Despair over litter

I READ with despair your article about Asda being turned down for their plans for an extension to their store, and their proposal to put money forward to better the pedestrian link and Vauxhall bridge, and the lame excuse our councillors came up with to oppose it.

Asda have always been part of the wider community, raising money for all sorts of charities whether they are local or national.

On the other side of the river we have Tesco; they seem to be able to do what they like and the only thing they seem to do is to share their rubbish and litter with the community. The dykes, trees and tracks around Tesco are permanently littered with plastic bags and packaging from the store.

This has continually been brought to the attention of the council's environmental health department, who let me add actually came over a month ago and took photos of the mess, and also the two councillors for the area have been and had a look. They all say it will get sorted but nothing changes. Tesco clear a bit up but within 24 hours it is back to square one.

The dykes are there to drain water not for Tesco to use as a landfill site. If the dykes can't run they might find it quite a problem for their store, but the problem is that Cobholm relies on those dykes as well.

Also, what are they going to do about the green area in front of the units they ripped up as a temporary car park for one month at Christmas, which at the moment looks like a ploughed field. The council maintained this area and kept it nicely cut all last year. Have the tax payers of Yarmouth got to pay to have it put back to the nice green area it was ?

D FEETHAM

email

DON'T you think it is about time the council started to crack down on landlords who have no respect for the neighbours who have to live next to their tenants, and who have no regard or pride for their area? Recently, near where I live, a boarding house was sold. It was well-kept and looked respectable, but now it looks like a slum, with curtains hanging down and cans on windowsills.

This you can see often around Great Yarmouth, with landlords making huge amounts of revenue from these properties, and often the monies coming from the social, because it is cheap accommodation for single people - certainly not for families. It's annoying that tax money is going to these landlords, and we have to put up with it.

Yarmouth would be a nicer place if this problem could be addressed, but it is landlords who are turning parts of the town into slum areas.

MRS V HODSON

Great Yarmouth

email

AS a long term supporter of a Waveney and Yare Unitary Authority (Yartoft) may I support Brian Potter and Peter Jay in putting their names (and money) behind this project.

The Boundary Committee will this year, and in an undesirably tight time scale, recommend a new local government structure for Norfolk and Suffolk. Only if they cannot find any suitable model for unitary government will things stay the same and so with a minister 'minded' to support unitary or one shop councils, we are going to get them.

Clearly the best option for us is a Waveney and Yare Council which on present boundaries would stretch from around Southwold to Winterton, embracing a mixture of two proud towns, market towns, villages and two major ports.

The future wealth of our area will come from our ports and their closeness to Europe and from tourism and Mr Jay and Mr Potter have both pioneered year-round tourism and attractions. In terms of growth and employment, even the smallest regeneration of tourism will mean new jobs and opportunities in a holiday destination of seaside resorts from bold and brassy to sedate and upmarket, of Broadland, rivers and marinas and clean air and wide skies.

The days have gone when future employment prospects were down to attracting a big firm to move in. It is now down to enterprise and entrepreneurship and uniting around business vision. Tourism is to regions - Blackpool and The Lakes, Wales, the North East etc and it is not just about resorts - but the variety of shopping, eating, sport and the diversity of scenic experiences from market towns to traditional villages, huge skies to wild beaches, entertainment and attractions to the “hidden quiet spots.”

The Boundary Committee have to look at both Norfolk and Suffolk. They could rule out the Yartoft option very early on which would be a tragedy. The principal officer from the committee has made it clear she will judge her committee's recommendation to the minister on “evidence first and foremost.” This means those who believe in a cross county authority, who believe a focused authority can boost tourism and regenerate the towns, market towns and rural economy need to put a reasoned case to the committee and very quickly too.

By this time next year we will know what our future will be and hopefully whatever the outcome everyone will get behind it and make it work. I urge everyone whatever their views to get involved in this review. The committee has said if the decisions are wrong, if the budget predictions are wrong, the new authorities cannot pay for “mistakes” out of council tax.

This review is “our business” and we all need to get involved.

M J SCOTT

Rosedale Garden

Belton

IN 1985 I organised a set of needlework tapestries created by local people depicting 800 years of important occasions and events, from the building of St Nicholas' Church in the 12th century to the building of the first power station in the 20th century. Nearly one million stitches were embroidered into 19 needlework panels on original paintings by local artists in just 16 weeks.

These were originally displayed in St Nicholas' Church for the visit of The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on August 1 1985.

Since that time, they have been displayed in many different venues, raising thousands of pounds for worthy causes. Hopefully soon to find a permanent home in my proposed charity museum.

Among the panels is one depicting the Charter signed by King John in 1208 embroidered by Rosalie Tilbrook assisted by Sylvia Secker.

In celebration of the 800th anniversary of the signing of the King John Charter, I have mounted a small window display which has this needlework tapestry as the centrepiece together with an embroidery designed and worked by 11 to 13-year-old girls who were at the Technical High School in 1958, under the guidance of their needlework teacher Margaret Crawshaw, for the 750th anniversary. Your readers might be interested to know that Miss Crawshaw is now living in Aylsham and is in her 90s!

The display can be viewed in the window of 39 and 40 King Street which is directly opposite our jewellery shop.

VALERIE HOWKINS

King Street

Great Yarmouth

RECENTLY, myself and a group of friends decided to go and see Alexander O'Neil at the Arena nightclub. We were advised to be there for a 8pm start. We were led to our table at around 9.30pm.

The first act we saw were called Canine-Feline who in all honesty were brilliant. They were on for about half an hour then dance music played for the best part of an hour. At around 11pm, I managed to see the organiser who told me “the man” was 10 minutes away - when in fact this was supposed to be around the time he was to have finished his performance.

Mr O'Neil sang for half an hour with a karaoke machine as back-up and then disappeared.

When I saw him last year with a live band in Norwich he was superb. I feel robbed.

GLYN GRAY

Winifred Road

Great Yarmouth

I AND many members of the local Christian churches are very concerned at the proposed legislation to licence hybrid animal/human DNA experiments and have started a petition to call for a moratorium on such research.

We appreciate the great contribution to understanding of disease processes that has been gained by molecular biological research and elucidating the mechanisms for control and regulation of the human genome. We hope it will lead to definite progress in the treatment of a range of diseases such as cancers and degenerative disorders.

However, we maintain there should be limits and safeguards to this research. In particular we recognise the sanctity of human life and our God-given responsibility to be stewards of creation as a whole. We therefore hold that the integrity of the genetic material in an organism should not be violated by being transferred into an animal host cell or vice versa. We uphold the biblical principles of creation which speaks of created kinds, we do not accept that man emerged as a result of trial and error modifications to its DNA via mutations from primitive life forms.

If that were the case, you could argue there can be no logical objection to further experiments. Rather we accept the Bible account that we are a special creation by God, who made us in His image. Any experimental modifications would be sacrilegious and are in fact forbidden in the prohibition on sexual relations with animals. If this sort of violation of God's created order is licensed, then we will be guilty of gross sin in the sight of a Holy God and will face the consequences, in the form of God's judgement, which is outlined by Moses in Leviticus and by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans.

If we did not raise our voice in protest at the proposed research we would be guilty by implication. There are many social and health recommendations in the Bible which, if followed, would make a lot of costly medical interventions unnecessary.

If any of your readers would like to support the petition, please contact me on atp2gr@yahoo.co.uk. I am a school teacher with a recent master's degree in molecular biology and have long been concerned that such “scientific” violations of the created order would be proposed.

PETER GRAY-READ

Fulmer Close,

Bradwell

REFERENCE the article in last week's Mercury, regarding the competition Peter Jay and Brian Potter are running to find a new name for Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, if they become a single authority, could I ask if the competition is also being run in Lowestoft?

STEPHEN J FRANKLIN

Managing Director

Yarmouth Stadium

IT appears that in my enthusiasm about the restoration of Williamson's Lookout in my letter of March 14, mistakenly I referred to two Gorleston conservation groups as supporting the borough council in this matter, for which I apologise. It seems that the group involved was OWL (Operation-Williamson's Lookout) working with the council.

CECILIA EBBAGE

Lovewell Road

Gorleston

I, AS a local resident, am very pleased to see the improvements which have been carried out at Williamson's Lookout, the public garden opposite Koolunga on High Road, Gorleston. Thanks are due to our local councillor, Gerry Cook, who supported this scheme from the start, Mr and Mrs Ward of Start who organised the Owl Group (Operation, Williamson's Lookout) and the council officers who all made this refurbishment possible. With spring and summer fast approaching there should be plenty of opportunity for local residents to make use of this attractive and historic garden which is a valuable green space in Gorleston's environment.

DOREEN R FEUELL

Church Road

Gorleston

RE “English Debate”, letter from Barbara Tildesley (Mercury, March 14). I find that I am in total agreement with Barbara on this item. On every form I get to fill in it is always stated as “White British” but usually there is a box which states “Other” which I fill in as “White English.” If this box does not exist then I cross out British and add English. I have had no comebacks on doing this.

This “British” thing that you see on application forms or membership forms or forms from governmental departments are as a direct result of our government being informed by Brussels that this must be the norm and as usual this EU directive is again an interference in our everyday lives.

In reply to the “Name Fiasco” letter by Richard Barker, and the naming of the new Moorlands Church of England School in Belton. It is about time people like Richard have the courage to speak out about this religious indoctrination in our schools. Just think how many conflicts are caused by religion and yet we still try to encourage children to except a religious faith of whatever denomination, therefore, perpetuating this religious dilemma for generations to come. Surely it would be better for schools to concentrate on teaching basic education and especially sport which tends to unite people and not segregate them? I believe all religions in schools should be banned on the basis it does not bring people together but just the opposite.

MR C ALDRED

Groomes Close

Hopton-on-Sea

IN his letter of March 7, Mr Hill asked why I'd written my letter the week before. Because, as a disciple of Jesus, I'm told to “contend vigorously for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Mr Hill said God was blessing Park Baptist Church.

But I contended that, as the Baptist structure and practices clash with the pattern for God's church laid down for ever in the Bible (see Psalm 119:89), Mr Hill was mistaken.

Also the leaders of man's church use titles like reverend, pastor, canon, captain etc and wear weird clothes: dog collars, cassocks, army-style uniforms (but see Matthew 23:5-12). And usually only one person fronts the group. Yet James 5:14 says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church…” But how can you call for the elders if your church has none?

Jesus says, “In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men… God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Matthew 15:9; John 4:24).

E BARKHUIZEN

Albemarle Road

Gorleston

A NUMBER of issues were raised by Mr Layton (Letters, March, 14) regarding the Garibaldi development. He is probably correct to assume less than 60 people are living on the streets of Great Yarmouth. Homeless can be defined in many ways, eg being in temporary accommodation, living with the threat of violence or in a non-secure tenancy, with notice to leave.

These issues were first raised in the 1966 private members bill, prompted by the TV play Cathy come home. The Housing Act 1996 and the Homeless Act 2002 provided the framework and guidance for allocating social housing.

For many years, social housing stock has been eroded by the right to buy option, with not enough new build to supply an ever-growing need. Many councils have had their housing taken over by arm's length management organisations. Great Yarmouth Community Housing has retained its housing stock and operates in partnership with a number of housing associations, including Suffolk Housing Association, to offer properties through the homeselect scheme.

Over 6,000 people are currently on the homeselect register, in the three bands. These bands reflect housing needs, with gold being the most urgent, with nearly 15pc in this band. The Garibaldi development is offering properties to gold, silver and bronze applicants.

These properties will not provide a perfect housing solution. We do not live in a perfect world. Many live in unsatisfactory conditions with little hope to better themselves. The Garibaldi site may not be the best housing on offer but it is housing, being offered. All successful applicants will have the opportunity to go back onto the homeselect scheme if they are unhappy, or circumstances change. Their place on the scheme will then represent their priority needs.

And yes, Mr Layton, I am a local man. As chairman of the Rural North Tenants and Residents Association, a group of volunteer council tenants and residents, living in the northern villages, we are active in tenant participation within the borough. Working with other tenant groups, and with Yarmouth community housing, we aim to encourage better communications and conditions between council tenants, and the landlord, Yarmouth Council.

Finally, if you fall on hard times, Mr Layton, social housing may well offer you assistance, depending on your priority and your needs. If housing cannot be offered, advice and other options may be available. Anyone requiring further advice should contact the town hall on 01493 846100, or contact me direct on 01493 733578 or email rural.north@virgin.net.

PETER KIRKPATRICK

Rural North Tenants and Residents Association