Letters to the Editor

Sir, - For many families in LS29, the value of their home represents the greatest part of their life savings. A growing nest egg for retirement, and a potential bequest.

Wide differences in the reported price rise in 2002 by Nationwide (+26.5 per cent), Halifax (+24.9 per cent), Hometrack (+13.5 per cent) and HM Land Registry (+21 per cent) for England and Wales may be a puzzle for people hereabouts.

Those differences reflect methods; the first three are compiled from local Valuation Reports from different sectors of the market. The Land Registry is not perfect either, but has the merit of being a consolidation of four in every five sales of domestic property.

Rapidly growing household wealth reflects our benign economic fortunes, with interest rates at their lowest for nearly 50 years. Real national wealth rose again last year (by 1.7 per cent) and contrasts with record unemployment and stagnant growth in France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Despite current diplomatic uncertainties, the consensus forecast for UK growth in 2003 is over two per cent, with an outlook of very low interest rates for the foreseeable future.

Those lower interest rates have helped to cut the cost to taxpayers of servicing our National Debts from 5.7 per cent of national income to just under two per cent now, and helping to keep taxes down despite the need to rebuild our public services. And lower mortgage rates also make for stronger demand for domestic property.

Within the Addingham to Menston area (LS29), HM Land Registry data shows interesting variations over time, and between categories and neighbourhoods. In the final quarter of last year, the average price of an LS29 home was 17 per cent higher than a year before and 14 per cent ahead comparing the whole of 2002 with 2001 (which is probably a more reliable guide to the underlying trend).

Seasonal change is important: in the second quarter, homes for sale appear to have been in short supply and average prices rose by 28 per cent in April-June 2002.

Flats were in short supply throughout the year. This category is important to us because of the much higher proportions of small and older aged households in Ilkley.

For them, a small flat represents lower outgoings and the chance to 'cash in' the higher value of a former family-sized house. In the LS29 areas, flats accounted for 11 per cent of all homes sold, compared with four per cent within the whole of the Bradford District.

Despite the demand, there were 19 per cent fewer sales of flats this year and that shortage may have helped average flat prices to rise by 33 per cent last year.

There were fewer detached homes recorded by HM Land Registry with the largest decline being in Burley. For that reason, a comparison of the 'average price of all homes' between parts of LS29 does not compare like-with-like. It is more valid to compare sale prices of semi-detached homes in Ilkley and Ben Rhydding (up 33 per cent in price) with semis in Burley and Menston (up 16 per cent in the full year).

That wide difference suggests that the supply of homes more nearly balances with demand in LS29, 7 and 6, but not in LS29, 8 and 9. Although house prices rose strongly throughout LS29 last year, the percentage increase was less than the regional and national averages in most parts. That suggests that the steeper rises in previous years may have choked-off some potential buyers - especially first-timers.

Consequently, we can hope that future price growths will be more modest.

Andrew Dundas

2 Pines Cottages,

Parish Ghyll Drive,

Ilkley.

Train trouble

SIR, - I would late to heartily agree with the comments made recently concerning those people on the train who constantly take up space with their newspapers or other personal belongings.

With this situation having been brought to light, would it now be possible to tackle another problem blighting our trains? This is the problem of the free METRO newspapers.

I regularly catch a train to Bradford just after the rush hour has finished. I am constantly met by hundreds of METRO newspapers scattered all over the carriages on seats and on the floor. It is a horrible sight and it cannot impress visitors to our region. May I ask fellow travellers to refrain from dumping their newspapers wherever they feel when they have finished reading them as as it is unfair on fellow travellers who are faced with this unsightly situation every day.

It would be interesting to see if any of your readers are also tired by this constant blight on our trains.

Josh Green

Fenton Street,

Burley in Wharfedale.

Right to print

SIR, - In your issue of February 13, you printed four letters, all supporting the proposed puffin crossing in Brook Street. One of those letters was from me.

In your edition of February 20, you printed a letter from Mr Carpenter taking me to task and yourself for not checking my 'incorrect' letter.

May I be allowed a response, then I will throw my pen away! Mr Carpenter quotes the Highway Code: "You MUST give way when someone has moved on to a crossing."

'Has moved' is the important phrase. I said that "pedestrians on the crossing have right of way." Surely these two statements mean the same thing. The Highway Code is what it says - a code of practice and it is not a full and complete repeat of the regulations. In the early 1970s, I conducted several traffic counts on the trunk road in Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale and the A65 in Menston for Ilkley Council to support their claim for zebra crossings.

These counts had to be conducted under strict regulations governing zebra crossings, which included regulations about their use. These were usually made in Statutory Instruments made under various Road Traffic Regulation Acts.

Bearing in mind that this was more than 30 years ago, and bearing in mind the criticism of yourself for printing an 'unchecked' letter, I wondered whether the regulations had changed in the intervening years. I therefore rang the department of Bradford Council responsible for overseeing zebra crossings etc and asked two specific questions.

1) Would they confirm that pedestrians already on a crossing has right of way over vehicles? The answer was 'yes'.

2) When a vehicle was already in the zone marked by zig-zags, and there was no-one on the crossing, who had the right of way - the vehicle or a pedestrian approaching but not on the crossing? The answer was 'the vehicle'.

These two statements were the main plank of my argument. I believe, sir, you were right to print my letter.

PETER MILLER

4 Ferndale Court,

Parish Ghyll Drive,

Ilkley.

Humps 'overkill'

SIR, - Total overkill is the only way to describe the proposed 11 speed humps in Springs Lane and Bolling Road. I have used the roads daily for nearly 30 years and the number of accidents caused by motorists in that time has been minimal.

Everyone would agree that motorists should keep to the 30mph speed limit, but there is no permanent sign or indication of this limit at either end of these roads. It is easy to say motorists should be aware of the limit, but a 30mph sign at each end, and the occasional 'Drive slowly' sign would be sufficient reminder for those who inadvertently stray over the limit.

Why is this simple, and much more inexpensive action not taken before the draconian measure of building 11 expensive and ugly humps? These humps can cause damage to the suspension and underside of cars driving legally at 30mph or under, as well as disfiguring an attractive road.

May I suggest to what I believe is the silent majority of local residents that they write, as I have done, to Gerry A Danby, Legal and Democratic Services Director, City of Bradford MDC, City Hall, Bradford (ref LEG/PL/CEB/02728), expressing your concern at the 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' proposals.

The matter is urgent. Objections have to be received by the council by noon on March 12, so we do not have long to voice our opinions.

ROBIN WRIGHT

The Old Farm,

Cheltenham Avenue,

Ben Rhydding.

Stagger crossings

SIR, - There seems to be much concern as to how the Brook Street crossing should be dealt with during the proposed alterations to the highway on The Grove and Brook Street. There appears to be a general objection to the installation of lights on the crossing as a way of controlling its use, and I would agree that lights would not enhance the appearance of this part of town.

However, as a motorist and a pedestrian I feel strongly that some alteration has to be made to make the crossing less of a hazard than it is at present and would suggest that to stagger the crossing on the existing traffic island to create separate crossings would achieve a solution to the problem.

It would avoid it appearing as a single crossing and avoid the danger of accident to people using it by them not looking to their left before completing the second part of the crossing. The stagger need only be a matter of five or six feet and could be marked by the use of wrought iron balustrading in keeping with the Victorian nature of The Grove.

I feel sure this would be an amicable solution to what is, in my opinion, a major traffic problem to both pedestrians and motorists in Ilkley.

MICHAEL BRAITHWAITE

'North Hill,

9 Clifford Avenue,

Ilkley.

Pews not there

SIR, - We are grateful for your reports about the various activities at Burley-in-Wharfedale Methodist Church but with respect there is one matter I would like to clarify.

In recent reports about the Harry Potter theme services we have been holding, reference has been made to 'pews' in the church.

I would like to point out that all the old wood pews were removed when the church was modernised and redeveloped last year. The pews have been replaced by chairs upholstered in a delightful cerise colour and their comfort is proving an added attraction at our services.

DENNIS BOLTON

Church Press Officer,

14 The Robins,

Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Width plea

SIR, - Full marks to Mr Cobb for suggesting a width restriction on The Grove. Having lost a wing mirror at a cost of £320 to a large lorry, I can only agree with his suggestion that a width and weight restriction on The Grove is overdue.

Misdirected supermarket delivery lorries and other trucks cause chaos with the local traffic when trying to drive down what is ultimately a relatively narrow thoroughfare.

PATRICK J MCCUTCHEON

2 High Mill,

High Mill Lane,

Addingham.