Letters to the Editor - 13th June 2008

Jun 13 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

Designs on St John’s Beacon

IT WILL be interesting to see if our city does indeed have “a grand future” as described in your leader of June 11. Barely a day passes without us hearing of yet another sensational architectural proposal.

But, like many of our citizens, I view the 3-D coloured drawings with a dose of world-weariness. If it comes off, good. If not . . . well, we have been here before.

Meantime, wouldn’t it be of genuine cheer if someone came up with a concept design that finished off the top of St John’s Beacon?

This building dominates the city and has been extensively rehabilitated by Radio City in a most praiseworthy way, yet it still suffers at its apex from appalling rusty steelwork concealed by advertising graphics.

Clearly, the top of the structure should be completed with a diminishing “spire” of some kind, possible with circular platforms containing communications dishes to help pay for the cost of construction.

There are many other beacon and tower structures around the world which show how this design element has been dealt with to architectural advantage. It would be a great pity if this important visual asset is lost permanently to lazy design.

Michael Durkin, L3

Past its sell-by-date

RE: THE £100m facelift for St John's and statements that Land Securities are showing great confidence in Liverpool.

For 40 years, city publicists, tourists and visiting TV crews have had to strain every sinew to ensure that this ugly precinct, hotel and car park do not show up in their viewfinders when trying to capture the glorious Victorian architecture along Lime Street and William Brown Street.

Like many Liverpudlians, I feel haunted by the ghosts of buildings past, Customs House, the Sailors Home, the Victorian Market, far too many to mention, but all of which, although utilitarian in purpose, in their own ways were durable, unique, and beautiful, until the planners got to work.

At least Grosvenor has shown some sensitivity to the remaining buildings in and around Liverpool One by including them in the open-air layout, recreating the effect of walking around a series of individual shops and streets, rather than an all-encompassing soulless mall. Land Securities, on the other hand, in their current and future designs, continue to show the same crass insensitivity.

Committee chairperson Cllr John Irving is right, St John's is tired and past its sell-by date.

For a company that boasts it is worth £14bn, it beggars belief that Land Securities can throw away £100m trying to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse. Demolition should have been the order of the day, not expansion.

Name and address supplied

Council-owned club

AS A Liverpool supporter, I was discussing with friends the endless saga over the future of Liverpool Football Club, when one of them told us that clubs in Spain such as Real Madrid and Barcelona and Inter/AC Milan in Italy were owned by municipal authorities.

If this is the case, why has Liverpool City Council played no part in the future of the football clubs, Liverpool or Everton?

Looking at the foreign owners of English clubs, it is obvious that businesspeople from Asia, Russia and North America know a bargain when they see one.

What’s wrong with Liverpool city councillors? I know there are restrictions on the use of public money, but they could sell municipal bonds or get the business community involved.

Local councillors should be above party politics and concerned with the prosperity of the city and preservation of the assets. The people of Merseyside built up the football clubs and the profits should stay in Liverpool. Forget party politics, we get them morning, noon and night on TV and radio. Meanwhile, what about organising the takeover of Liverpool FC, following the examples of Spain and Italy.

R Carty, Wallasey

Hitting headlines

ONCE again, Capital of Culture hits the headlines for all the wrong reasons ("Vital 08 Place relying on volunteers", Daily Post, June 12).

The virtual admission of Liverpool's ruling Liberal Democrats that they cannot afford the staff costs for the 08 Place comes only a few years after it was revealed the council had funded the 08 Place using money from the government's Neighbourhood Renewal Fund meant to augment front line services in the city's most deprived communities.

The 08 Place is budgeted to cost the city nearly £1.2m in 2008/09. If it is to be more than a costly white elephant, the council needs to act fast to ensure that the tourism information service starts paying for itself. The council should be asking itself if, given the recharge the 08 Place has to make BT via Liverpool Direct and the 08 Place's poor performance in maximising income, it can provide best value for tourism information services.

Tourism is a massive opportunity to grow Liverpool and create jobs and the city council should be doing this more efficiently.

Cllr Nick Small , Labour spokesperson for Enterprise & Tourism, Liverpool City Council

No charm

I HAVE been to the “improved” Bluecoat building to see if it’s as disappointing as people had told me it is, and it is worse. Yet another example of municipal vandalism in the name of modernity.

The old Bluecoat had charm and character, this one has neither.

It is stark and totally soulless. There’s nothing remotely appealing about all the white-painted brick and raw concrete.

In keeping with the building, most of the exhibits are pretentious twaddle – a case of the emperor’s new clothes, I’m afraid.

Even the garden has not escaped the blight of modernisation.

Once it was a pleasant place to spend some quiet time in, shaded by leafy trees, but not any more.

Fortunately, I was able to console myself by taking a short walk across the city and spending a couple of enjoyable hours in a proper gallery containing works of art that have stood the test of time.

At least nobody has modernised the Walker – yet.

Michael Horgan, Heswall

Water campaign

I MUST commend the Daily Post and your reporter Ben Schofield for your current Tap Into Water campaign.

For years now, bottled water has been seen as fashionable in society when, actually, all it is wasteful, pricey and bad for the environment.

I am also impressed to see leading Liverpool restaurants getting involved in this campaign, instead of just seeing an opportunity to make a fast buck.

I have always found it quite strange in this country that, when you go into a dining establishment you not only have to make a point of asking for some water with your meal, but that you are then expected to pay for some fancy brand.

When you go to places like America and Australia, it is customary for you to be given a glass of “tap” water almost as soon as you sit down. I hope one day there will be a similar situation here.

GH, Crosby

Transport anomaly

RUTH KELLY (from Manchester), the minister of transport, has given Manchester Metrolink £1.25bn to extend the Metrolink system. Merseytram were laughed out of Parliament at their request for £170m for Line One from Liverpool to Kirkby.

The total amount of money so far granted to the Metrolink system will be over £2.25bn.

My main point here is there are no local politicians who are able or willing to even query this monstrous anomaly.

Which, to me, begs the question – where are you, Mr Heseltine?

EH, Aintree

Honour thy parents

WHAT an excellent letter from your correspondent Sharon Roberts (Daily Post, June 11, “Marginalising fathers”), regarding the role of fathers.

God in his infinite wisdom gave us the 10 Commandments as a way to conduct our lives and how they are now ignored, including the honouring of parents – fathers and mothers.

There is no need to question what is wrong with society.

EM Owens, L12

Video evidence

AM I the only football fan that thinks using video evidence would be a good thing?

Why is it used in numerous other sports – rugby and cricket, to mention just two – yet the football fraternity steadfastly refuse to even discuss its use.

I still remember Maradonna’s infamous “Hand of God”.

I’m surprised anyone wants to be a top flight referee these days when TV replays can clearly show them to have made incorrect decisions.

Neil Branigan-Owens, via email

Failing schools

IT HAS been reported in the media the latest proposals from the Government in relation to “failing schools” stating that they could be replaced by academies.

A number of schools here in Liverpool, I understand, are on the list of alleged failing schools, including two city academies.

What a contradiction in terms for the Secretary of State, Mr Balls, and all those who support the mantra of so-called diversification of state education.

Raph Parkinson, Branch Chair, Liverpool UNISON

Bide our time

THERE were queues of traffic outside the pumps at Tesco yesterday, and I couldn’t help but think that this is exactly the way to make any fuel shortage bite more keenly and play directly into the hands of the Shell workers threatening to strike.

Whether or not their pay claim is valid – although £32,000 sounds quite healthy to me – their action is cynical and aims to have us all over a barrel.

Rather than panicking and filling up giant petrol tanks, depriving people with more moderate or pressing needs, we should bide our time and see what happens.

JM, Aintree