OPINION: Letters to the editor of the Newbury Weekly News
Our readers from across West Berkshire and North Hampshire give their weekly take on the biggest issues impacting the area and beyond.
Join the debate by emailing editor@newburynews.co.uk
Eagle Quarter is out of scale with town centre
We saw the latest version of the plans for the Kennet Centre published in the Newbury Weekly News last week, but feel that once again they fail to communicate the scale of the development proposed. While they include the street frontages, the buildings behind are ‘ghosted’ to the point of being virtually invisible.
However, we do appreciate that the drawings have been produced in this form by the developers themselves.
Please find attached three of the developers’ drawings which we have cropped and then darkened to reveal the buildings behind the street frontages.
For years now, The Newbury Society has been highlighting the fact that this proposed development is out of scale with the town centre. While the northern part of the proposal is generally acceptable, it is the cluster of five-, six-, seven- and eight-storey blocks in the southern half of the site (including several on the street-frontages) which creates an entirely unsuitable mass of flats-for-rent.
Scale is not our only concern. We have repeatedly raised the shortfall in affordable housing, and the shortfall in the number of parking spaces.
Readers should note that the 82 new spaces provided for the 427 flats in this development would be charged at the same level as use of the multi-storey, creating the incentive for new residents to seek free parking in the surrounding area.
Our images show a) part of Bartholomew Street, including The Newbury pub for scale; b) part of Cheap Street, showing the Catherine Wheel for scale; and c) part of Market Street – with flats on the street-frontage two storeys higher than the recently-completed Weavers Yard opposite.
David Peacock
On behalf of The Newbury Society
My tram system would be right for Newbury
Many moons ago I used to go to Cheam School. Our grounds would have gone into Sandleford at the very south of this natural amazing green space. I used to explore some of this to get away from the constant bullying that I received there.
Since moving from Marlborough to Newbury to be closer to work, I have noticed the awful pollution in town caused by progressive governments being car centric rather than green and climate centric.
I have seen no studies or construction work to fix the issues of too many cars, for example a tram system for this town. While I was temping at the council, in my spare time I designed a tram system for the town.
The traffic is becoming a lot more of an issue, which includes pollution across town. Why has no one decided to make this town a better place? Buses are running, however most of them during the day are empty.
My tram system will deal with the traffic issues on very busy roads. I would incorporate some of the disused railways in the area, which will give us some amazing routes through the country without the pollution that goes with the traffic.
Most of all Miss Farris’ ‘bus route’ to Didcot would be taken over, utilising the old Didcot line, and serving communities in Long Lane, Hermitage, Hampstead Norreys, Compton, East Ilsley and Upton and Blewbury. This would then run through Harwell, and then street running to Didcot Railway station. This would be my Phase 1.
We would start this route at Newbury Railway station serving Bone Lane/Hambridge Road, Kiln Road, and out to Long Lane.
There would also be a southern route, going from the railway station, serving the retail park, via two lines going up hills along Andover Road, going along Monks Lane to serve the college and the retail park. Then it would continue to Greenham Common, dropping down to serve Newtown and the old A34 corridor to Tothill Services where I envisage a park and ride.
This would then pick up the old Winchester line to Burghclere/ Highclere and Whitchurch with an interchange with South Western Railway.
A further phase would be to take the route to Winchester with a park and ride station at the A34 and at Kings Worthy and into Winchester via the old route.
Please note that I have highlighted the correct name for a railway station, and not the BBC’s train station or train line.
Hugo Rogers
Newbury
NWN should review more all-electric cars
I write to note that your motoring correspondent rarely reviews all-electric cars which we are all being encouraged to buy to reduce global warming. This last week he reviews a top-of- the-range four-litre gas guzzler costing £185,000 way beyond the consideration for most of your readers.
Many of his reviews are for the more top-end petrol and diesel motors. It would be good to have him write not only more about all electric vehicles but maybe about second-hand car values and the dealers that offer good value for money, as with the current credit squeeze many folk would be interested in the used car market.
I have recently purchased (with some reluctance) an all electric second-hand vehicle and charging at home is no problem. You can plug into any 13amp outlet at home and charge your car at 2.2KvH.
If you divide that into the KW capacity of your car battery you get the hours it will take and I find it is in practice rather less hours.
So if overnight and daytime charging suits you can recharge you car without upgrading your power supply (which can be expensive – £2,000ish).
Many all-electric cars now have a range of well over 200 miles and the charging infrastructure is out there and increasing rapidly – many attached to pubs and hotels for a nice stopover.
Let’s hear more about this new form of power in cars. It’s fun as well.
Christopher NB Marriage
Red Shute Hill
Hermitage
It would be good for MP to visit our job club
For a dozen years now I have volunteered with the charity Careers Springboard West Berkshire, the last six as chairman.
Our role is to help white collar people back into the workplace by helping to build their confidence, CV writing and giving them help with preparing for interviews etc.
We have just had our one thousandth client and have an outstanding record of success. Just before Christmas five of our six attendees received job offers.
Over the last five years the number of attendees has been low, typically one to five – in fact a couple of years ago numbers were so low that we considered closure.
Far be it from me to talk down the jobs market, but since the New Year our job seekers tell us that the market has hardened with fewer opportunities and the number of job offers has dropped dramatically. We now have 19 clients actively seeking new roles with more joining on a daily basis.
So our situation is directly opposite to the claim by Laura Farris MP in the Newbury Weekly News on February 29, that we are witnessing the “green shoots of recovery”.
MP Farris has shown no interest in our valuable job club, unlike Teresa May, who visited our sister operation in Slough.
Perhaps she would like to attend one of our sessions to understand that there are no green shoots of recovery manifesting themselves in the job market in Newbury at this time.
Yes, the prognosis for 2025-28 looks good, but that’s likely predicated on a Labour administration running our economy by then.
Adrian Foster-Fletcher
Adbury
What have the Romans (EU) ever done for us?
Visit any European country and you will find yourself marvelling at some new project or building.
You start asking yourself the question, how for example can Spain afford to build a brand new train line with fresh rolling stock from Barcelona to Tarragona when in truth it is only busy for the month of August? Locals will tell you. It’s EU money.
In Britain it is difficult to think of any visible, high-profile projects funded with EU money, which gives the impression that whilst we paid in we never got anything back. This is not the case. The EU gave our farmers £22.6bn in subsidies over a six-year period.
They paid for half the cost of a prison rehabilitation programme to try to prevent re offending and have made a major investment in the science programme Horizon.
Brits have taken the peace dividend for granted. The author of this letter’s father and grandfather gave up years of their lives to fight in WW1 and WW2.
Edward Heath was such a keen European as he’d been a tank commander in WW2, an experience which Boris Johnson would be hard pressed to relate to.
The EU has given Europe 80 years of peace. Ukraine shows us that it should not be taken for granted.
The EU is our biggest trading partner. Since Brexit we have lost over £20bn in trade with them. None of the trade deals we have done since will replace even a fraction of this and some have been done with little benefit to the UK, but with huge benefits to the other side. And now our farmers are revolting.
Europe is the number one destination for Brits to holiday and have second homes. Now we face long queues going to and from European destinations with the host nations happy to make us wait as a punishment for Brexit.
Want to live in Spain for the winter? Tough luck. It’s three months out there and then you’re back on the plane.
Brexit has compromised our peace and prosperity and was base d on the lie that we were run by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels.
The European Parliament sits in Strasbourg and elected British politicians were part and parcel of its law-making process. Farage will tell you that, he was one of them.
If the UK wants to be taken seriously again on the world stage then we should rejoin the EU. No other option makes any sense and in future will deliver neither peace nor prosperity.
West Berkshire for Europe Group
We should all pray to God for help for the UK
Last year I had two letters published (on April 13 and May 11) about the concern I felt for my beloved country.
We have rejected the Christian faith of our forefathers, who built beautiful places of worship, never going against the teaching of the Apostles, and our nation was blessed and became a great nation respected worldwide.
Now we have lost all wisdom.
In scripture it says: “The fear of God is the beginning of human wisdom.”
Now we have rejected God, the church has gone woke, disobeying the commands of God and rejecting the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are all in a mess.
Our governments are not respected and our children’s mental health is something we should be concerned about.
I am now an elderly man but when I was a young boy/man I saw my people stand against tyranny alone and at great cost to give us freedom. We forget very quickly.
Shall I remind the Newbury people of the scandal after scandal we have suffered – Hillsborough (police cover up), the great blood scandal (not yet sorted), Windrush (how could this happen?), BBC cover ups, NHS, the church cover up, and now the biggest scandal in English history.
And yes, it makes me weep when all common sense goes (wisdom).
Very greedy lawyers (watch the Covid money train), no recompense for victims and the poor but these powerful people are filling their pockets, giving themselves fortunes. It could happen to any one of us, the small people.
The Christian churches should call for a week (or a month) of prayers calling for help to a loving father who always helps when called upon to protect his people. But are we his people?
