Gasometers would be truly innovative
John Connolly and Graham Croucher, on behalf of St James Residents’ Association, provide a very useful suggestion of how West Northamptonshire Development Corporation might kill two birds with one stone (ViewPoint, February 13).
The proposed “glass cube” cannot carry any claim of uniqueness, even within the county, when there is already the Corby Cube.
This is not the first time WNDC has attempted to foist a “look-alike” structure on the town with minimal consideration for how incongruous the result might be. Remember the “needle” which was intended to be constructed on the opposite side of the road to the proposed glass cube? Universally rejected by borough councillors and denied permission to be constructed on highways land, following an outpouring of criticism, it was revealed the artist had produced a series of pieces which had been sold to different towns and cities.
Encapsulating and integrating a redesigned glass innovation centre within the external framework of the relocated south gasometer – the local importance of which is recognised by English Heritage – would provide a structure unique within the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership region and a fitting landmark building for the Waterside Enterprise Zone.
Perhaps the borough councillors need to speak with one voice on the future of the south gasometer, as they did on the needle, to ensure the planners at NBC and WNDC sit up and take notice.
Paul Varnsverry,
Delapre, Northampton.
No time for the Big Society
A recent correspondent complains few people bother to clear paths of snow around their houses.
Personally, I found time to go out and throw down some grit even though I was rather ill during the cold snap, but many people these days find themselves working 60 plus hours a week to keep house and family finances afloat and so cannot make time for such duties. This sad state of affairs extends to the fact many working people haven’t even got time to give their children the attention they deserve.
Gone is union power that once secured many workers a 40 hour week with a liveable wage and now EU working hour restrictions seem largely ignored. It’s no wonder families so easily fall apart when they have no time to bond together, so please don’t automatically blame individuals for failure to participate in Big Society.
Big Society, Cameron’s Tory Utopian dream, could never work and was just a plot to get people to work for nothing in formerly paid positions anyway. Your average person, if not expected to volunteer free work, suffers price rises as wages are driven down while ruling classes, instead of leading by example, award themselves forever more riches. It’s not Big Society, it’s Corrupt Society and until we really are all “in it together” things will continue to fall apart. The social problems we are left with, exacerbated by blind government austerity, will take a long time to fix, but at least the snow melts of its own accord whether we work to clear the mess or not.
Shaun Walton,
Smitherway, Bugbrooke.
Fishmarket is a non-starter
Now the public has had a chance to see the plans for a new bus station, it seems the general opinion is it would be too small.
The new site would have only 12 bays, while the current one has 20 side-loading bays and 20 front loading bays, so I think that makes the Fishmarket site a non-starter.
It seems to me that with the new bus station costing £8m, a new Cube building costing £16m plus 60 extra shops costing roughly £30m, there must be about £54 million to spend on a new town centre, and I’m sure the public could think of better ideas for using this money to make it a better place to visit than the borough or county council.
In my opinion, the council should buy the Chronicle & Echo building, which is for sale, and put a big new bus station there. Greyfriars could be left where it is with the ground floor used as an indoor market; the first and second floors for normal shops; and buses could still use the site for dropping off and picking up passengers only.
And I would make the Market Square a car park, with entrances and exits from The Drapery and Mercer’s Row, and it can still be turned into an open market on days when required. And with the money this car park earns, they could finally scrap on-street parking meters.
This would all be a lot cheaper than current plans and attract shoppers, who have all criticised on-street parking, back to the town centre.
Norman Sharp,
King Edward Road, Northampton.
Station has a beating heart
SO our MPs think Greyfriars Bus Station is ugly and should be pulled down. I happen to think wind farms in the countryside and also the proposed HS2 rail link are and will be ugly and ruinous to the countryside and they too should be pulled down or scrapped.
We must keep Greyfriars as it has a beating heart with passengers coming and going with their cheery hellos and their tearful goodbyes. Parents feel their young children are safe within its confines and can amuse themselves without danger until their bus arrives. The proposed interchange would be a dangerous and drab place as too many passengers will be fighting for too little space. Greyfriars’ daily turnover of footsteps is far greater than any new store could hope to achieve.
The planners in the 1970s had the foresight to have shopping hubs built around the town at such places as Weston Favell, Riverside, Sixfields etc. This planning was to alleviate traffic congestion within the town centre. I am sure most motorists including Messrs Binley and Ellis do a weekly shop at these hubs and only come to town for speciality goods, therefore I conclude that bus passengers are the biggest group of spenders in the town.
Greyfriars was planned to be central for all passenger services in and out of Northampton and as a bus station it works so don’t pull it down. There needs to be more consultation with bus users on this very contentious and emotive issue.
Mr R G Pratt,
Bush Hill, Northampton.
Get toddling for Barnardo’s
I’d like to say a huge thank-you to all the Northamptonshire toddlers who took part in the animal-themed Barnardo’s Big Toddle in 2011 and raised £5,500 to help disadvantaged children.
Barnardo’s Big Toddle is a short sponsored walk for under-fives, which saw more than 300,000 children toddling across the UK in 2011.
The total amount raised in the East Midlands area was over £31,000 and this will help Barnardo’s run their 75 community based services in the region supporting 26,000 children, young people and their families affected by poverty, abuse, disability and serious illness.
I’d like to encourage all of your readers to join the fun and help us turn around lives by joining in this year’s Barnardo’s Big Toddle.
It’s time for under-fives in Northamptonshire to grab their capes and take flight as this year’s theme is super-heroes. We’re encouraging toddlers up and down the country to dress up as their favourite character for the day.
Parents, carers and nursery staff can join in one of the big organised events being held at exciting venues or create their own Big Toddle in their local park or back garden.
To find out more about the Barnardo’s Big Toddle readers can visit www.bigtoddle.co.uk or call 0845 270 9900.
Pauline Clark,
Barnardo’s Fundraising.
Well done!
JUST read Monday’s Chronicle & Echo and the lovely story about the two horses being rescued by the firemen. Thank goodness someone reported it, otherwise it would have been terrible. Well done you firemen and so glad they are OK.
Margaret Rouse,
Exeter Place, Northampton.
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