RON Godfrey’s report in the Gazette & Herald last week unfortunately did not give all sides of the controversial Thornton-le-Dale gas plant plans issue.

No views were given by what I call real villagers who have lived and worked in the village all their lives; those who remember Burgess Flour Mill and Slater’s Lime Quarry, also the many farms that also provided many jobs for local residents.

I’m sure Adam White, AGHAST!

chairman, and those who support his views, which we have seen so many times in the Gazette & Herald, would have made a case against Burgess’s Flour Mill and Slater’s Lime Quarry, both of which provided many jobs for villagers and kept the village alive.

Today, the village is full of retired residents who have pushed the house prices out of reach for younger residents and they seem to have nothing better to do than object to anything that obstructs their views, and peace of mind.

The same residents are objecting to a low-cost housing scheme in our village which would allow village youngsters to purchase a house.

The parish council, after meeting recently, supported this scheme.

I now urge the parish council to support building the gas plant, which – contrary to AGHAST!

views – will give a massive boost to local businesses and provide muchneeded work at a time when jobs are being cut.

The gas plant may not provide many jobs for locals, but the construction of the plant and building of roads will provide much-needed work for many haulage contractors, plant hire firms etc. Also, local sand and stone quarries will get a massive boost.

Many construction workers will need B&B accommodation, local shops and pubs will also benefit from workers at the plant.

Thornton-le-Dale needs to provide more jobs for younger residents in order to prosper, and building the gas plant may well kick-start other small businesses in our village.

We have had problems with Slater’s Lime Quarry and Burgess Mill, which went on to provide animal feed, but they did not stop many thousands of visitors to our village every year, and building this gas plant won’t either.

Statements from protesters imply that the gas plant will damage our tourist trade. I fail to see why, it’s nonsense.

The site is half a mile south-east of the village and will not be seen from the centre, where 99 per cent of visitors are.So the main questions are: Will our tourist trade be damaged? I don’t think so. Do we need gas? Yes. Do we need local jobs? Yes.

COLIN Pickering, Pickering