Letters - Wednesday, October 13, 2021

On Monday October 11 in The Gazette we received one day’s notice of Blackpool Council’s ‘Box Ticking Exercise’ at The Grange about proposed new housing (pictured).

This event was due to take place for just one afternoon the very next day (yesterday) between 1pm-5pm.

But why such short notice? Why just one afternoon? Why no evening session? Do they think that no-one on Grange Park goes out to work?

I believe they are coming just to say that they have been and consulted with the people of Grange Park. They may listen for a short while before discounting the points raised. They don’t live here, it does not affect them, they don’t care. They see a green space and say ‘let’s put more housing there’.

What about amenities? There are all these extra houses yet in the past we have lost a butchers, a greengrocer, two chip shops, two cake shops, two hairdressers, a Chinese takeaway, two bakers (one who actually made everything on the premises) and a post office... one that we could access without crossing a main arterial road! There were also two social clubs, a pub and several churches.

They don’t live here, it does not affect them, they don’t care.

There is so little on the estate but more and more houses. We have the BlackPath on the estate heavily used by families taking children to and from school, yet every time it rains it is flooded. It took 25 years to get the flooded footpath at Horsebridge sorted.

I say again, they don’t live here, it does not affect them, they don’t care.

Terry Bennett

Dinmore Avenue

FRACKING

Test fracking proved it is not safe here

I wonder where abouts the writer of the letter (‘Enough is enough, it’s time to start fracking’, Your Say, October 8) Dick Lindley comes from. Although it states his address etc. was supplied to your newspaper when submitted, even just the county of origin was not printed.

I only ask because test fracking on the Fylde proved that the process was not capable of safe operation hereabouts due to local unstable ground conditions, clearly visible on local road networks and properties then proved by the swarms of hydrofrac earthquakes it caused.

Industrial scale fracking hereabouts would also of course destroy our long established tourism and farming industries, making nonsense of any claims it would be a financial plus for local residents. Seriously who would holiday in a massive chemical complex or indeed purchase fruit, vegetables or meat grown there?

Strangely enough many of the previously proposed fracking sites seem to be locations similarly located.

As the writer isn’t prepared to put his details to his letter I have not bothered to read the full content but instead will deduce he is linked to the oil and gas industry in some way or another.

Peter K Roberts

Warton

FRACKING

We must leave fossil fuels in the ground

Whilst we may be experiencing a spike in gas and energy prices, this temporary market adjustment does not provide for a return to the chaotic and environmentally damaging process of fracking as some sort of panacea.

Residents as far as Fleetwood and Preston joined me and thousands of Lytham and St Annes’ residents only two years ago when we all suffered earthquakes damaging many of our homes. In some instances, compensation has still not been received or matters with the company responsible, Cuadrilla, resolved.

It’s worth remembering that this was the second time earthquakes were caused (Preese Hall in 2011)and the reason for a Public Enquiry following the first ban before they were allowed to try (and fail) for a second time - and fail they did with the predictable consequences of earthquakes.

The current moratorium should not be revised and instead a ban put in place.

Calls for a third round of fracking will be met with the highest resistance and I would trust the local residents to join the campaign again in numbers.

Solar, wind and tidal energy coupled with battery storage will pave our way to competitively priced green energy. Fracking does not offer a quick, friendly or safe fix.

We need to leave the fossil fuels in the ground both for the sake of the environment and for the safety of the people of the Fylde coast. After all, our memories aren’t that short!

Mark Mills

Little Plumpton

POLITICS

NI rise will hit workers, not rich

Boris Johnson has been reported as saying that tax rises will drive “levelling up”.

Unfortunately, as usual, there is little connection between what he says and what he does.

The recent decision to increase National Insurance payments instead of income tax rises for the better-off puts a burden on all workers, but leaves many well-off people untouched.

Alan Slomson

via email

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