Stadium design stuck in 60s

May 9 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

AS REPORTED in the Daily Post (Wednesday, May 7), Tesco are making changes to the retail plan to overcome objections against the Kirkby Project.

Perhaps Everton FC could now look at the stadium plans and produce a stadium fit for the 21st century, not one that looks like a design from the 1960s.

In light of your recent report into the extensions under way at the Allerton Road branch, whereby the Tesco extension is being built four inches higher than the planning permissions allowed by “mistake”, and it is now too late to change, the local residents are also concerned that the building is so close to their houses, something that was not apparent in the early plans released.

Tesco are not the first supermarket to make “mistakes” of this fashion, and let us not forget that, when the Allerton Road branch replaced the school previously on the site, the store was not going to open on a Sunday or for 24 hours. Again, despite local residents complaining at the time, these issues were soon overcome and bulldozed through.

Can the residents of Kirkby really be convinced that Tesco are putting the interests of the community ahead of their own plans?

I think not, and I am still unconvinced that the planned development takes account of the number of people that will be in the area on match days. The retail store and the stadium appear to be so close together it looks like a recipe for disaster.

B Phythian, Aigburth

Speak up for city

THE authorities within the Liverpool city region need to work closely together, but this does not mean that Liverpool City Council should bend over backwards not to upset Knowsley in reacting to the Kirkby proposals.

Most of the planning discussions seem to be about the shopping, and maybe some sort of compromise will be reached on this. However, the question of the Everton Stadium is a more fundamental matter. One local authority, Knowsley Borough, is colluding in the hijacking of a

major cultural, social and employment focus from its neighbour. What next? The Philharmonic to Prescot? The Empire to Ellesmere Port?

Someone needs to speak up for inner-city Liverpool as the natural regional focus for the whole area around Liverpool Bay. In the meantime, in the absence of any coherent political voice or

leadership for the Liverpool city region as a whole, we have no option than to appeal to central government to 'call in' the whole proposal. There must be a public enquiry!

Trevor Skempton, L3

New surgery plea

AS PATIENTS, we fully agree with the West Wirral Group Practice and Wirral PCT appealing against the council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the practice to use some of the Warrens Nursery site.

We also believe it is imperative that new premises are provided to deliver improved and expanded health services, as these are desperately needed for the patients and residents of the Heswall, Barnston, Pensby, Thingwall and Irby areas.

Plans are progressing for the Pensby and Telegraph Road surgeries of another practice and it is time that the doctors and patients of Rocky Lane, Thingwall and Irby surgeries were also able to look forward to new premises.

Why should we be left out?

The current buildings are a disgrace with no disabled access and no scope for new services, in fact some services have been moved elsewhere.

Their blood taking service is now only available in Heswall Clinic, and we also understand patients within the area, irrespective of which practice they are with, have to travel to Bromborough for the leg ulcer clinic, as there is no facility within the area and this would be available from this new building.

The promise of new premises has been made for about eight years and we realise green belt should be kept, but this is the only site available and suitable.

With the new building will come more and easier access to the doctors and nurses, as well as other services, which we all need and deserve. We can only hope the appeal is successful, so that this can finally materialise.

Ernest Hewitt, chairman, WWGP Patient Focus Group

A financial disaster

I AGREE with everything that Bill Lowe had to say in his letter about Gordon Brown in Tuesday’s Post. He was hailed as the most successful Chancellor of all time, but I have considered him to be a disaster.

As Bill stated, he has ruined private pensions by abolishing the right of pension funds to reclaim tax credits on dividends, offered only a 75p increase one year on the old-age pension, and refuses help with elderly medical care. At the same time as he was treating pensioners disgracefully, he was wasting billions of pounds on payments for children.

His taxation policies have been just as bad. The abolition of the 10% rate band was a cynical calculation that the people who were disadvantaged would always vote Labour while the higher paid workers who benefit are floating voters.

It was a gimmick in his last budget to announce that he was reducing the basic rate of tax to its lowest figure ever, ie, 20%. The basic rate is not important, National Insurance to people in employment is just another form of income tax. A few years ago, he similarly reduced the basic rate from 23% to 22%, but increased National Insurance by the same amount.

He has often stated that people should be encouraged to save for their old age, but has consistently introduced policies which discourage saving. He has introduced various measures to encourage the enterprise culture, but all this has done is open up tax loopholes for the rich to exploit.

JM Berry, Aughton

Unrealistic prices

COULD anyone have really been surprised by your front-page story yesterday “Luxury flats fail to tempt buyers”. You only have to drive around the city centre and see the total lack of people near so many of these developments to know that people are not buying them.

That said, I do hope it is not all doom and gloom and when the housing market does start to pick up I predict that we will see a thriving city – we have just got to ride out this rough patch. Property developers also have to start getting realistic about the prices they are asking for these places.

Surely it is better to lose a little money on them now than to leave them lying empty for years to come?

JT, Anfield

Basic necessity

SO PEOPLE are not interested in buying luxury apartments (Daily Post, May 8). Big surprise. People are not interested in buying anything right now apart from maybe bread, milk and petrol.

Though, before people start getting all “we told you so” over this, can I just point out that these developments are years in the planning and, when many of them were signed off, no-one could have predicted we would hit such a sudden economic rough patch.

Anyway, better to have some empty apartments than the half-derelict buildings we were stuck with before.

G Hughes, South Liverpool

NML defies logic

RE: FRIENDS of Liverpool Museums, I have followed this story and the subsequent correspondence with increasing despair.

I find it hard to understand how NML can destroy such a valuable support group as the Friends, claiming they had been “unsupportive” of NML. How NML can claim this when they have had almost £1m in funds and countless volunteer hours over the year defies logic.

Friends, by the nature of the relationship, can fail to agree on any number of matters, but this does not automatically call for destruction of the relationship.

My wife and I have been friends for several years and been happy to support NML. However, this decision can never be in the real interest of NML.

Peter Sleeman, Wallasey

We need a mayor

WHAT a shambles Liverpool politics is. Councillors are only interested in their own agendas and petty concerns. They seem to have little interest in the welfare of Liverpool or its citizens. It is about time we had an elected mayor to provide proper leadership for the city.

They would be accountable to the citizens of the city who could vote them in or out depending on whether they delivered the goods.

The current system with all its childish squabbling is little better than a children’s playground.

KH Shepherd, L18

Spirited response

IT WAS nice to read the comments of Cllr Peter Johnson on his re-election in Heswall Ward. His generosity of spirit is to be applauded in representing all residents, regardless of any political persuasion. I am sure this sentiment will be reciprocated by the newly-elected councillor in Clatterbridge Ward.

However, it seems 50% of those eligible to vote don't bother; despite the ability to register their vote without even leaving home.

Allan Guy, Thornton Hough

Impressed by Dixie

I WENT to the Dixie Dean show on Monday opening night and was very impressed.

As much as I know some things about Dixie – I was born in August, 1980 – it was a real eye-opener to me and a fantastic insight into the life and personality of the greatest footballer ever. It has some humorous moments and it was a very powerful ending, too.

I hope there are more shows planned again this year. I will definitely be going and taking more people.

Liam Young, Wrexham (Evertonian)

Tunnel commerce

WHEN will the people of Merseyside realise you do not have to “drive” through the tunnels to use them, as so many deliveries and so much commerce are dependent on them?

James Watson, Wirral