Stamford deserved much better

The Gateway project grand opening, Saturday, September 15. One must ask how can any group celebrate completion of a project that was never wanted by the ratepayers of Stamford.

A project the minority inflicted on the majority. Yes, Stamford Vision, the Town Partnership, South kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County should reflect on this and bear their heads in shame.

The Gateway project was never a democratic decision – shame on you all. The project is far from the satisfactory completion claimed.

Should any individual wish to know the names of those, who sold this beautiful town down the river, and steamrollered the Gateway project through can contact me personally.

Stamford deserved better, as a local Independent town councillor I promise always to strive to make sure that Stamford town never finds itself again in a position, where the minority rule the majority.

However please note: All need be fully aware, that in order to prevent this situation happening again you must support your local council and the individual councillor you voted for. I personally am not at all happy with the Gateway project but I respect that there are those who are, they are and always have been in the minority!

Come on Stamford ratepayers, make sure your voice is always heard in the future.

Clem Walden
32 Charlock Drive
Stamford



Street scene is more enjoyable

A letter last week stated that "open concrete plains" have been newly created in Stamford. This is incorrect.

What was there before was mainly asphalt, the black stuff, technically bituminous macadam, surrounded by narrow pavements.

What is there now is mainly a natural stone from Cromwell Quarry, Southowram, near Halifax, West Yorkshire. I happened to visit the quarry earlier this year, not knowing it was the source of the new pedestrian surfaces for the Gateway project.

The rock is a fine grained sandstone from the coal measures of the carboniferous age. It has been used extensively in many towns because it is very durable, has high resistance to salt damage, acid rain and frost. For a sandstone it has high compressive and flexural strength.

Large rectangular blocks of the rock weighing say five to seven tonnes are rough hewn from the deep rockface.

The old procedure used to be plug and feather, just like it was at Clipsham Quarry, Holywell near Stamford. But as the Cromwell rock is very much tougher than Clipsham's inferior oolitic limestone from the Jurrasic age, different techniques are now used.

For Stamford Gateway, these blocks were then sawn into paving slabs about four inches (100mm) thick with the same technology used to cut blocks of Italian Carrara marble. Circular saws with diameters of about 6ft (2m) and diamond tipped teeth shuttle back and forth making repeated small cuts until the job is done.

In the 40th anniversary year of the designation of the first conservation area in the country, my opinion is that the outcome of the Gateway project is first-rate.

The few remaining small issues will soon be fixed. The vitality, viability and prosperity of our town's historic centre will be improved. A big step has been taken towards making Stamford's street scene more enjoyable.

EGERTON GILMAN,
Uffington Road,
Stamford



Right-thinking people

As a Stamfordian born, bred, schooled, Quayholed and now exiled in Yorkshire, I was shocked upon my recent return to my home town at the act of utter vandalism that has occurred in the town centre.

Gone are the uneven pavements, manhole covers, rutted roads and charming parking spaces, having been replaced by hideous high quality durable, even, stone slabs, which are totally out of keeping with our stone town.

What's more, when I drove my Range Rover 6.8L the 200 metres to collect my Daily Mail from the newsagents in Red Lion Square I had nowhere to park.

Do these people expect a man of my status to walk? I had to forgo the day's news altogether (you can't trust those lefties at the BBC), thus missing vital news about asylum seekers and the latest on Princess Diana.

Like T Earl (letters, last week), in disgust I too have destroyed all my books on Stamford, all my childhood photos featuring the town, and to go further, am considering setting fire to my house in Rock Road in protest.

I intend to continue my campaign against this disfigurement of our beautiful town, not to mention the violation of the human rights of the innocent motorist, by sending strongly-worded letters to this publication for at least another eight years – until we bring the people responsible to justice.

I would urge other right-minded townspeople to join me.

Ed Fancourt
Harrogate,
Yorkshire



Cause of many accidents

May I say well done to Stamford Town Partnership for doing such a wonderful job in ruining both Sheep Market and Red Lion Square.

Since the barriers protecting the public of Stamford have been removed there have been numerous accidents.

These accidents have involved vehicles colliding, unfortunate pedestrians slipping over on the new paving slabs and there have even been near misses where young children have nearly walked out into the path of oncoming vehicles as there is no kerb for them to stop at.

The extra wide path adjoining All Saints' Church sticks out so far into the road that any traffic trying to go up Red Lion Street has to manoeuvre their car up against the high kerbs so as not to block the exit of the cars coming down. In doing this I have seen several cars damage their wheel trims.

The kerbs in Sheep Market already look as though they will not survive very long before the edges are rounded off by the passing traffic scuffing up against them. In the event of a serious accident would Stamford Town Partnership put their hands in the air and say we got it wrong I don't think so.

I am surprised that some entrepreneur who already has a successful business in the "blame and claim" market hasn't put up an A-board to advertise their services. One thing is for certain, they won't be short of work

As for that stone obelisk being erected in the Sheep Market it seems to look to me as a proverbial finger from Lincolnshire County Council and Stamford Town partnership to the people of Stamford saying: "We don't care what you want this is what you are having".

So once again well done to Stamford Town Partnership for ruining what was a perfectly good situation and making it a complete disaster. Perhaps they could put back the barriers and stop any more mishaps.

My old boss used to say "If it aint bust don't fiddle with it".

T J MYTTON
Walcot Way,
Stamford



Crazy paving

Last time I was visiting Stamford work was just getting under way on the Red Lion Square-Sheep Market "renovations". I have followed the progress with interest and last Saturday was able to visit Stamford to see the finished project. My reaction: You have got to be kidding!

All that money, lost business for local merchants, traffic disruption and ill will for this glorified crazy paving experiment.

Richard Carter
Minneapolis,
US



Last words

At the recent grand opening of the ruins of Red Lion Square one of the Gateway worthies stood up and was heard to mutter these (almost) immortal words: "We here highly resolve that the people of Stamford shall not have voted in vain – that this town shall have a new birth of freedom – and that local government of the councillors, by the councillors, for the councillors, shall not perish from the earth".

Len Loullis
Hillary Close,
Stamford