15/2/2008

Woking

Letters from February 14 2008

Dismayed by this phone mast decision

EDITOR — I was totally dismayed by the decision of the inspector on the Vodafone application for a 3G mast at the junction of Horsell Way and Horsell High Street, reported in the paper last week.

Throughout the hearing on January 14 several issues were discussed including the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the surrounding area.

How a 12 metre mast with accompanying boxes would be deemed to have little effect on the appearance of the area I do not know.

But the most contentious part of the inspector’s finding was the question of coverage that is provided by  Vodafone now in Horsell.

The company’s own website show that coverage at the moment is good even though at the hearing it maintained that the mast was needed to improve the situation for its customers.

I felt that the inspector chose to ignore this seeming contradiction and put his own interpretation on the facts as presented.

Surely an inspector should look at the facts and decide on that and try not to defend one side or try to say what he thought they meant. Vodafone failed to demonstrate a need for the proposal yet it has won the appeal.

At the moment there are talks, at embryonic stage, to discuss the sharing of sites by phone providers in better locations in the area and these should have been given due consideration before giving this decision.

I do not believe that the appellants took all reasonable steps to examine sites as they contended at the hearing.

There seems now little opportunity for the residents to appeal against the decision. However I do hope that the measures taken by council officers, local councillors and other interested parties in Horsell together with Vodafone and other phone providers, will bring an otherwise gloomy outlook to a satisfactory conclusion for all concerned. The residents deserve no less than our very best efforts.
Cllr Beryl Hunwicks
(Horsell West)
Wheatsheaf Close
Woking

The Surrey Police team in action

Another flippin’ great pancake race

 EDITOR — We at Woking ShopMobility would like to say a very big thank you to all the companies and organisations who took part in the 13th annual pancake race.

We are a charity and need to raise a certain amount of money each year to survive.

Many people of all ages with impaired mobility hire wheelchairs, scooters or power chairs from us: which enables them to keep their independence and keep mobile.

This really was a bumper pancake race and raised about £1,500. We were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support that we received. We would like to thank the Peacocks management who sponsored balloons for the day: The Holiday Inn who donated the pancakes: Harpers AV for loan of PA system and Starbucks who donated free cups of coffee.

We would also like to say a big thank you to all the companies who generously donated prizes for the pancake race: LA Fitness, the Auberge Restaurant, Curves, The Ambassadors Theatre and Cinema Group, Trumps Dry Cleaners, Rush Hairdressers, Harpers Photographers and Starbucks.

The Mascots K C Cat from Woking Football Club, Snow White from the Ambassadors theatre, Stanley the Tiger from Woking Borough Council and of course Scoop the Newshound from the News and Mail, all ran a very entertaining race.

A special thank you to all the teams in fancy dress: The Smurfettes, The Pirates, The Chefs, The Ghosts and The Recycled Bottles. Thank you also to all our hardworking volunteers, without whom the day would have been impossible to organise.

Thank you also to our special guest the mayor, and to Rob from Eagle Radio, whose commentary added so much to the enjoyment of the day.

Last but not least, thank you so much to everyone who raised money for Woking ShopMobility.
Our office is situated next to our own car park in the Peacocks centre, next to the cinema and theatre box office. Our telephone number is 01483 776612.
Marcelle Redford for all the Woking ShopMobility team

Post office closures will hit quality of life

EDITOR — In your story ‘Town set to lose vital services’ (News and Mail, January 31) the comment: “Many pensioners have a fixed budget to live off and may not be able to afford the extra cost of a bus trip in to Woking to go to the post office,” is made.

Since April 2006, any resident of the borough who has reached the age of 60 or who is registered disabled has, by obtaining a permit, been able to benefit from the use of local bus services free of charge.

This “extra cost” to pensioners — although applicable for others on tight budgets — can’t be used as a valid argument against the closure of local post offices and other similar services.

That said, what cannot be condoned is subjecting some of the more vulnerable in society, many of whom will have mobility problems, to the inconvenience of having to undertake what will be longer and, for them, more tiring, often painful, and probably stressful journeys than they would have previously had to endure to access services which they are dependent on for their day to day life.

It might not make these pensioners poorer in their pockets, but it certainly has the potential to do so in terms of their quality of life.
Nigel Searle
St John’s Road
Woking

Penny-pinching parking proposals

EDITOR — I am disgusted that the borough council plans to means-test disabled, blue badge holders, to determine whether they should be exempt from car parking charges, or whether they should pay £ 50 per annum, when the local car parks are upgraded.

To means–test the disabled appears to be penny pinching and petty and one wonders how much income will actually be raised given the increased bureaucracy involved.

Surely our councillors should show some charity to those less fortunate than themselves, or are the disabled, like other motorists, being targeted to pay for the council’s overspends? 

Readers should send their views to Phil Evans at Woking Borough Council, or email: parking @woking.gov.uk. 
Clifford Wray
Aviary Rd
Pyrford

First printed in: Woking News and Mail

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