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Its your shout

I feel that I have to respond to the letter from CD Collier who pours scorn on the oak tree circle in Shirley Park.
As usual these Tory apologists miss the point, I suspect for wilful and self-serving reasons.  The oak tree circle is an attractive feature but that is not the point; the key point is that it is a feature and is parkland.  To suggest that just because you do not find it particularly attractive it should therefore be concreted over is no argument whatsoever.  Presumably CD Collier would suggest that Kenilworth Castle should be flattened and redeveloped for flats as it is clearly a brown field site and the original buildings have been allowed to go to rack and ruin (I mean, for goodness sake, the original castle did not even have internal plumbing!!).
Attractiveness is not the issue here – it is more important than that, it is one of principle.  In terms of Shirley Park, the principle that the Lib Dem’s, KSA and other members of the community are fighting for is to retain the park as parkland and not to turn it over to yet another unnecessary development which will not only result in the loss of parkland but also in the destruction of Shirley town centre.
At least the Lib Dem’s fight for Principles!
Charles Robinson
Tythe Barn Lane
Dickens Heath

As a regular user of Birmingham International Airport I have to say I have been delighted at its response to the recent terror attacks and its committment to maintain this response for 'as long as it takes'.
As proud British people we have to continue with our daily lives and not let these terrorists stop us from doing what we want to do and when we want o do it.
And while some people may find it unnerving to see roads blocked off, armoured vehicles and police with semi-automatic weapons, I for one feel a lot safer and happier about by flight knowing they are there.
Well done Brimingham Airport.
M Jones
Solihull

Can I ask why you continually and repeatedly publish letters from S.T. Vaughan in your newspapers letters page?
1. He doesn't appear to live in Solihull- lives in Yardley Wood, Birmingham- so why do you devote column inches to his views?
2. Surely you should be accomodating the viewpoints of Solihull residents rather than Birmingham residents in the local Solihull press?
His letters appear week after week. I believe in freedom of speech and open debate, but why do you allow someone who lives elsewhere push their views onto the Solihull populous?
Name and address supplied

Gordon Brown  states that he is returning power to Parliament. Perhaps he should also return power to local councils by getting rid of the unelected, undemocratic Regional Assemblies.
The West Midlands Regional Assembly, which your readers finance, would not be missed. Their belatedly published accounts reveal that in the year ending March 2006 they spent  £1,024,361 on staff wages. As they list 19 staff this works out at an average of £54,000 pa each.
The staff include the obligatory Equality & Diversity Director and a Senior Advisor, Regional Spatial Strategy, Conformity. I am sure that in the words of Gilbert and Sullivans' Mikado  they would "none of them be missed."
R. Morris
Via e-mail

Once again Robert Cawte and the KSA ( Keep Shops Away) group are finding it hard to accept that residents of the borough do not have a legitimate right to comment on what happens in Shirley.
The answer is of course they do as the whole borough is affected by the prosperity of its constituent parts.
He quite rightly points out that some local residents have attended public meetings. But it is a fact that only a small minority has actually done so.
The vast majority are either not interested the 'Keep Shops Away' group's position and their Lib Dem Allies or voted against it at the local elections.
Parkgate is the only vehicle available to bring long term prosperity to Shirley.
C.D. Collier Solihull

I am totally sick of people (who should know better) being personal and downright rude, I am referring to JK Wilson and CD Collier, who are forever running Howard Allen down. It's about time this nonsense stopped.
Howard Allen does a remarkably good job under difficult circumstances.
It is quite obvious that these people no nothing about trees and the value of such an amenity, - the 'Ring of Oaks'. The ring is a unique natural phenomena not to be found elsewhere in this country, the conservative council seem to think by rubbishing it off, no one will notice when they chop them down.
Yet it is a crying shame that the council have not and do not value these beautiful trees, instead of chopping them down they should be advertising them and making the area in which they stand into a national amenity.
So JK Wilson and CD Collier although you don't care, there are a lot of people who do care a great deal about our beautiful trees and the last thing we want is to have them cut down.
KSA

I have recently received the Lib Dems' news letter Focus for the summer 2007. In that edition under recycling Councillor Widger States 'I am opposed to schools currently being charged to recycle paper. I shall press for a change.'
As a keen recycler I was alarmed if this statement was true.
It would appear to be untrue since.
As I have been informed that Solihull schools can have a large paper and card bank on site. There is no charge for this Paper and card bank service.
Therefore I am puzzled and would ask Councillor Widger to state publicly which schools are being charged.
The evidence so far seems to suggest no school is being charged. 
B Jones Solihull

With a reference to the letter submitted by Charles Robinson about incineration of Domestic waste. Domestic waste is collected and taken to the Solihull and Coventry energy plant, where the incineration of the waste is converted to Electricity. From this plant steel is collected and sent for reuse. Plastic are mostly hydrocarbons like natural gas. So converting plastic into energy means that less natural gas is burnt elsewhere to make power. Thus reducing carbon into the atmosphere. Don't forget we have kerb side collection of green waste and paper.
Charles mentions the 3R's of waste management, but I think that carbon footprint is more important (look at the recent floods). There is no point in recycling or reuse if the energy cost is high. Solihull does well in recycling performance, but if Government considered carbon footprint then I am sure that we would be amongst the leaders in the country.
I wish that Charles and his Liberal colleagues would stop spreading misinformation and being negative about our achievements.
Cllr Andy Mackiewicz
Dorridge

Diddums whinges because he has been deprived of his 'human right' to smoke indoors. (July 5).
What of the human rights of those who do not want to sit in a smokey atmosphere? Let's have less of human rights and more if human responsibility for each other
Harry M Scharf
Ulverley Green Road
Solihull

Can I just point out that the bride path off Redstone Farm Road has not been blocked off.
The council are trying to protect innocent victims by putting up kissing gates which still allow access.
The council and police are commended on helping to protect us, the residents, and the young and elderly who walk through the Bridle Path.
For years we have endured mindless youths causing damage and speeding motorbikes with no regard for public safety.
We have two disabled residents who live in The Bridle Path and have used the route to the Robin Hood Island in order to get to Tesco which only tajes a few minutes longer.
The Tesco trolley that was deliberately pushed into my car parked on my drive causing £800 worth of damage is just one example of the cost us residents have had to put up with.
Mindless hooligans have already stolen a gate which had only been up for a week and has to be replaced at the cost of us the taxpayer.
Bridle Path Resident

I wish to put the record straight about two objections for parking in Kelvedon Grove. If the council double checked its records it would find I personally did not object to restrictions in Kelvedon Grove, only full-time restrictions such as double yellow lines.
Last year over 40 residents objected to parking to the council and it was also pointed out that all other roads close to the town centre have parking restrictions. It has been pointed out that ambulances and fire engine could not get through on an emergency basis.
Surely Coun Ted Richards and the council must stand and be counted before an emergency takes place.
One of the so-called Objectors
Nightingale Court
Kelvedon Grove
Solihull

I have lived in Shirley my whole life and I love living here. I have been on the council list for two years now and I refuse to be pushed out of Shirley.
I want to bring my daughter up here and for her to go to the same school as I did. My last visit to the council reduced me to tears as the woman said I would have to wait to have another child or I will never get anywhere to live.
She also said there are no properties in Shirley and if one came up it would go to an elderly person. Three years ago my uncle and his 16-year-old son came back to Birmingham after ten years living in Morecombe. He stayed with us for three weeks and the council gave them a two-bedroom flat in Greenhill Way. I recently found out there are two empty flats in Greenhill Way and of course someone that doesn't mind where they live will get them. I am absolutely furious because I still live with my mum they think they don't have to help.
Our council service is a sham.
Claire Cole.

Referring to last week's article 'praise for new lesiure centre' it seems the plot is thickening yet further.
1. When were we informed thath the council has banked £2 million from the park sell-off before?
2. Where was the derelict parkland that was lost?
3. How and when will this be replaced?
4. How can this scheme be described as a triump for local councillors when all they have done is finance a privately operated business, which will provide little more than other privately operated leisure facilities do, other than a dilapidated building in 30 years time. This will return the borough to exactly the same postition we were in a year ago, minus the irreplaceable medieval common land liquidated for the housing estate on Monkspath Hall Road.
I do hope local councillors have not misled Hugo Swire in the same was as local residents during the planning stages of this scheme.
Mr Sawle
Whitefields Crescent
Solihull
Conservative writers would have us believe that Shirley’s unique oak tree circle is nothing special and should be sacrificed to make way for an ASDA hyperstore and many luxury flats.
 
While the same Conservatives continue to defend the indefensible, they should reflect on literature they distributed during the local elections of 2004 in which they pledged “No loss of parkland or trees”, and a development that “…MUST NOT reduce or ruin Shirley Park”.
After stabbing local residents in the back by approving the destruction of nearly 3 acres of Shirley Park, the Conservative run Council had the indecency to issue a press release on 22nd September 2006 claiming that the oak tree circle could be “uplifted and replanted”.
Having investigated this claim I have finally found out after months of waiting for an answer that there is virtually no chance of the trees surviving such a move.
I asked the Conservative leader of Solihull Council at the Council meeting on 26th June if he felt that the press release was misleading.  Visibly irritated that I had asked a question, he snapped “no”, and also declined to apologise for the blunder.
Councillor Tim Hodgson
Liberal Democrat
Shirley South

I would like to thank the people of Olton for generously donating to the Macmillan Cancer Support bucket collection at Dovehouse Parade on 7 July.  We were very lucky with the weather and a magnificent £262.16 was raised in just over 3 hours.  This was the first time we have collected there and did not know what to expect.  People were very friendly and generous and we will definitely be back next year.  We were only able to collect for 3 hours as we had other events taking place and were short on volunteers to cover everything.  If anyone would like to help out with bucket collections, please give the fundraising office a call on 0121 742 6393.  All the money raised with go towards helping local people living with cancer.
Ann Gumery
Fundraising Assistant  for Macmillan Cancer Support,
Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull.

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