THE leader of Ryedale District Council chose All Fools Day to appear in print in the Gazette, accusing Fitzwilliam Malton Estate (FME) of provoking “class war”. Perhaps she had in mind to cross the floor and join John Clark or line her group up for a coalition with his Liberals?

What is very unfunny is the dysfunction in the relationship between the leadership of RDC and FME. They don’t have to like each other, but it is deplorable that they can’t establish a viable working arrangement by negotiation. If they could co-operate, the local community would benefit, not least by avoiding further legal costs.

Whinging about rulings made by the courts on defective political decisions is a dangerous indulgence for those making them. The courts are there to protect the ordinary citizen. If the leader had referred to the Local Plan approved and adopted by her council in September 2013 before writing her letter, she might not have tried to pull the wool over our eyes with a speculative threat of an out-of-town superstore if she can’t get her way at Wentworth Street.

Morrisons is rarely crowded these days: the crowd is at Lidl and the big four supermarkets are still cutting prices and struggling with their problem of declining market share.

Because the profitability of their business is greatly reduced, Morrisons have just announced a £1.bn impairment charge on the value of their estate. It follows that RDC’s car park is worth very much less than the £5m still being put about. Rather than trying to persist with a superstore on the site, RDC should sell it back to FME for use as a car park with the possibility of the upper deck as a site for a Holiday Inn.

A Conservative leader starting an election campaign in Ryedale with a complaint of “class war”? Now that really is a bizarre approach to supporting her own and Kevin Hollinrake’s election chances.

Nicholas Brooksbank, Malton

 

• REGARDING “Store issues”, Gazette & Herald Letters April 1. It concerns me that after all this time, some members of Ryedale District Council are still hoping the proposed development of a major store on Wentworth Street car park will go ahead. This seems to have been going on for many years and times have changed.

We now have more supermarkets in Malton and Norton, the old Showfield has been identified as suitable for a housing development. This field does provide overflow parking for Malton Food Festival days and the supposedly increased number of parking spaces in Wentworth Street car park will not have access from Princess Road or Wentworth Street.

Also where Pasture Lane meets Newbiggin that junction is to be closed giving the only access to Wentworth Street car park and the proposed super store will be off Pasture Lane. Pasture Lane will be accessed by the difficult narrow bend into Highfield Road near the Croft and then pass by two primary schools.

At the other end access will be by the new road layout at the Broughton Rise development into Pasture Lane. I think this poor parking facility would be a real deterrent for those visitors who regularly attend the food festivals.

The prospect of cheaper fuel is attractive, but that would only last until our current fuel suppliers have gone out of business. The problem of traffic queuing in Castlegate has been blamed on the supermarket there, the real cause of traffic congestion is due to the York to Scarborough railway line crossing the road between Malton and Norton.

Occasionally, there can be trains in either direction causing the crossing to be closed longer and this can cause long queues in Commercial Street, Norton as well as in Castlegate, Malton.

There are some excellent shops in Malton and Norton, but there are complaints about the number of closed and unoccupied shops. The uncertainty of the proposed superstore drawing regular shoppers out of the Market Place does not help build confidence in local investment. So I say let’s forget the superstore and look at improving Malton and Ryedale.

Brian Maud, Independent, Ryedale District Council

 

• MRS Cowling (Gazette, April 1) is convinced that Malton needs another supermarket. As she is a non-resident, I should have thought that she should be supporting her local shops, not driving their customers to Malton.

As a fairly regular shopper, I have always been able to find a parking space at Morrisons, the queues at the tills not long, the prices comparable with York, and unless you shop in the late evening, shelves are well stocked.

As for competition, the local Asda seems to be thriving, and Lidl undercuts Morrisons for many items. Any new potential supermarket would think twice if they paid Lidl a visit.

The demand for a petrol station? If that came about it would immediately put out of business three garages in Malton and Norton, locally owned and staffed. I understand that a supermarket manager looks at nearby fuel prices, knocks a few pence off, ignoring competition from other areas. The saving would be modest.

No, Mrs Cowling, the real reason that you are advocating another supermarket is the funds realised from the sale of the car park, which would go into the coffers of Ryedale district council, whereas it really belongs to Malton residents.

RT Smith, Malton

 

• WAS the letter from Linda Cowling (Gazette, April 1) an April fool? It surprises many that the leader of Ryedale council thinks Malton “needs another supermarket”.

The council wants to sell Wentworth Street car park to the highest bidder as it owns the site. However, Malton seriously needs affordable housing and the site is flat, has good access and is near to shops, schools and surgery. So far it is not on the agenda, but Malton is an attractive area for inward investment which means jobs. Young people need a rung on the property ladder.

The council should consider this and also clean up central Malton (smelly drains, vomit encrusted alleyways) and campaign for local businesses currently paying high rents. The council is elected to meet the needs of the people, not to act as a property developer.

Jill Knight, Hovingham