Your letters to the Helensburgh Advertiser: October 19, 2017

To have your say on any local issue simply email your views to editorial@helensburghadvertiser.co.uk. Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number in case we need to check any details at short notice.

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Architecture and Design Helensburgh (A&DH), part of Helensburgh Community Council, is sorely disappointed its key objections to the Persimmon planning application for 76 houses at Ardencaple have been virtually swept aside by Argyll and Bute Council planners.

Set up with council blessing, A&DH makes available professional design and architectural expertise in adding value to assessments of major applications such as this one from Persimmon – one of the largest in Helensburgh in 50 years.

A&DH had hoped that this professionalism and expertise could have been better used by the council planners.

For A&DH, the proposed 76 homes will overcrowd the site. The council’s own local development plan calls for 60 which would have fitted in well in that part of the town. Seventy-six will be out of character with the surrounding homes in Glenoran Road/Mill Lane, Dalmore Crescent and Kathleen Park.

The design of the houses mirrors that of almost every other Persimmon site throughout the rest of the UK – dull, boring and out of character with Helensburgh.

What A&DH continues to press for is 60 attractive homes with a lot more space given over to creating a real village green at the heart of the development. This will help create a vibrant community and not just somewhere to “hang your hat”.

Helensburgh Community Council has formally objected to the Persimmon application as have more than 80 local residents. But the fight is not over yet.

The final decision rests with a committee of Argyll and Bute councillors at a public hearing in the near future.

Should you still wish to object there is still time to do so.

Architecture and Design Helensburgh committee, Helensburgh Community Council

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As I write this, we are waiting for the high winds at the end of ex-hurricane Ophelia.

Looking at other areas which have suffered the destruction of trees, I wonder what lies ahead for gardens nearer to home, which have tall trees.

Perhaps this is an opportunity for those of us who have trees which we don’t quite notice how very tall they have grown. How much do they shade our neighbours’ gardens from sunlight? How much do their branches overhang, as do enthusiastically growing shrubs?

The roots of these trees and shrubs will have also grown and may have an effect on the foundations of walls and fences.

During autumn and the onset of winter is the ideal opportunity to reshape our trees and shrubs which are too tall for comfort and be a good neighbour before we are asked to keep our gardens to ourselves.

A concerned Helensburgh resident, via email

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Katherine English and her two friends, Beth Mackintosh and Laraine Cavan,a would like to thank all those who donated money for their recent Helensburgh to Balloch walk on Saturday, September 25, in aid of Alzheimer Scotland.

The wonderful sum of £477 was raised. That will go to our local Dementia Resource Centre in Helensburgh. Again, thanks very much.

Katherine, Beth & Laraine

Via email

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The SNP government decision to impose an indefinite ban on fracking warrants further scrutiny.

In imposing the ban Nicola Sturgeon and her cabinet colleagues have chosen to ignore the findings and recommendations of the very committee which they set up to examine the issue of fracking.

The committee was made up of eminent and respected professors of science and engineering and other senior academics from Scottish universities.

Instead the SNP government has chosen to listen to the opinion of one geology academic who questioned if the geology of the central belt could justify fracking and, more interestingly, to the result of the public consultation.

Ms Sturgeon claims that 99 per cent of those consulted opposed fracking. I for one was not consulted, neither were members of my family and my friends. I suspect a very large number of people across Scotland were not consulted either.

I also suspect that the consultation was directed at, for example, members of the Green Party and Friends of the Earth. The whole consultation process and the outcome are totally lacking in transparency.

The 99 per cent figure brings to mind the results of elections held in countries ruled by authoritarian regimes or dictators such as Russia and Zimbabwe where the elections and the results were manipulated to ensure that their leaders were returned with huge majorities which were completely lacking in credibility.

The SNP minority government’s decision is purely a political one. It hopes it will enable it to hold on to the reins of power by ensuring the the Green Party is on its side, should there ever be another independence referendum.

The decision ignores the potential economic benefits to Scotland in terms of job creation, manufacturing, innovation and technology transfer and reliable energy supply when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.

The technology of fracking is similar to that used in oil and gas exploration and production, both off shore and onshore.

Field development is strictly regulated by the Health and Safety Executive and the departments of energy and the environment. (I speak from personal experience.)

There is no reason to believe the regulatory bodies would be any less strict in the control of fracking. In fact I would imagine that regulations would be even more stringent, if that were possible.

The opponents of fracking have used highly emotional arguments, misinformation, half truths as well as scare stories from isolated incidents in the USA. They have played on the general public’s lack of understanding of this technology.

Shale gas is not used for just power generation alone. It provides petrochemicals which are used in the everyday lives of everyone, including Green Party supporters, in the production of furniture, white goods, clothing, electric and hybrid vehicles, pharmaceuticals, computers, smart phones and many, many more applications.

The drilling of one or two test wells would demonstrate that the operation can be done safely and with minimal environmental impact.

The test borings would also indicate if the geology would support economic shale gas production from fracking.

In the past Scotland had an enviable reputation for invention, innovation and entrepreneurship in engineering, manufacturing, medicine and many more fields, exploring the boundaries of what is possible.

We must not let this potential opportunity be consigned to the dustbin as a result of the SNP’s blinkered, narrow mindset of independence, whatever the cost.

Stuart Smith, Helensburgh

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It is becoming clearer by the day that politicians at Westminster see Brexit as a heaven-sent opportunity to keep to themselves most of the powers due to be returned from the EU when Britain leaves.

Many of these powers, however, relate to issues that are already devolved to the Scottish Parliament and to the Welsh Assembly.

People in Scotland should be concerned about this naked “power grab”, and should be helping to prepare the ground for this country to become independent.

Only in this way can we hope to remain in the EU – as was the wish of a majority of Scots in the EU referendum – and retain the benefits of EU membership including all the powers that brings to the Scottish Parliament.

Peter Swain, via email

When my mother, Marjie Lawrence, died from ovarian cancer seven years ago, I promised myself I would speak up so that others wouldn’t suffer in the same way.

I joined Target Ovarian Cancer because it is a charity determined to make the changes that will save lives.

They have worked tirelessly on symptoms awareness and this is taking effect.

But the fact is that UK women are facing a demographic time bomb in ovarian cancer. In my capacity as Ambassador to Target Ovarian Cancer, I’m writing to tell you that enough is enough. Our new campaign bears our most powerful message to date and signifies that now is the time for change.

It’s time to TAKE OVAR.

Funding for new research into ovarian cancer drugs has dropped by one third in the past five years. Without this research we will be unable to establish new treatments for the disease. This is an indisputable fact and yet statistics show that more women than ever will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the coming years.

More funding is required as soon as possible.

Eleven women die every day from ovarian cancer. We need to diagnose ovarian cancer much earlier and we need better medicines to treat it. For Marjie it was too late, but this situation can change if we act now.

Please join Target Ovarian Cancer to raise awareness, fund research and save lives. Get involved at targetovariancancer.org.uk/TAKEOVAR.

Sarah Greene, Target Ovarian Cancer Ambassador