Letters to the Editor

HOW sad to read in Griggs of Soham (Oct 6) that after 50 years the historic mural at Soham Village College has apparently been vandalised by people with little interest in our modern history. This mural has now gone, and for more than 50 years, it’s gone forever.

KEN CRANFIELD

High Street

Soham

I AM very annoyed at the way the council say they inform the public regarding the review regarding the cut in buses in our area. I have viewed our notice board at the Barn, Littleport and there is no mention of anything (not even when the next parish council meeting is, let alone any other information). I viewed the board on October 3 just to clarify.

We don’t receive a newspaper, but I’m able to access the paper online. In Littleport there is a large number of retired people who don’t have that option open to them, and if their own parish council are not giving information to the public how are we to know what is going on?

It does make one wonder if we are kept in the dark deliberately. As for interested parties will be notified, I think I could be described as such as I contacted our MP months ago regarding the matter of the reduction in our buses especially as our bus is on the Princess of Wales Hospital route which is unbelievable and I have had no further communication from anyone regarding a review. Anyone living in Littleport now finds it difficult to get to the hospital. There are also several new housing estates been built in this area and not everyone has the luxury of a car. It seems to me that the people of Littleport and surrounding villages are the one’s taking the brunt of cuts, it’s about time these councillors look at the bigger picture. If people are unable to get into Ely by bus the shops of Ely will suffer which is one of the things we keep hearing about. If we are made to use our cars there are better facilities in King’s Lynn. Many people (retired) I have spoken to would be willing to pay a small fare to have the bus back to one an hour, so come on council use your heads for once.

ELAINE MAYHEW

By email

I WAS surprised to read the proposal to allow parking on Ely Market Square. Whether this is all part of a smoke and mirrors offensive to get their unpopular car parking charges through I am not sure, but I do know it would be a retrograde step by the district council.

I’ve heard it said that we should expect this sort of thing in a market town, well the difference is that Ely is a cathedral city. We certainly need to cherish our open spaces, especially inside the city boundary and be very aware that if we want to retain our status as a tourist attraction we need to keep the centre looking as people friendly as possible. I visited Wells recently – another cathedral city, only it is ruined by the motor car which chokes up its market square.

Instead, the council should be developing their ideas (something their town centre manager has started) for more market days, and encouraging a cafe culture with openings onto the square as premises become available. I would have thought that the only days when parking gets a bit tight are market days, precisely when cars couldn’t park on the square anyway!

This should be thrown out, as yet another daft idea by this Tory-led council, who seem intent on spoiling Ely. Anyway, it is a dangerous precedence to set. If this proposal went ahead, why not allow parking on Cherry Hill or Palace Green as well?

TED CONEY

Waterside

Ely

I CANNOT go along with cllr Bill Hunt’s suggestion of bringing back parking on Ely Market Square. Times have changed or has he not seen it when Ely Market Square was for parking and that was the only car park in Ely and served Tesco at the time and the cattle market. The Market Square has been upgraded to what it is now and you can walk across it as you please without fear of being knocked down and children have a free run. If you bring back car parking, cars will be coming from Brays Lane entrance down Market Street and past coffee shops chairs and tables and coming from the High Street and past more table and chairs and going in and out both ways and it will be very dangerous. Please can I ask the council to put their thinking caps on and if they want more permanent car parking, well take a slice of the Paradise Centre, but leave the Market Square alone.

People over the years have now got used to this open space and to put yellow lines all over that lovely open space would be wrong and whoever thought of that should have their head examined. If you want to do something with the Market Square then more seating benches and flower troughs as we can only see the sun dial five days a week and if you introduce parking what use is the sun dial?

EDDIE HOLDEN

Ely Road

Little Downham.