Sir, In response to your recent article, Campaigner’s £173,000 bill leaves group furious, I agree with Penny Uprichard that the trend in Scotland is geared very much in favour of the developers whether they are public or private.
The lady has been extremely courageous in attempting to stand up against the proposals to allow the character of St Andrews to be destroyed by extending its urban size by a quarter.
It would appear that “the end justifies the means” as far as the present attitude of both central and local government are concerned, as I have found to my cost, in the past, when the Director of Infrastructure was happy to advise in a planning report that “the human rights of the existing residents can be ignored in the interest of the developer”.
It is time that our MSPs and local authority representatives started to listen to the concerns of those affected by these unfair and often opaque practices.
Planning officials seem to take it upon themselves to decide what constitutes developments which adversely affect the existing neighbouring residents’ amenity, often allowing two-storey houses to overshadow bungalows, thereby blocking natural sources of light.
Councillors are even prepared to consider “compulsory purchase” of an individual’s home if it suits the developer’s needs, as in the case of the Donald Trump fiasco in Aberdeenshire.
This is the 21st century, when such practices were thought to belong to the worst excesses of the last century in the name of a now, often discredited policy, under the banner of “urban regeneration”.
Ronald W Silverstone. Brusil, Shielhill Road, Northmuir, Kirriemuir.
Ship would sag out of shape
Sir, From the recent picture in The Courier of the “rescued” Unicorn, it seemed at first glance that at last something sensible was being done to care for this unique ship. However, a second thought showed that this scheme, as illustrated, would be an ill-considered disaster.
Wooden-hulled ships (even quite small boats) are designed to be uniformly supported by water, not perched on the keel. The ship as shown would sag out of shape unless supported by a mass of internal bracing which would ruin the visitors’ perception of the vessel. Similarly, a hull out of water will dry out, leading to shrinkage and distortion.
The Discovery has salt within the hull to maintain moisture content as otherwise the ship would have been in danger of sinking when the ice melted after the dry winter freeze.
I wonder if the proposed design has been influenced by what was done to the Cutty Sark? It should be remembered that the Cutty Sark was such a wreck that there was little option, other than a massive rebuild, which would then not have been the Cutty Sark, but a modern replica.
This is not the situation with the Unicorn, which, unlike the Cutty Sark, is a totally wood structure and is still a viable floating ship. It should be kept as such, not turned into a dry museum artefact. Before any decision is made about the future, could there be consultation with people who know about conserving wooden ships?
George M Russell. 46 Crosshill Terrace, Wormit.
Just protecting rest of the UK
Sir, I can understand Mr Bob Harper’s frustration regarding George Osborne’s and Danny Alexander’s statements concerning an independent Scotland retaining the pound sterling.
The SNP seems unable to accept hard facts. The pound sterling may be the preferred currency of the SNP now but not so long ago it was the Euro.
Each country must safeguard its own financial arrangements and that is what the UK Government is doing. There is no need to make concessions to the SNP, at a possible risk to the rest of the UK, just because the SNP has changed tack again.
It is years since I had any difficulty using Scottish banknotes in England. Perhaps the problem arose in 1707 when 12 Scottish pounds equalled one English pound. Following the failure of the ill-thought-out Darien Scheme Scotland was saved from bankruptcy by the Act of Union.
Independence is separation. A separate Scotland would have to stand on its own feet.
Jeanette Guy. Station Road, Springfield, by Cupar.
It must be an offence?
Sir, I see from an article in The Courier that rubbish is building at the illegal caravan park at Riverside Business Park.
This being the case can someone please tell me why the people making the mess are not being made to clean it up?
Surely this must be an offence being committed, yet again, by these people.
I doubt that the authorities would be so lenient if myself or my neighbours started to behave like this.
It really irks me to think that the hard-pressed council tax payers of Dundee will have their money used yet again in this way, especially when the council are making cuts in the services they deliver to the people who live and work in Dundee.
June Reid. 12 Findhorn Street, Fintry, Dundee.