ViVlilage Views


lage Views


We need control on horse numbers


Dear Editor – I have read with inter- est some of the correspondence about horses in this magazine. I am a horse rider and appreciate them as animals. I have sympathy on both sides of the debate, but it is clear that there is a problem around the recrea- tional activities of horses and their riders on public highways. My main issue is that the debate


never seems to move on from one side saying: “They create a mess, they foul indiscriminately and horse own- ers do not clear up any of their mess”, to others saying: “It’s part of ‘rural life’ so pick up the mess and put it on your roses”. In my opinion the number of horses in some areas is out of control or needing control. In Rowney Green, for instance,


there are approximately 16 separate stable blocks around the village; two of these are fully commercial opera- tions and many of the others have multiple boxes. This is a village with 130 houses


and barely a few hundred yards of pavement. If you take a vantage point at any part of the winding roads in the village, at any time you will more than likely see a deposit of horse waste. With children, the elderly, the


Have your say . . . about


anything! 18 The Village September 2017


disabled and all other road users sharing the lanes, the situation is at times intolerable. As a suggestion, horse riders could help themselves by playing more of a part in the communities where they practise their hobbies by clearing up some of what their pets deposit. Can a rota be operated between the vari- ous stables? Can “bun bags” be used on the horses – an attachment that captures the waste, saving it from the road? I believe the parish and district


councils need to play a part, too, in several ways. They ought to consider limiting planning consents for more stables and impose conditions on the operation of stables, such as sweeping-up/cleaning obligations. Horse-owners ought to be encour-


aged to be more considerate to the needs of local residents. The sight of one of our elderly, vision-impaired residents walking on the lane and stepping into a large “deposit” is something everyone needs to take responsibility for.


Neil Harris, Rowney Green Lawton’s View


Living next door


to a bomb site Dear Editor – I live on Fiery Hill Road, Barnt Green, opposite the railway sta- tion. I daresay most nearby residents are aware of the demolition of the property at number 47 next door to our house, with a shared drive. Regardless of the buyer’s intention


to build several apartments on the plot, which is so out of keeping with the location, it was nonetheless given permission by the Bromsgrove Plan- ning Committee, despite opposition from us and adjacent neighbours. Two years have passed, with the


property, abandoned for months, falling into neglect and decay with the garden overgrown, narrowing the pavement. It is only recently that the property


was demolished, then left as a bomb- site only feet away from our house. This has caused so much dust which we have constantly had to hose off our garden, windows and walls which are rough-cast. My patience has finally run out,


email: editor@villageonline.co.uk or write to: Letters, The Village,


The Limes, Swan Street, Alvechurch B48 7RR Please include your name and address – even if you request them to be with- held from publication. We reserve the right to edit submissions for reasons of space or legality. The deadline for the next issue is September 15.


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