Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) 26 Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, November 23rd, 2006 www.clitheroetodayxo.uk Ciitheroe 422324 (Editoriai), 422323 (Advertising), Burniey 422331 (Ciassified) Letters to the Editor rile to. Tile Eclilnr, Clillieroe Advertiser and Times, 3 King Street, Clitiierne BB72EW Editorial e-mail: vivien.niealli@eastlanc.snews.co.uk ---- Traffic flow and We must act with


justice and fairness I WRITE in wholehearted support of the proposed mosque. In this, as in all of life, it is incumbent upon us to act with justice and fairness. Clitheroe with its environs is indeed


a lovely place, but that loveliness is severely tarnished if we are prejudiced against some of our fellow Clitheroni- ans by denying them a place of their own for worship. The Clitheroe church leaders feel strongly that, as a matter of justice, the Muslims should have their application heard with the same criteria as white British people. I t seems that yet again prejudice has been stirred up against them even before their case is considered. As Katy Marshall wrote last week,


it is hard to believe that the car park­ ing concerns are not racism by another name. If parking problems were solved, would opponents of the mosque be pacified? I doubt it because I do not believe that car parking is the real issue. We do not hear the same anger voiced when churches or other organisations hold services or events attracting car owners. In reality, the proposed mosque has parking for 15 cars, which should satisfy the 40 fami­ lies who form the Muslim community - a figure accepted by the objectors. There are fears that Muslims will


flock here from Blackburn, which seems most unlikely since Blackburn has about 20 mosques already. Most Christians worship in their own locali­ ty. Why should Muslims be any differ­ ent? I accept the assurance tha t the


building’s change of use will not affect house prices. As an aside, however, it would surely be a splendid idea if something did reduce house prices in Clitheroe. I meet couples who would like to live here, but cannot afford to buy a house. Yet the over-riding principle is that


men and women are to be respected regardless of their colour, creed or class. To be at the receiving end of injustice, wherever that occurs, is dis­ tasteful in the extreme. The church must express sorrow for those times when it has stood silent in the face of racial or religious discrimination. Christians, and others, are concerned for other people’s welfare, and that welfare includes freedom to worship in one’s own sacred building.


CANON RODNEY NICHOLSON, St Paul’s Vicarage, Clitheroc


Prejudice must not


cloud judgement I HAVE read the last few copies of the Advertiser and Times with interest and particularly wanted to pick up on the point raised by Bruce Dowles in last week’s edition. I t ’s just as well we are outside the


tourist season or whatever would visi­ tors think? My next door neighbour and I sometimes joke that we will always be seen as “incomers” in


. Clitheroe as we both hail from other parts of the North West, but there is a serious point. . One of the things that I appreciate.


about this town is that people have always made me feel welcome and I have settled here with remarkable ease - is that really only down to the colour of my skin? If we are talking about retaining the


intrinsic features of this town, then let us please consider the openness and warmth that I have experienced as just such a feature that we should all be doing our best to preserve and extend. It is only right to be sure that changes to the town are in keeping with this unique location and any planning application deserves scrutiny, but blatant prejudice should never be allowed to cloud our judgement. I am saddened that members of our


ethnic community feel unable to express their own opinions other than through the spokesmen at the Medina Islamic Education Centre (MIEC), but I am not at all surprised, given the tone of some of the correspondence I have read in these pages.


KAREN HANDS, SallhillRoad, Clithcroe


Where are all our


local councillors? ONCE again the problem of where to site the mosque has arisen, and once again our local councillors are nowhere to be seen. . Surely it is part of their job to find out local opinion when a situation like this crops up. The only time they seem to come


down from their ivory tower (council office) is when the local elections are imminent. I thought they were elected to rep­


resent the views of the people of their ward. The problem seems to be that if the case involved is not on their own doorstep, they are not interested.


FED UP LOCAL COUNCIL TAX PAYER


Some points need


to be clarified WE knew this would happen. Just because residents in Lowergate, High- field Road and Bayley Fold are object­ ing to the MIEC (mosque) we are being called racist. We are not the least bit racist at all. Our concern revolves around our


lives, homes and financial situations. I wish to clarify a few points. 1. Last week’s letters'page gave a


brief and very basic description of the planning application for the mosque. This and the full application registered with the council are very short on information. It does not explain to readers and residents alike that sur­ rounding the proposal are five houses, two of which will have to have their garden walls knocked down to accom­ modate the new car park construction. 2. I t does not state what the com­


munity uses for this building will be. None of the residents close to the pro­ posed development that I have spoken to say they will use it. 3. The existing car park for the old


factory is not to be used for the new development despite several readers and even councillors believing it is. . The new car .park is to replace the facr


tory floor area of the original two- storey manufacturing building. No details are available on what level the car park is to be built. If it is to be built on the same level as the original factory floor every car entering and leaving will look directly into several residents’ kitchens and rear bedroom windows. If it to be built on a lower level, hundreds of tonnes of spoil will have to be removed using heavy plant and tipper trucks on to Wilkin Square. This is a single lane cobbled street not suitable for HGVs. 4. Wendy Hampton states in last


week’s Advertiser that there is to be “ample parking and a running circle with a drop-off point for taxis.” There


.is no such thing on the plans. The pro­ posed car park can hold 15 cars at the maximum and access is on the comer of Wilkin Square - a cobbled street designed for the occasional horse and cart over 100 years ago, with one lane in and out through the wooden gates in the comer. As a structural engineer with 17


years’ experience in construction, I have the experience to know this is a terrible site to work on for contractors with rubbish access tor both the deliv­ ery of construction materials and removal of waste. 5. During the day, worshippers will


enter the mosque not even three metres away from my kitchen and bedroom. Some of the residents work shifts and their sleep will be interrupt­ ed. We will all certainly loose privacy in our homes. 6. The issue of the doors being on


the comer of Lowergate at night could cause ructions. Are the police going to provide 24-hour cover? 7. Where are worshippers going to


park at night? On double yellow lines, probably. 8. Despite several writers stating


that devaluation of local properties is not an issue, to us it is. Houses in Peel Street lost approximately £20,000 off their valuation when a plumbers’ mer­ chants and joinery were built. Most home owners in the Ribble Valley have benefited from house price increases over the last few years. Are we to lose that benefit? It makes a change to get something for nothing in this day and age, why should 20-plus residents suf­ fer financially. We have worked hard for what we have. I t’s surprisingly funny that all the


people writing supporting this applica­ tion live nowhere near it.Maybe we should build it in Warwick Drive, Vic­ toria Street or in Waddington. What would those writers say then? In this country we are supposed to


have the freedom of speech. I am using, it and if anyone wants to have a walk around the site and to be shown how to read a plan properly, we live at 3 Highfield Road. Feel free to call round.


P. ROSTHORN AND K. SNAPE, Highficid Road, Clithcroe


Times and attitude


are changing I AM writing to support the proposal for a mosque on the site of the old Mount Zion Chapel in Clitheroe.


. . .To.mymind, .it is shameful that .the


Muslim community of our town are denied a place to gather for the purpose of practising their religion and binding their people together. These are the things I value about going to my church, St Paul’s in Low Moor. I run the Cub Scouts there and recently, the children gained their Scout badge called "My Faith". This badge encourages children to look at their faith and moral code and keep to the teachings of then- religion. The vicar, lay reader, verger and churchwardens all made them-, selves, the church building and the parish records available to the Cubs to support this badge work. For the Mus­ lim Cubs of 1st Clitheroe Scouts, we would be asking them to go to Black- bum or Clitheroe as a group to do the same work. The benefit to the children and leaders that came out of our Faith badge was great and I think we are .denying this to our Muslim friends. Denying a mosque in town is effectively saying that the needs of the Muslim community are not as valid as the needs of the non-Muslim community. Is it any wonder that Muslim youth


feels disassociated with British culture when this is the way their parents and grandparents are treated when they ask for a basic requirement like a place to gather and pray? I would like to say that I would have


no objections to a mosque in the area of town where I live, were there a suitable building to use. The part of town where I live has changed in many ways over the last few years, to accomodate many different social groups, not always to my own personal advantage. We can't live in a bubble anymore: times are changing, we must change our atti­ tudes.


BONNIE MITCHELL, Kay Street, Clitheroe


Come on, council,


show your mettle! I LOVE my town, my country, my her­ itage. My heart breaks when politicians


pay only lip service to the wishes of the silent majority. How obtuse are those in our society who enrich the lives of the relative few who scream, howl and cry “foul play” if their wishes are not granted. I challenge Ribble Valley Council to show their mettle and sound us out and ask the question: “A mosque in our town centre?” Sadly I think not, as they may be too afraid of the answer.


CAROLE SHAW, Shawbridge, Clilheroe


Taxpayers deserve


to have our say I STRONGLY feel we should have a referendum in Clitheroe regarding plan­ ning permission being given for the pro­ posed place of worship and community partnership centre in Lowergate. It is a fact that the vast majority of


our local population do not want this to go ahead. As taxpayers, whose parents and


grandparents before them worked and lived in Clitheroe, and who are proud of ■its,reputation, we should without doubt


have a say in whether the face of the town is changed. I believe it is inevitable that it will, as so many other towns nearby have done. It is up to our local councillors to lis­


ten to the voice of the electorate and act accordingly.


NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED Anonymity gives us


some protection IN response to the letter regarding anonymity when writing to the editor of this newspaper. I believe it is a condition of editor’s


letters to be able to express freely one’s views, anonymously or otherwise. We live in a big brother society which monitors our movement to a ridiculous


'degree. It is too easy in this politically correct climate to be labelled; purely for speaking good old- fashioned honest common sense. It therefore makes emi­ nent sense to withhold private details. Who knows what the repercussions might be of giving name and home details, expressing strongly sensitive and potentially controversial views? The words timid, shameful and


embarrassing have no place in a free democracy, where it is a basic human right to participate in major decisions affecting our lives and the heritage of our children. As one of the people who withheld


their name, I will continue to write anonymously on sensitive issues, and as in the past, will rely on the good sense of our newspaper editor.


NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED Plan is a step in the


right direction I WRITE today to demonstrate my support for the development of a com­ munity partnership centre, including a safe and peaceful place for Muslim wor­ ship in the centre of Clitheroe. In the light of escalating conflict in


the world, every step we take as indi­ viduals and within our own communi­ ty that moves us to know, understand and respect each other is surely a step in the right direction.


ANN EVANS, Ha\ythornc Place, Clitheroe


Proposal has tried


to address issues FAROUK HUSSAIN’S letter last week was timely and a necessary clari­ fication, but it should not have been needed. Everything he wrote had already been made quite clear. The letters opposing the MIEC pro­


posals appear to be orchestrated in their repetition of errors and misrepre­ sentations. They all refer to a mosque, when no


mosque has been proposed. And many of them repeat figures for the number of mosques within a radius of 11 or 12 miles - totally irrelevant. The proposal has clearly tried to face


all previous objections, and should be supported.


ALLAN RICHARDS. York Street, Clithcroc


speed are not valid PREVIOUS plans for a mosque in Clitheroe have been turned down by Ribble Valley Borough Council on planning grounds. The current application does, how­


ever, appear much more appropriate. The usual grounds for opposition are again being expressed. Traffic flow and speed in Lowergate


are not valid. The amount of traffic should not increase by much as most people actually walk to their place of worship. Speeding is an offence and should be dealt with as such; it is not grounds tor refusing the right to have a place of worship. If the building is attacked by van­


dals, the vandals, not the Muslims should suffer. Clitheroe must rid itself of such people. The building was constructed as a


place of worship and would return to that. Using the top floor for Interfaith and community groups is forward thinking. The small, but significant, Muslim population of Clitheroe are conspicuous by their efforts to inte­ grate v-yith the rest of the town. Surely, this should be applauded. It is unlikely that they will ever find


a better venue. If this plan is rejected, the Lappet building will be used for other purposes, which are likely to . cause more problems than the present proposal.


A. MARSDEN (DR), Clithcroe


Let them have a


place to worship I AM replying to the mosque outcry. As far as I am aware the front of the outside of the building will not change. They will have their own car park, they won't call anybody to prayer. I really can't see what the problem is. We have a few Asian fami­ lies on our street and we have no trou­ ble at all. I'd like the people of Clitheroe to


stop being so narrow minded and let these people have somewhere to wor­ ship.


K. SEAWARD (MRS), Tower Hill, Clithcroc


Site the TIC in the


Castle grounds I HAVE read with interest the letters in recent weeks with regards to the Clitheroe TIC. Every letter of complaint, including


that from our MP who seems to jump on any convenient band wagon, assumes that the TIC is to be closed. On the contrary, the proposal as reported in the Advertiser, is that the TIC is to be moved to less expensive premises, not closed. The centre is essential for a town like Clitheroe which relies heavily on tourists for income and I am sure the council members realise this. However, if it can be run more economically then so it should be. The obvious place for it to be housed as has already been sug­ gested, is in the library, just across the


road from the present site. Alterna­ tively, consideration could be given to incorporating it alongside the Plat­ form Gallery at the station where vis­ itors by rail can be welcomed. Better still, couldn't it be incorporated in the planned development of the Castle which could truly become the centre for tourism in Clitheroe and the Rib­ ble Valley?


STEVE DAVIES, Highmoor Park, Clhhcroe


I could not believe


what I was reading IT was with disbelief that I read the front page of last week’s Advertiser and Times on Thursday because later that same morning I was due a visit by a representative from Datatrax UK, upon recommendation from Clitkeroe TIC. This firm is marketing a totally new


concept of providing information on local attractions through TIC premis­ es 24 hours a day, and Clitheroe TIC, as one of the flagship information cen­ tres in England was shortlisted to be one of the handful of places pioneer­ ing this new system. Obviously the gentleman was at a loss for an expla­ nation towards Lancashire County Council’s decision and in his words felt that the carpet had been pulled from under his feet, as I am sure all the staff at the Clitheroe centre feel simi­ larly at the present time. Where the TIC is centred at present


is at the hub of the town surrounded by busy shops and banks, not tucked away in a side street, where it would be if amalgamated into the library. The facilities offered there are tremen­ dous and as can be clearly seen there is no room wasted in the current premises that actually take up the space of two former shops. Clitheroe is a vibrant and individual market tovra with many specialist shops and a t the centre of the Ribble Valley where there are numerous specialist businesses and attractions situated within and around the Forest of Bow- land AONB. It is these businesses that stand to lose much more than the pal­ try amount the county council is going to save if these planned cuts take place. Already much of the tradi­ tional manufacturing industry has been lost from this area and in its place have been created several worth­ while new businesses, many based upon tourism and this entails attract­ ing people into the area who are unfa­ miliar with the locality. Not everyone has access to a computer as the coun­ cil seem to imply and many people appreciate the personal touch as given by the helpful staff at the TIC and let’s face it, this is why so many peo­ ple coiiie to Clitheroe for the individ­ ual businesses where the customer really does matter. Unlike the rather hollow ring to the county council’s “Where everyone matters” slogan, businesses in this area really do go out of their way to be of assistance. At the present tinie I am in discus­


sion with a local businessman to transfer the specialist plant sales held twice annually at Gawthorpe Hall for the past six years, to the Ribble Val­ ley, due to the fact that Lancashire


for LCC, my nursery now cares for the gardens surrounding the Clitheroe bus


County Council is no longer interest­ ed in hosting these events at Gawthor­ pe. In addition, following on from the success of our Nursery Event Days held at Holden Clough during this past year, from 2007 the Royal Horti­ cultural Society in London has select­ ed our nursery to host four afternoon gardening events. Obviously some of these people attending will be from outside the area and possibly new to this locality so will have time to spare in the mornings. Over the years I have always supplied the TIC with infor­ mation about any events that I am organising and it is readily received with them taking a personal interest in your event. On a personal note as a contractor


■and train interchange and we also sponsor and maintain the main round­ about at the end of York Street. In addition to our efforts to make the town look attractive, many other businesses from in and around the town make every effort to welcome visitors into this area and encourage them to make a return visit. This is where a well-stocked, easy to find TIC with helpful, dedicated staff can make so much difference to visitors’ first impressions when coming to the town. This closure or transfer of premises must be resisted at every opportunity and I urge other like-minded people to urgently contact their county council­ lor and make their views known.


PETER FOLEY, Holden Clough Nursery, Holden


Top marks for our


first-class staff A LONG overdue compliment for the station staff at Clitheroe. The station must be one of the best


kept in the area, always clean and bright and colourful, with well-chosen plants. The office is manned by cour­ teous, very helpful and patient staff. Long may it continue to play an Important part in Clitheroe life.


MRS P. COLMAN, Kcmpic View, Clitheroe.


Rural dwellers are


of no consequence ON Sunday October 28th, I attended a public meeting at Padiham Town Hall concerning the consideration of Lancashire County Council fire brigade to remove one of the two fire appliances and crews stationed at Padiham Fire Station. At the meeting a fire brigade repre­


sentative tried unsuccessfully to impress on the public that the propos­ al was not finance driven. This is notwithstanding the tact that the same proposal was put forward in 1990 and 1996, but was never acted upon. During those two former peri­ ods the township and surrounding areas of Padiham had less homes and companies to service, but it was con­ sidered right and proper for the town to have the two crews and appliances. Now that the Lancashire County Council fire brigade are proposing to


remove the one unit and this move is not finance driven, then the question as to why they wish to do so must be asked. This especially in light of the additional perceived need for the facil­ ity, I t was also stated by the county


council fire brigade representative that the outl}dng villages such as Sab- den could not expect the same cover from the fire brigade as. residents of local towns such as Burnley (I have heard a similar statement made by a county councillor in respect of anoth­ er matter). This of course indicates that we who live in rural areas are to be viewed as second-class citizens. We are expected to pay monies into the fire brigade (and other pots) through our council taxes and yet we are expected to accept lesser services than people who live in towns. If the service cannot be provided then the charge for that ser-vice should not be made. I feel that this small, ostensibly,


locally taken step, is in line with this current government’s move towards regionalisation and subsequent future handing of power to Brussels. Look at the hospitals. Look at the proposals regarding the ambulance service. Look at the attempt to regionalise the police force. Look at the next step taken by Blackburn (%vith poor Dar- wen) in their initial move to take over Hyndburn (because that’s what it is, an initial move). I t ’s all going the same way and rural dwellers have lit­ tle voting power and are therefore of little consequence.


ANTONY HAWORTH, Pcndleside Close, Sabden


Why no mention of


the Town Band? I APPRECIATED the report “Gone, but not forgotten” in last week’s Clitheroe Advertiser and in particular the quotations from Kohima and Lau­ rence Binyon, but why was no men­ tion made of the'presence of our own excellent Town Band a t the war memorial in Clitheroe, who have given and continue to give so much pleasure and entertainment to their audiences? I was very surprised and disappoint­


ed at the omission. In the light of a recent report of a


war memorial being defaced, I would like to add a footnote about the quote from “For the Fallen” (1914). I have heard that the'word.“con­


demn” - “Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn” - was a mis­ take and that it should have been “contemn”, meaning to despise or scorn. I feel that word is perhaps the more appropriate one, for why should these brave lads who gave and are still giving their lives be “condemned”? My father-in-law was killed at Ypres


in Novernber 1917 and I had many school friends who were killed during ■ the Second World War.


ELIZABETH HULLAND, Eshton Terrace,


Fm backing the


canal network AS a former Minister for Inland Water­ ways, I wish to add my support to those


calling for the safeguarding of the North West's historic canal network, in partic­ ular the Rochdale, Peak Forest and Ashton canals, which together with the renovation of Lancaster Canal, are threatened by Government cuts. These canals, which under the man­


agement of British Waterways, have had millions of pounds of taxpayers' money spent on their refurbishment and which bring millions more into the region by attracting tourists, are likely to be forced to close in the near future. DEFRA, solely due to its own incom­


petence, has been forced to slash fund­ ing to British Waterways, by £9.1 mil­ lion this year, a decrease, which will inevitably lead to the closure of canals and the loss of jobs across the North West. This depressing and all too preventa­


ble set of circumstances is rendered all the more lamentable, when one consid­ ers the words of our Deputy Prime Minister, speaking at the recent Labour Party Conference: "The canals of Manchester and


parody! THE RT. HON. SHI ROBERT ATKINS, Conservative MEP for the North West


Migrants should


hold no fear or us LAST month’s decision to give Roma­ nia and Bulgaria the go-ahead to join the EU next year has re-ignited public debate about migrants coming here to work. So what are the pros and cons? The bottom line is that people are only


here because there are jobs for them to do. Migrant workers from the eight Central and Eastern European coun­ tries that joined the EU in 2004 have filled crucial gaps in the UK labour market. They are working in our health service as doctors, dentists, nurses, porters and cleaners. They are keeping Britain on the move by driving our trains and buses. And they are employed on building sites as plumbers, plasterers, brickies and chippies. The vast majority are under 35, have


come here without children and are in full-time employment. They therefore place few demands on public services. What’s more, up to half of them have already returned home, according to the latest figures. Some say Britain should have restricted access by introducing work permit schemes just like Germany, Austria and France, but even these countries found that the number of new arri-vals far exceeded expectations. Ekperience shows that the more you


restrict access, the more illegal working you get. In Germany, for instance, it is running at around 10 times the level it is here in Britain, and illegal workers don’t pay tax and national insurance. That means less money to build new schools and hospitals. Britain has gained many benefits from


the influx of migrant labour over recent years. The entry of Romania and Bul­ garia should hold no great terrors for us, if past experience is anything to go by.


GARYTITLEY, Labour MEP for the North W7;s(


many cities were symbols of urban decline. They have become major engines of urban regeneration." Truly, this Government is beyond


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Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, November 23rd, 2006 27


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