. I also don't believe the hype regarding EEC directives, has anyone EVER seen a recycling bin in France?

Ray Norton

High Street

Old Town

No inserts

WITH all the media telling us about recycling, which I agree, local outlets not only waste their money paying people to push adverts through our letter boxes, maybe four or five at a time, they then go in to our recycling bag, as they post these mostly ever week, the same ad I might say. I also have a notice on our front door not to put these through our letter box, but they still do, maybe this should be addressed also the daily papers are the same, they put up to five of the same adverts in our papers. We don't need to recycle these bits of paper that are no good to us, so why do they put so many in the magazines, papers and through the letter boxes? We don't want them.

MRS F HEDGES

London Road

St Leonards

Little substance

THE planning application for the link road demonstrates the determination of East Sussex County Council to ensure its construction at any cost which is now estimated to be 89m for what is three miles of single carriageway. Despite this hike in costs (from 50m), the Department for Transport show no sign of intervening. It is of great concern that, a project of this magnitude whose purpose primarily is to serve a major housing development in north Bexhill and where the planned route will cause serious environmental damage, may not be called in for examination at a public enquiry. Concern about the environment and climate change holds little substance when their answer is to build our way out of congestion, which has failed in the past and will fail again. Where are the alternative transport plans, spoken about, but with little chance of being implemented? Where are the improved bus services, the point to point metro link, the ideas for cycling and walking and the possibility of constructing a tramline linking our two towns; ways to stabilise or reduce the traffic on our roads?

I know what I would do with the 89m!

MR M A TURNER

Priory Road

A fast one?

As an early morning swimmer since the pool opened in 1982, it amazes me how Freedom Leisure can increase its prices by 50%. Has it gone mad, or is it trying to pull a fast one on the retired people in Hastings? I'm sure we don't mind an increase as long as it is within line of inflation. This is the largest increse I have known since going swimming. May I remind Jeff Hart that fuel prices have decreasd in the last two months so how can he say it is the cost of fuel that has caused this increase. Whatever we say, Freedom Leisure will not change its mind on this issue, it's all a matter of making money even if it's from the pensioners

The Government goes on about taking more exercise to help our National Health Service and keeping the older generation away from the over-worked doctors. But it appears Freedom Leisure has other ideas regarding the fitness for the elderly by putting up the cost for the older generation in Hastings. Many cannot afford these big increases. Many will stop using the pool or cut down on the number of times they go swimming.

I hope other swimmers will voice their opinion. We need your support otherwise we will be up for another big increase next year. All I can say to Jeff Hart is please consult your customers in future, Freedom Leisure. Do not drop a bombshell, the way you have this increase. So come on swimmers send in your views to the Observer, or your local council, or even your MP. Tell these people at Freedon Leisure we will not except these increases without a fight.

D R GRICE

Conqueror Road

St Leonards

Have a say

I read David Gales' letter re Luddites, but confess I couldn't quite understand the paragraph "The apparently lost (dear, dear!) battle to block the building of the new marina on the St Leonards seafront."

Were you referring to the West St Leonards area by the old bathing pool site, or to "an attractive new structure" on the promenade over the existing Marina Pavilion, which I understand was forcibly closed because of 20 years of neglect resulting in the loss of an excellent amenity for the last two and a half years?

Fixing the original building without obstructing the promenade forever was apparently not an option. Looking at this new structure is marginally better than looking at the large warehouse building at the junction of West Hill Road and the 259 at Bexhill Road, which is why people like to think they may have a say in matters that affect the quality of their lives.

J Porter

Marina

St Leonards

Disastrous

I find it strange having to agree with Kate Francis (letter, June 1) that the present council is not living up to "our" (Tory) hopes. However her solution, to bring back the previous administration, would be even more disastrous.

I believe we should vote for the person, not the party, in local elections. I voted, against "my" party, for the estimable Cllr Sue Palmer who happens to be LibDem.

LibDem policies are generally anathema to me but Sue is a capable local person who puts the needs of the town above party. If a few more people of independent mind and with experience of the real world could be persuaded to stand for election, and if the electorate could have the sense to ignore party politics and vote them in, the management of our town would be transformed.

Michael Plumbe

Swan Terrace

PS Sue does not know I have written this - I promise.

One-sided

I am appalled at the way you give banner headlines to anything Cllr Birch says as though it is the truth and will stand no criticism at all. To say your reporting is biased is an understatement.

As for your ban on councillors having letters printed, I am again appalled that you will print Labour rubbish and not allow us to respond.

You have a duty to report all sides of a debate and not, as you do, give weight to one side - even if it is a personal opinion which tallies with your own or Mr Pollard's views.

You are very obviously going out of your way to bring this Conservative administration down.

It is time you thought of moving on and letting a more fair-minded person do a proper job of editing a LOCAL paper.

Cllr Terry Fawthrop

Town Hall

Close the road

I see that Schwerte Way will be closing for resurfacing work to begin July 2.

This is the shortcut opposite the pier into St Margaret's Road/White Rock Road. Diversions have been set up.

This would be a good time to evaluate the closure of this road except for emergency vehicles.

I have witnessed first hand the numerous near misses to pedestrians crossing Schwerte Way, especially from vehicles turning from the seafront northwards. Anyone who waits at this junction for 10 minutes can witness the serious problems it creates to pedestrians.

Let's not wait until a fatal accident occurs consider road closure and use this time spent on analysing the problems the temporary road diversions may cause.

Linda Webster

Amherst Road

Military tank

DOES anyone have any information on the Great War military tank that stood in West Parade from 1919 until the 1930s?

ROBERT SCOTT

53 Thesiger House

Grimsby, N.E. Lincs

DN32 7HW

Tel 01472 595029

Alive and active

I write in response to P Sleet who wondered if the Old Town Preservation Society was still in existence.

I can assure readers the Old Hastings Preservation Society is alive, active and making the views of members known with regard to planning issues across the town. We objected to the size and scale of the Ice House redevelopment in Rock-a-Nore Road and the demolition of the Observer building. We are working with members of Castle Ward Forum and volunteers in Clive Vale on creating a database of good local buildings that are valued by the community - Local Icons, as well as progressing our Old Town buildings database now moving into George Street.

We do however prefer to see a lively use for a building rather than a vacant shop and feel that bars, restaurants and cafes are surely preferable to empty premises or more amusement arcades in the Old Town? Regrettably, I suspect the anti-social

behaviour in the street would go on whether the licensed premises are an old- fashioned pub or a trendy bar.

Planning issues are only part of the society's activities. We are working on establishing Hastings History House at 21 Courthouse Street (open Thursday mornings as well as other times), Old Town Carnival Week 2007, is also at the forefront of current work as well as hoping for a busy summer with guided walks (Tuesday afternoons) and at the Fishermen's Museum which we administer. We have a full programme and welcome new volunteers and members to join us. Our AGM is on Friday June 15 at 7pm at Hastings History House. Or you can drop in one Thursday morning or contact us on 427718 for information.

Anne Scott

Chair

Old Hastings Preservation Society

Second to none