Letters

AFTER reading Peter Jay's letter last week, I find it hard to believe The Edge scheme will kill the resort of Great Yarmouth. I believe this is the sort of attraction Yarmouth desperately needs to rival that of the Riverside complex in Norwich.

The leisure facilities proposed for The Edge are for all year round and do not conflict with other Golden Mile attractions. It would help draw the public down to the south end of the town, not contain it all in one place. Visitors coming to the town often stroll down from the north end and browse what Yarmouth has to offer and eat at many of the town's restaurants along the way.

Mr Jay points out a central scheme would have great sports facilities and new attractions, but I believe it has already been mentioned by the council that they cannot guarantee a replacement swimming pool or sports facilities, so where have these facts come from?

According to Mr Jay this scheme will have 500 central car parking spaces; is this an attraction for the centre of the Golden Mile? I think not, and if the council so desperately wants to build a car park there, there is enough land in the proposed redevelopment area which does not affect the Marina Centre site.

It has always been said the Centre lacks parking, I'm sure 500 spaces would rectify this problem. Has park and ride been considered for the seafront?

I'm sure a complete central redevelopment would include lots of restaurants and shops. So consider the impact on all the existing family-run restaurants on the west side of the road? The proposed casino is hardly a family attraction either, it would be much better placed at the south end and let the central area be a family one, after all, isn't that what Yarmouth is all about?

There has been discussion about what will extend the summer season. Like most families, we are restricted when we can take holidays by government legislation making us take our holidays in school holidays - and let's not forget the weather.

This town should concentrate on the people who live and work here all year round, not just visitors which come mainly in a six-week period of the year. The Marina Centre needs re-investment to make it the super attraction it once was and the external cladding replacing with a new equivalent product, not a quick paint over. The Edge scheme should house the casino and then we may be able to call Yarmouth great again.

M CHURCH

Great Yarmouth

WITH reference to Peter Jay's letter published in the Mercury. It appears to me that Mr Jay is only concerned with his own attractions, which in my opinion are well past their sell-by date. They are fine old buildings but look neglected and very tired looking. To use the Marina Centre as a super casino does not make any sense at all. With the new layout of the seafront and the lack of parking, it would cause a massive bottleneck. On the other hand, it is a marvellous opportunity to utilise the old South Denes caravan park, which has not been used for many years, other than for occasional parking.

As for the Outer Harbour being restricted for space, has Mr Jay ever noticed how much land is available for its use without having to use land which belongs to Mr Jones? Also does it not make sense to have the casino complex within easy reach, with which any European tourists would be able to use the facilities provided?

SID HOUSTON

Gorleston

I APPLAUD Albert Jones for his hard work and endeavour to bring the Edge Development to the town where there is a need for all year round entertainment. I believe that it is in the right place as the Golden Mile is already set up and established with numerous attractions. The Marina Centre provides leisure facilities for the whole town and whilst needing some improvement it is not the most suited site for a new casino development.

Mr Jones already owns all the land that is needed for the Edge Development. You only have to look to Norwich at the new multiplex, bars and attractions to see that there is a need for improvement as some facilities are dated and not of the standard expected in this day and age. Let Peter Jay pump the money into his attractions to the level of investment that Mr Jones is doing.

ELIZABETH PEAK

Sandown

Isle of Wight

I WOULD like to commend Albert Jones for spending a huge sum of money, for which he may get no return, on trying to regenerate a badly neglected area of Great Yarmouth seafront. These days our visitors have probably sampled world-class attractions and facilities. Mr Jay bemoans the fact that sea-front traders are have difficult times - why? The visitors are probably more discerning on what they spend their money on and what is on offer probably now holds no interest for them - this is 2009! While Great Yarmouth has some really great attractions, sadly we have quite a lot in dire need of total refurbishment as they are quite dated and awful. As gambling is considered a sport, why hasn't Mr Jay submitted his own proposals for a super casino at the Marina Centre which would incorporate superb leisure, swimming and sporting facilities for all the family?

Had he done so, he could have been the favourite in the current two-horse race.

LYNDA BYFORD

Email

WAKE up Yarmouth Council this is your opportunity to get a brand new Marina Leisure Centre paid for by the casino complex.

I often bring my young family into Great Yarmouth for the day to go to Joyland and need somewhere to park centrally, we would also use these new facilities if they were nearby.

RYAN LEWIS

Church Street

Fressingfield

I COULDN'T believe what I was reading when I read the letter from Peter Jay and his views on the casino. Doesn't he realise that thousands of holidaymakers come here every year with their children and the majority will want to use the facilities that the Marina Centre has to offer, rather than a casino. Children will not be allowed in, in any case, so why put it in the middle of the Golden Mile? Many thousands of us locals are hoping that Mr Jones gets it down by the Pleasure Beach, as that is the most obvious place to have it. You only have to look around in that area to see all the space available. His argument about the port traffic is a non starter because that traffic will come in along by the river and go nowhere near the Pleasure Beach. Come on Mr Jay, do what you do best and that's running your circus. Leave the casino to the professionals!

G CASS

Station Road South

Belton

I WOULD agree the best place for the casino would be where the Marina Centre now stands but at the end of the day it will go to the people who the council thinks has the deepest pockets, as I believe it's position will be cash driven - the only thing the council is interested in. I submitted my own plans when I heard about the development wanted for the Marina Centre and the first paragraph of their reply was where was the funding coming from, not whether they thought it was a good idea.

The good old days have gone and will never return. We have to build on what is good for the whole town, and not for the few.

M P SWIFT,

Great Yarmouth

WHY on earth does Peter Jay want to see the Casino put on the Marina Centre site which is currently, alongside many other neighbouring attractions, aimed at families? A casino is far removed from being any type of family entertainment.

Those coming here to gamble are highly unlikely to spend their time and money elsewhere. The Marina Centre site should be kept as a venue for locals, holidaymakers, families etc. The bowling and swimming facilities are valued by many clubs and individuals. Perhaps Peter Jay would like to visit our Disabled Swimming Club one Saturday morning to see just how much this facility is needed and the good it does!

The “credit crunch” is another good reason to site the casino away from the centre of the Golden Mile. Gambling can easily become addictive, which in turn leads to further debt with its appeal of “get rich quick”.

Sorry Mr Jay, but not everyone thinks of the casino as a jackpot for Great Yarmouth! If it has to come here then it needs to be sited away from the centre of the seafront! Let Albert Jones go ahead with his plans for The Edge and leave the Marina Centre alone.

JENNY WARNER

Marina Disabled Swimming Club

Caister-on-Sea

IT would seem, from the letters published in last week's Mercury, that all is well regarding black bin collection in Gorleston. Fred Learmonth and Terry West paint glowing accounts of how the system works for them. Well, I'm glad for them both.

I am sure that some refuse collectors are wonderful, and lucky you, if they are on your round.

Remember this, they are paid to collect bins, and return them from where they were collected. They work for us all. We all pay their wages. The job of the refuse collector has become significantly easier over the years. The commitment from the householder is vital to reducing landfill and improving recycling.

However, whilst the bin collectors have a more clean and secure working environment, I wonder if the council have carried out a risk assessment on all householders having to move the bins to the roadside. I doubt it.

Whilst not being an expert on all roads in Gorleston, I suspect that Paston and Garnham roads are typically urban, the closer the chimneys, the closer the services.

I doubt, Mr West, if we share the same refuse team. My reference to open lids on bins is regarding council instructions. My bin has never had an open lid, and yes, we have spoken to our refuse collectors, and management, on a number of occasions, regarding bin positioning, from ourselves, and on behalf of others.

If you remember the days when a bin man used to collect your bin, empty it, and return it, then you will have probably disliked the black bags collection. Wheelie bins have been a positive move forward, but the attitude of some needs addressing.

Black sacks were thrown from the back of a moving vehicle every three months, the same when the wheelie bins arrived. Thrown from the back of a truck, and slid along the street, it now becomes our responsibility to maintain them.

If you think that we should return to a weekly bin collection, and if you want glass to be included in our recyclable collection, please contact me on 01493 733578 or email rural.north@virgin.net.

PETER KIRKPATRICK

Chairman,

Rural North Tenants and Residents Association

WITH reference to Peter Kirkpatrick's letter about his claimed poor service from our refuse collectors. He does not state which area he is referring to but, as his address is Ormesby, maybe it is in that area?

My experience is totally the opposite. I lived for 32 years in Belton and the refuse collectors were great each and every week - that's around 1,664 weeks of excellent service. I have now lived in Winterton for eight years and my experience has been equally as good - that's another 416 weeks. Oh, and no, I have no connection with the refuse collectors or the council.

The proposed �80 and �1,000 fines (if this is indeed factual) by the increasingly Gestapo like authorities of this once great country of ours is beyond contempt but, as to our refuse collectors, you give totally the wrong impression Mr Kirkpatrick. Or has my 40-year experience of excellent refuse collection been the exception to the rule; I very much doubt it!

Lastly, the wheelie bins; am I the only one to think that they are a huge benefit over the old black sacks? In the summer there is no doubt that they should be emptied on a weekly basis, maggots ain't good to see Great Yarmouth Borough Council, but overall, I love them.

T TUNGATE

Winterton-on-Sea

RE: Bringing it back to grassroots (Letters, March 6). I would draw your readers' attention to the fact that Great Yarmouth has its own Area Committee of Norfolk County Councillors, held at the Town Hall where issues affecting the borough are discussed, and all are welcome to attend. Last time, Gapton Hall roundabout and civil parking enforcement were considered. I understand the frustration of Caister Road residents, and sympathise. These speeding problems occur too often throughout the area. These are the direct responsibility of the police, and I call upon them to be more pro-active.

MIKE TAYLOR

Norfolk County Councillor

St Georges Road

Great Yarmouth

WHAT would Nelson say? The Battle of Trafalgar must seem a trifle to the residents of Yarmouth, who are waging war on one another in a bid for power over the Britannia Monument.

On October 21, 1805, Admiral Horatio Nelson led 27 British naval warships into what has become considered as one of the most important British victories of the Napoleonic Wars; the Battle of Trafalgar. This was a victory so important that Great Yarmouth decided to set up a monument to Nelson in 1817. After nearly 200 years, that monument still stands tall. But no one can see it, and knowledge of that monument is almost non-existent.

Sadly, the monument was built on the Denes,; a place where no one ever goes. In 1817, the Denes may have seemed a pleasant location for a tribute to monument. It's situated right next to the river; it can be seen by residents of both Gorleston and Yarmouth (if you try hard enough to spot it); and there may not have been so much scrap metal getting in the way in 1817.

But now, in hindsight, the decision to build the monument where it is, or perhaps the decision to build the things around it, seems foolhardy. And with plans for a new casino to be built in Yarmouth, residents say it will damage the image we have of Trafalgar's hero.

Let's face it, it would cost a lot of money to move it, and what would we be gaining? If we moved it to somewhere near the Market Place, for example, we may enjoy it for 10 whole minutes.

All England has ever had to be proud of, is its literature and its navy. Great Yarmouth is the proud owner of Anna Sewell, and we've paid fitting tribute to the woman's success and fame by keeping a quaint little house of hers in good nick; why not give the same attention to a man who fought hard for his country, and not just horses?

Surely, one great effort to put the monument to use would be worth every bead of sweat on the brows of our council.

ERNEST NICHOLS

Wadham Road,

Gorleston

I READ Philip Knight's letter six times. It was in English and did understand each sentence individually. However I do not understand what he was trying to tell us. Your heading says “Proving our integrity to God” but even if I wanted to do that, which I don't, there does not seem to be anything in the letter which would tell me how to do it.

There may be some readers who do wish to do that and if so it may be an idea for Mr Knight to explain more clearly.

DEREK BROWN

Nelson Road South

Great Yarmouth

FOLLOWING the Mercury's story (March 6), I write to reassure the public we serve that important projects to improve doctor's surgeries, hospitals and heath centres in Great Yarmouth and Waveney will not be lost.

While it is true that some of our ambitious capital projects have been delayed, they certainly have not been scrapped and our work on planning and implementing the best possible schemes for the benefit of our community is continuing.

Along with all other NHS organisations, we have a duty to show sound financial management and cannot record an underspend at the end of the financial year. As such, some of the funding we were going to use on these schemes has been returned to the Strategic Health Authority to allow us to balance our books.

However, we will receive a fresh stream of funding in the new financial year which will allow us to bring forward improvement projects across Great Yarmouth and Waveney. As such, our plans to invest in better facilities and services for the patients we serve have not been scrapped, but merely deferred.

The delay in bringing forward some of our capital projects will give us further time to develop a first class five-year strategy and estates strategy for the future of healthcare in Great Yarmouth and Waveney. These strategies are hugely important as they will ensure the services we provide in years to come meet the changing needs of the communities we serve. As such, taking the extra time to make sure we have got them absolutely right is both sensible and proper.

MIKE STONARD

Chief Executive

NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney