Letters to the Editor

Sir - You reported Landmark Development Projects offered £250,000 to Bradford City Council in compensation for proposals at Oaklea Mills in Apperley Bridge not meeting planning guidelines (T&A, June 3).

You suggested this is in a bid to secure planning because Landmark cannot provide affordable family housing at the site.

I feel this is a misinterpretation and negative viewpoint of the facts.

Oaklea Mills is an attractive building of significant historic interest in a conservation area. Our proposal reflects a £10 million regeneration programme restoring the building and adjacent area, to inject life and activity through occupation of 85 new apartments.

Since the project requires restoration of an existing structure, Bradford Council planning officers have always acknowledged the scheme could not support requirements for affordable housing and family homes.

Landmark Development Projects has long been a supporter of regeneration in Bradford and has invested significantly in development across the city.

Our £250,000 offer reflects a further contribution and gesture to support the delivery of affordable housing and family accommodation at more practical locations.

Local councillors have acknowledged this and passed the planning application and Whitfield Mills, the new identity for the scheme, has already received significant interest from potential purchasers.

Richard Morton, Director, Landmark Development Projects, Leeds.

EU out of control

Sir - Peter Wilson discards my view of the EU self-destructing, almost in a 'preacher' manner (T&A, July 10).

I have indeed reflected upon my opinions, but still don't agree with his.

He feels that the membership increasing to 25, with others on the waiting list, does not indicate an organisation in terminal decline.

Talk about wearing rose-coloured spectacles! What Mr Wilson fails to realise is that none of these new members have joined thinking that they will 'put a fiver in and get a pound out', like us.

The EU is out of control financially, and is more dangerous now than ever before.

The UKIP has already had, and will have, far more influence upon our political membership than he gives credit for.

Whatever, I still believe the EU will self-destruct in a financial fireball.

Gary Lorriman, North Walk, Harden.

Taxing solution

Sir - For some considerable time, I have supported a scheme which increases road tax according to the size of a car engine.

Smaller cars should pay £50 per annum, larger 4x4 type vehicles pay considerably more. I believe this to be a necessary step to reduce congestion and pollution.

Last year, at a Bradford South Area Panel, I questioned the huge sums of public money being wasted on traffic-calming measures, bus lanes, guided bus routes, chicanes, speed bumps, etc.

I offered the opinion that the above scheme would be of better use, but we would never see it in this country because national politicians haven't got the guts.

This proposal was met with guffaws of laughter from the Labour-dominated committee, which included the then Coun Keith Thomson. It's nice to read of his U-turn (T&A July 8).

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), we will never see such a scheme in this country.

As a nation, we prefer to waste billions on compulsory ID cards which will do nothing to fight crime or terrorism, rather than deliver a cleaner and safer environment.

Coun Robert Reynolds, (Con, Sowerby Bridge), Claremont Street, Sowerby Bridge.

Poor creatures

SIR - I see in the Letters column (T&A, July 13) a correspondent from the Seriously Ill for Medical Research group is having a go at Jan Creamer of the Anti-Vivisection Society regarding her opposition to maiming and disfiguring innocent healthy animals.

The gentleman in question has been through all this before and is aware of the fact that animals and humans do not react equally to human-formed concoctions.

I have offered him £10 for every disease cured if he will give me a farthing for every animal killed and this offer still stands.

I am not trying to belittle this gentleman, but if he wishes to go and see what happens to these poor creatures, let him visit a primate or dog experiment facility and see the disgusting results from animal experimentation.

If he looks back a few months he will see that the Huntingdon Life Sciences laboratory closed down due to lack of ethical funding, also Animal Aid and the Anti Vivisection Society stopped the building of a primate experiment facility at Cambridge University.

A new facility is now being built at Oxford University, which will be stopped.

All diseases now will be cured by removal of rogue genes or neutralising the same.

Derek Wright, Westbury Street, Bradford.

Islamic image

SIR - In the article 'Snap Happy' (T&A, Body & Soul, May 25) Geraldine says "we had to get across to them that this wasn't idolatry".

I personally see the photograph as an "image". In Islam when the prophet Adam was on earth he and his family worshipped the one lord.

Generations later the devil worked on the mind of man and encouraged them to make an image of a family member who had passed away (mother, father, grandparent) to remember them by.

Then, in later generations he encouraged them to make a statue plus in further generations he brought to mind the thought that this statue is what your forefathers worshipped. That is the idolatry connection.

When our beloved Prophet conquered Mecca the House of Allah had some 300-plus idols in it.

So for me personally the photograph represents an "image".

Mrs F Patel, Emm Lane, Heaton.

Publicity needed

SIR - Re 'Walk will be last of its kind' (T&A, July 10) can I say that the Bradford Walk could rival the Great North Run and the London Marathon if publicised earlier in the year and the walkers were sponsored for charities.

As an event, the walk is a bigger challenge than any marathon. In my opinion a 20-mile walking race is the equal to any marathon.

Publicity in the T&A and elsewhere should start around Christmas to get people training and with sponsorship in mind etc.

I believe its lack of popularity has for many years been the result of very poor earlier publicity. Earlier publicity could result in sponsored entries from pubs, clubs, senior scouts and other teams where charities benefit.

In recent years I have noticed that in some half-marathons, would-be first-time runners have to pay higher entry fees than those attached to clubs.

This must be a turn-off for many who would like to race for the first time. Believing, as in the past, 'half the entry fee, twice the starters' the sport would gain.

Harry Cooke, Stubley Farm Road, Heckmondwike.

Two lame ducks

SIR - What an arrogant letter from Christine Bodnarczuk (T&A, July 7). Not every council tax payer is keen on football or wants it. I for one hate the game, it causes more trouble than it does good.

I would loudly complain if any of my council tax was given to Bradford City. If it can't pay its way, it should close down.

I agree with Councillor Paul Flowers (T&A, July 7) that the cross-rail link is not feasible.

I am getting fed up of all the correspondence given space to both the fate of Bradford City and the cross-rail link.

They are both lame ducks, so let's get on with something really important like the fact that an "Englishman's home is no longer his castle", and his freedom of speech and way of life is gradually being eroded away by this government and the EU.

N Brown, Peterborough Place, Undercliffe.