MALTON and Norton Area Partnership (MNAP) seeks to help promote and support the development of facilities in Malton and Norton for the benefit of everyone in our community.

At a Towns’ meeting in 2015, one of the top priorities to emerge was to make more of the River Derwent. We’ve already begun to facilitate the clearance of the river bank at Norton.

Lady Spring Wood’s boardwalks are due for demolition soon as they are now unsafe, and we’re investigating with partners funding for a replacement that is fully accessible.

The bridge over the culvert, just south of the rugby club, will be the first to go, and we hope to fund its replacement too.

This project should be a prime candidate for monies arising from new residential development in Malton and Norton. Section 106 (S106) Agreements are linked to planning permissions and are negotiated between developers and the planning authority – in our case Ryedale District Council (RDC).

This might be because a new housing development adds to pressures on the social, physical and economic infrastructure. RDC has an obligation to be open and transparent about the management of the S106 funds it is holding.

Soon, MNAP and Malton Town Council will be creating a plan for the replacement of the boardwalk and culvert bridge, and putting these forward to RDC for the release of S106 funds.

During 2017, MNAP will also be working to support Malton and Norton as they start consulting on the work being done to develop a Neighbourhood Plan, especially where projects require the participation of multiple common partners.

MNAP would welcome support for its riverside projects; get in touch with your ideas and suggestions. You can email Fiona Croft on croft.fiona@gmail.com or phone 01653 691382.

Paul Emberley, chairman, and Fiona Croft, executive member

Irony of upgrade

NUMEROUS people have spent many decades trying to get the A64 upgraded to something better than a lengthy car park. Other than repainting white lines at dangerous junctions in significantly safer ways and a massively expensive rebuild of York’s Hopgrove roundabout, which appeared to have precious little effect, they have had very little success.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if the government remarkably found cash to do the job at last, just as Third Energy started fracking at Kirby Misperton and just when the definition of fracking was miraculously changed in order to allow it to happen in our national parks and other protected areas. How beneficial that would be for the Northern Powerstation.

Mike Potter, Pickering

Simple terms

AFTER reading the comments about fracking by Phillip Tate in last week’s Gazette, I have to agree with lots of his points.

Mr Tate said it in plain, simple and understandable English and I applaud him for that. Many things are safe, but unhealthy, so his points have been made very easy to understand, even by children, I believe. Thank you for spelling it out in simple words.

Elke Dowkes, Pickering

Access for all

THIS month we’re celebrating Disabled Access Day – to raise awareness of the need for ease of access at public venues in the UK.

We understand that for many disabled people, accessibility goes far beyond the realms of simply being able to get in or out of a venue with ease; it’s about being independent, having freedom of choice, embarking on new experiences and living life to the absolute fullest.

Over the years, we’ve conducted plenty of research into accessibility at public venues, including the UK’s top 100 tourist attractions, premiership and championship football stadiums and major high street stores.

We found that even in today’s society, many public venues continue to fall short of the mark when it comes to being truly accessible. Take the high street for example – despite having a huge turnover, 84 per cent of disabled people and carers we asked said they had experienced problems with the accessibility of high street stores. Totally unacceptable, we think.

And, it isn’t just about the obvious moral obligation to make society a more accessible place; there is of course a financial incentive too.

With the spending power of disabled visitors and the so-called Purple Pound being a market worth an estimated £212bn, it makes absolutely no sense that public venues still aren’t buying into the idea of becoming fully accessible, at the risk of losing incredibly valuable revenue year on year.

I work for Revitalise – a wonderful charity that provides respite holidays for disabled people and carers from all across the UK. As an organisation with over 50 years experience of supporting disabled people and their carers, we are absolutely resolute in our belief that society should be accessible to everyone.

Visit revitalise.org.uk, or phone 0303 3030145.

Stephanie Stone, Revitalise