Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, ““ John Bullough of McEwens is completely right (Appeal to protect city, March 29), that any more supermarkets, particularly out of the city centre, are to be deplored and disallowed.
Have the council”s planners and councillors not noticed the current decline in retail in the centre, abounding with closed businesses?
To allow any further supermarkets anywhere, when we already have plenty of provision of large and small, specialist and general, shops would be yet another “own goal” from the civic authorities.
The effect would be damaging not only to our city centre, but would attract shoppers from surrounding towns an villages in the county, damaging their retail areas also.
This effect can be seen, for example, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where the centre”s retail sector has been “sterilised” by a huge out-of-town shopping mall.
What are our civic planners thinking about, allowing proposals for two new supermarkets just east of Tesco in Crieff Road?
New shops would not necessarily create extra, new jobs in Perth.
Nor would more money be made: there is only a certain amount of money to go round, and today”s retail travails result largely from excessive governmental expenditure, borrowing and taxation.
The Fair City is at risk of being “fouled” by such careless policies.
Isabel and Charles Wardrop.111 Viewlands Road West,Perth.
Visits to high street will stop
Sir, – I am an 85-year-old disabled person who can walk very slowly with the aid of walking sticks for 25-35 yards before resting. Stairs and upward slopes are out of the question.
I am aware there has been recent discussion in Fife official circles suggesting that disabled parking on Kirkcaldy HighStreet is to be restricted to one hour each day.
If this is to be the case, my occasional visits to Kirkcaldy High Street are liable to cease.
If visits are restricted to one hour and all disabled visitors use that hour there will be insufficient space.
If I was to go to the High Street, visit a bank where I might stand in a queue to reach a teller or spend some time discussing a banking matter, then go to Marks & Spencer’s food hall, browse and then stand in a queueat the check-out, could thisall be accomplished in one hour?
Having a cup of coffee in the restaurant would be impossible.
Have those who are recommending this change produced data on the number of injuries to members of the public which have occurred as the result of disabled parking on the High Street?
Can it be assumed that this ”golden hour” will produce no accidents?
Ian Walker.Kirkcaldy.
Sound of barrel being scraped
Sir, – Mr McBay, on behalf of the National Secular Society, suggests that heart surgery would be better performed by an atheist surgeon than by an evangelical butcher.
Why he stuck with a butcher I wouldn’t know there are all sorts of other comparisons which could be made. For example, vets, knackers, fish filleters I could go on.
I’ve no doubt it will gladden his heart to know that most sensible Christians or Muslims would, like the secularist, opt for the atheist surgeon, being a person trained in surgery (and probably incapable of professionally butchering a pig).
It is a pity that a letter to the press cannot carry a sound track.
That particular less-than-brilliant letter would have benefited from the sound of a barrel being scraped.
The National Secular Society really is scratching around!
James Thomson.14 Vardon Drive,Glenrothes.
Topless and trendy
Sir, – Now that the warm spell and the sunshine are about to recede I find myself pondering on what seems to be current trends in motoring. Sunshine seems to be nature’s signal to roll down the car window, put the heater on full blast and casually hang an elbow out the of window, usually accompanied by the car radio/CD player blaring.
There also seems to be an increase in cabriolet style cars on the road this year and it struck me that virtually all the drivers are balding males accompanied by unnaturally blonde females, both sporting sunglasses either on the top of their heads or actually using them to counter the weak sunshine.
I wonder if this is a prerequisite of choosing a cabriolet or perhaps a result of having chosen one?
Men, it seems, lose much of their hair while the wind and sun bleaches the hair of women.
I witnessed one driver, balding of course, who took 10 minutes to prepare his car, including the appropriate cd and lowering the roof, only to travel to the local newsagent, less than a minute’s drive away. Having done so it took another fairly lengthy process time to raise the roof again and secure the car!
Arthur Gall.14D Pitalpin Court,Dundee.
This is hardly a dynamic vision
Sir, – Perth & Kinross Council would be well advised to listen to the input from John Bullough ofMcEwans department store in the city centre (The Courier, March 29) otherwise the city will end up with a deserted and derelict centre surrounded by ever more supermarket satellites on the fringes.
Hardly a desirable or dynamic vision for Perth’s newly gained city status.
GM Lindsay.Whinfield Gardens,Kinross.