PUBLIC OPINION

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I pass the old Derby College site at the top of Normanton Road almost every day of the week and am appalled at the sight of this now derelict and overgrown plot of land. Over the several years since the Charles Aslin designed art deco building was demolished to make way for a modern shopping centre, the site has become noting more than an eyesore hiding behind the ever-deteriorating hoardings that enclose it.

A walk down Macklin Street, Colyear Street or Becket Well Lane offers a view of the same kind of dereliction, with the now abandoned and barren Duckworth Square site. Yet more evidence of this can be seen at the old police station on Full Street, which is now enclosed by dirty graffiti covered hoardings. The Morledge now offers a similar view with the vacant plot, where Aslin's art deco bus station stood until demolition began.

Although the hoardings on the roadside are very smartly decorated with bright and promising photographs, the hoardings on the riverside have already acquired some very individual works of art. I hope the council gives these hoardings a fresh coat of paint at least once every five years, and the weeds are cleared from the site at least once every year, as it would be shameful to allow another site within the city centre to end up looking like the other "developments" at Normanton Road, Duckworth Square and Full Street. Chris Harris

QUESTIONABLE DEALS
Derby City Council seems hell bent on covering any open space with either a new road or building site. Still, what more can you expect from a council that prosecutes a man for hanging a banner outside to protect his home, then in the next breath allows major developers to demolish a building without permission, and in another instance, is prepared to swap land because someone has miscalculated the pavement and site boundary. So yet another questionable deal is struck to save embarrassment yet again. Tony Dunn

DEMOCRATIC VICTORY
Congratulations to Derby Heart for its victory over Derby City Council's failed, so-called public consultation exercises in the ring-road fight. Despite numerous residents' protests, the city council continued to ignore the will of the majority of Derby citizens opposed to the route of the inner ring-road, which the city council seemed determined to implement despite tremendous opposition. Let's hope that, at long last, the council will now understand that "public consultation" is about asking and not telling.

As a result of this shameful climbdown by the city council, we can only hope our new council leaders will immediately instigate a detailed cost-benefit analysis to determine the ultimate real additional financial costs incurred as a result of "telling" rather than "asking" Derby's citizens before they embark on spending vast sums of taxpayers' money in an effort to achieve what appears to be what city council officers want, rather than what the people want. It is nice to see that, at long last, democracy can work, providing the people stick together and are prepared to pay for the furtherance of their aim from their own pockets.

It is a pity that council officers do not have to similarly pay for failure from their own pockets since, if they did, we might see easier achievement of the council's policy of "working together in partnership" with the people of Derby. We can now look forward to the city council's promised immediate rethink over the Five Lamps traffic debacle being implemented as a matter of urgency, and as a direct result of this Derby Heart victory - or should we not hold our breath? Terry Kelsall

COUNCIL STILL NOT LISTENING
A scheme to knock down a house in Allestree and replace it with 19 flats has been recommended for approval, despite objections from residents. A total of 189 letters have been sent to Derby City Council opposing the development on the junction of Ford Lane and Duffield Road. However, a report by council officers for the planning committee meeting recommends the scheme be approved if pedestrian facilities around the Ford Lane and Duffield Road junction are improved. The house, owned by John and Anne Flanders, dates back to the 1920s.

Under the proposal, it would be demolished and the apartment block with integral garages would be built in its place. There would be 13 two-bedroom flats and six one- bedroom flats, each with its own parking space. Residents have objected and Dean Blakemore of Ford Lane, passed 300 leaflets around the area calling for people to object. Residents are angry that the house would be destroyed and say that the flats would be too tall and out of character and would generate too much traffic. Greg Banner

ALVASTON BYPASS
Exactly how, when Alvaston is still the main route from Oakwood and the east/northeast of the city to the industrial areas to the southwest of Derby, are commuters going to want to divert around Alvaston, to join a queue coming back in! They will continue to use their current route. Of course, the Highways Agency has provided many survey "results" to prove otherwise in its efforts to justify the bypass. At the end of the day, the problem is not going to be solved by building this road.

The problems will be alleviated in the short term, quite possibly, but no matter how many roads you build, the massive increase in everyday traffic will always outstrip the building projects ability to cope. No, the best solution would have been to have situated a whacking great big car park outside the city (not like that at Pride Park) and sort some decent public transport out for those wanting to get into the city. Anon

WHERE IS THE CASH GOING TO?
Derby City Council imposed parking meters in Crompton Street last year. The street's residents must pay for parking permits for themselves and are currently awaiting a decision from the city council regarding their application for visitors' permits which, unlike on "Residents Only" streets, are presently not made available to us. Half of the income from parking meters etc is spent on projects including improving street lighting, maintaining CCTV schemes and Derby in Bloom. These are all worthy projects, but I wonder where this money is actually being spent and when the neglected Crompton Street area will begin to see any of these improvements.

If the CCTV at the bottom of Green Lane is actually manned and functional, it should be apparent that of the six lamp standards in Green Lane from Victoria Street to Crompton Street, three are currently not working (and have not been working for at least three weeks). Also, adjacent to Green Lane, I notice a further two lamps out of action in Macklin Street and St Peter's Churchyard. Perhaps if Government funding was based on the number of working street lamps we possess, rather than suspect census figures, we might all benefit!

The intensity of light from these sodium lamps is such that they can be spaced at considerable distances so if even one lamp fails there is going to be a large dark area. Regarding Derby in Bloom, perhaps some of this money could be spent on improving the neglected "shrubbery" at the Gerard Street end of Crompton Street. Chris Woodward

TAX ON PARKING
I am a resident in Jackson Street and we will have to start paying for our parking permits soon As we have two cars,we will be expected to pay £75. The problem with this is there are not actually enough parking permits. I was among those that signed a 240-name petition as I simply cannot afford to pay parking charges on top of road tax and fuel tax and feel that it is a tax on parking. I am sure that the permits are not costing the city council £25 a time to issue or they certainly wouldn't have issued them free of charge.

Another problem this has brought for us is that we have found it impossible to exchange our property. We have been trying to move to a larger house now for 18 months, but as soon as anyone interested in a transfer finds out about the parking restrictions, they have decided against it. My daughter has Down's syndrome and we need the cars. The only people really affected by the parking costs are those that are at home in the day. Saturdays are worse, people come to visit and I can't park on the street.

So I pay for parking that I can't use. At present that normally means me parking on Lynton Street. I for one will be supporting any arguments against this "parking tax". Lynda Freeman

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