What you say #149
A plea for bus stop seating
Because of my advancing age, and some ill health, I have recently had to make a number of journeys to various medical establishments by bus and have become aware of the lack of seats at bus stops in the town particularly the one outside the doctor’s surgery at the bottom of Percy Drive.
It can be difficult and distressing to find that you have to wait 15 or 20 minutes for a late running bus without being able to sit and rest your legs. I have contacted Councillor Terry Clerk about this and he has been in touch with the relevant authority, which apparently is Amble Town Council, to see what could be done. Their response was that they were not prepared to consider installing any form of seating in the bus shelter because this would encourage ‘Anti-Social Behaviour’.
This is an utterly inadequate and pathetic response. Elderly and infirm people must now suffer because the police are unable to control a small minority of people who are intent on destroying public property. Is this truly an example of what our society has become. There are millions of bus shelters all over this country most of which have some basic form of seat installed in them.
Is Amble such an unruly place?
Robin Lewsey
by email
Muddy footpaths
I see from Ambler edition 148 that Councillor Watson has promised to resurface South Avenue once the adjacent school reconstruction is finished.
Please can he include the muddy footpaths across the grass patches at each end of South Avenue in this resurfacing contract? It would cost very little extra, please many parents and save carpets throughout Amble!
Tom Lloyd
via email
Ed: We understand Cllr Jeff Watson has replied to Tom on this issue, and a conversation is ongoing.
Winter access to the library
In issue 148, you had a full spread on the middle page about the Library in Amble, I live just beside the library and enjoy the fact that it is right outside my back door, so I can visit it reasonably easily. I do so each Friday for a painting course, plus the use of the computers, borrowing of books etc.
Access to the library is reasonably easy during the dry days and months, but during the dark rainy months, it not so easy, due to flooding of the lane. Then it becomes a mud bath of huge puddles, and mud to ice skate to.
I am concerned for myself aged 66, and my next-door neighbour who struggles to walk. In fact, all the neighbours on this street are older than myself. I personally have fallen twice. My husband has tried the council, the library management, even fix my street, for three years we have tried and still nothing happens.
Name supplied
via email
The Ambler contacted both County Councillors on this issue. Cllr Terry Clark replied: Strategic Estates are looking into this problem with flooding, mud & gritting.
Planning approved despite objections
Does anyone in Amble agree with the County Council’s decision to allow Northumberland Estates to build on The Braid? There cannot be many. The planning application was approved by Northumberland County Council, despite a multitude of objections from the residents of Amble, not least from the Town Council itself.
There are three issues here. Firstly, this is a clear example of the super-rich riding roughshod over the wants of us, the ordinary people who value the Braid and use that green space.
This is indicative of the total disrespect that the elite has towards nature, demonstrating they would do anything for a quick profit.
Secondly, there are the ridiculous restrictions placed upon planning decision making by central government that makes it ever more difficult for residents to have control over their communities. The aces are deliberately dealt into the hands of the developers.
Thirdly, our elected representatives on the County Council are once again kowtowing to the Duke and not representing us, the people of Amble. Either that, or they don’t have the courage to stand up and vote against the Duke. They are reverse Robin Hoods, taking away from us and giving to the rich. They don’t represent me and should hang their heads in shame.
We have a Local Plan that Northumberland County Council has ignored once again. It says we required 540 additional homes to be built between 2016 and 2036. That number has already been vastly exceeded. 776 homes have already been built since the Plan was written, with permission for a total of 1100 new houses approved. This is a political issue. The Tory controlled council allowed this travesty, and Labour is insisting on a huge housebuilding increase in Northumberland. Yet, there are over 12,000 homes, 7.7% of properties in our county, sitting empty that the Council could do something about.
Yes, we need truly affordable and social housing so young people can manage to live here. We also need sheltered housing to help us care for our aging population. However, there are other common-sense ways of addressing that and it is no reason to destroy yet another of our green spaces.
Shame on all those who allowed this to happen.
Ivor Rackham, Lead Campaigner,
Amble Green Party
Bede announcement
It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors announce that after One Hundred and Twenty Two years Amble Club Ltd (The Bede Street Club) is facing closure.
This is largely due to the increased cost of utilities, as well as the downward trend in people socialising on a regular basis.
Companies House have charged the Board of Directors to undertake an URGENT AUDIT of the shares/shareholders.
•Please present, in person*, to the Secretary or a director at the times listed below
•Please have with you your share certificate or membership card** if at all possible
The Secretary will be available in the club at the following times:
•Tuesday mornings: 9am – 12noon
•Thursday evenings: 7pm – 9pm
*If you are unable to attend yourself you may appoint an agent to act on your behalf
** If you are not able to produce the document(s) then please still attend so that we can verify your membership.
Carol Nelson, Secretary
Fabulous festive cactus
I thought I’d send you a photo of my enormous Christmas cactus.
Its about 20 years old and flowers like this every year in November. Isn’t it fantastic?
Claire Peiffer
Amble
Save the wood
Having contacted planners, politicians and developers to no avail, I wish to make this final plea to stop mature woodland being destroyed to enable a dangerous road junction, and the adding of 480 houses onto an already overloaded school road in Amble.
The woodland, is across the A1068/Percy Drive roundabout from the Amble Inn. Persimmon have been given planning permission to demolish the woods and add a T junction access leading directly onto the A1068, dangerously close to the existing roundabout.
Meanwhile another developer, Tantallon, have been given planning permission to build 480 houses, with the only vehicle access onto Acklington Road adjacent to no less than 3 schools and the only vehicle access to a further 200 houses currently being built by a third developer.
There is a simple solution that would solve all 3 problems if the developers, planners and highway authority could just get their heads together, which is to build a shared vehicle access direct onto the roundabout, as shown on the attached plan drawn over Persimmon’s current layout.
I am not trying to stop the developments and I am not on social media. I am merely a concerned local resident dismayed by the current inefficient unsafe and unhealthy proposed designs, based on nothing more than historic farm boundaries. I am hoping that media pressure can shame the responsible parties into providing a layout worthy of local residents and motorists, while there is still time. After all, it’s the people of Amble who will be stuck with these layouts long after the developers are gone !
I can provide more information if required.
Tom Lloyd – tomcolloy@gmail.com
