312 replies to this topic

[Sebastian-Smythe]

appropriatebridge, on 01 August 2010 - 09:43 AM, said:

Sebastian

For the avoidance of doubt, I assume you are referring to the pictures in your gallery.

So you know about the oil painting in the attic too !

Joking aside, one was taken in 1907 the other 1932, but at the moment can't remember which is which.

[appropriatebridge]

A Save Our Stones supporter has drawn my attention to an article which appeared in the Daily Mail - to view click here.

This concerns the River Dove in Derbyshire and the local authority response to worn stepping stones. They have cemented another flat stone on top of each stepping stone so raising the height and also making them level. The action seems to have created quite a furore! The suggestion is that similar action at Burley would improve our situation.

There is no question that such work would on the surface (no pun intended) make our Stones more usable more often but I have reservations. The River Dove is much more tranquil than the Wharfe. At raised river levels there, if anyone slipped off they would just get wet a little higher up. At Burley, if water levels got to 18" to 2ft, I would be concerned that people would be in danger if they slipped. Also, I suspect debris washed over the weir at "high tide", or even the force of water itself, might ultimately dislodge the caps. Aesthetically, they look appalling.

Overall I much prefer the idea of replacing our missing stones and removing the accumulated silt or entirely new stones maybe a couple of inches higher but not to the extent shown in the article but that is only my view. What does anyone else think?

[Wharfedale]

Would I be right in thinking that the work for the hydro scheme has also started? There appears to be activity and works taking place down by the outlet from the Goit.

appropriatebridge, on 13 August 2010 - 10:48 AM, said:

A Save Our Stones supporter has drawn my attention to an article which appeared in the Daily Mail - to view click here.

This concerns the River Dove in Derbyshire and the local authority response to worn stepping stones. They have cemented another flat stone on top of each stepping stone so raising the height and also making them level. The action seems to have created quite a furore! The suggestion is that similar action at Burley would improve our situation.

There is no question that such work would on the surface (no pun intended) make our Stones more usable more often but I have reservations. The River Dove is much more tranquil than the Wharfe. At raised river levels there, if anyone slipped off they would just get wet a little higher up. At Burley, if water levels got to 18" to 2ft, I would be concerned that people would be in danger if they slipped. Also, I suspect debris washed over the weir at "high tide", or even the force of water itself, might ultimately dislodge the caps. Aesthetically, they look appalling.

Overall I much prefer the idea of replacing our missing stones and removing the accumulated silt or entirely new stones maybe a couple of inches higher but not to the extent shown in the article but that is only my view. What does anyone else think?

The council just can't win can they!!

[appropriatebridge]

I have today sent the following email to the West Riding Ramblers Association which is self explanatory.

[indent]'I have just come across West Riding Rambler No 121 - April 2010 which contains the following:

"Recently, a group Save Our Stones (SOS) has been formed
to restore the stepping stones at Burley which are badly
eroded, and rarely above water. The group is pushing this
option as an alternative to the bridge."

Save Our Stones (SOS) objects to this wording as it is incorrect. SOS is not ".... pushing this option as an alternative ....". SOS supports the concept of a bridge but one appropriate to its surroundings and proportionate to the need - i.e. a simple footbridge. However, as any bridge has virtually no chance of success due to difficulty in securing landowners' consents and in the absence of any local authority commitment, SOS is pressing to have The Stones at Burley restored as the only realistic way of achieving an improvement to the Right of Way crossing. The Stones also have an industrial archeological value. The ludicrous bridge design being proposed until recently, namely the "two lane highway" made the project even more unlikely and cancelled out much support the Burley Bridge Association had.

I would be grateful if you would print a correction.'[/indent]

[Sebastian-Smythe]

appropriatebridge, on 13 August 2010 - 02:53 PM, said:

I have today sent the following email to the West Riding Ramblers Association which is self explanatory.

[indent]'I have just come across West Riding Rambler No 121 - April 2010 which contains the following:

"Recently, a group Save Our Stones (SOS) has been formed
to restore the stepping stones at Burley which are badly
eroded, and rarely above water. The group is pushing this
option as an alternative to the bridge."

Save Our Stones (SOS) objects to this wording as it is incorrect. SOS is not ".... pushing this option as an alternative ....". SOS supports the concept of a bridge but one appropriate to its surroundings and proportionate to the need - i.e. a simple footbridge. However, as any bridge has virtually no chance of success due to difficulty in securing landowners' consents and in the absence of any local authority commitment, SOS is pressing to have The Stones at Burley restored as the only realistic way of achieving an improvement to the Right of Way crossing. The Stones also have an industrial archeological value. The ludicrous bridge design being proposed until recently, namely the "two lane highway" made the project even more unlikely and cancelled out much support the Burley Bridge Association had.

I would be grateful if you would print a correction.'[/indent]

Bad research/publicity is not the way to get friends or keep them.

At least we agree on the crazy bridge design.

[Wharfedale]

The BBA do seem to have put a great deal of effort into delivering absolutely nothing.

And I quote...

“The Burley Bridge Association was formed in 1996 to continue the campaign to build a bridge across the River Wharfe at Burley in Wharfedale. The association may have only been formed as recently as 1996 however efforts to provide a safe means of crossing the River Wharfe have been ongoing for over a century.”

Guys – you’ve had fourteen years to build a bridge... that about the same time it took to build the Taj Mahal (1631 to 1645... some say it was competed in 1653, but that was just how long it took to choose the wall paper in the down stairs loo)... so far you built a web site with a picture of a bloke and his dog getting wet feet.

I went over the river a few weeks ago and to be honest it was a bit disappointing when I got there

[appropriatebridge]

A new picture of The Stones has been received taken in 1986, Compared to their current state, this shows dramatically how Bradford Council has allowed access via this Right of Way to deteriorate over the years and why pressure should be put on them to do something about it!. Register support to Save Our Stones! See Comparative Pictures

[weirdmusic]

appropriatebridge, on 06 September 2010 - 10:55 AM, said:

A new picture of The Stones has been received taken in 1986, Compared to their current state, this shows dramatically how Bradford Council has allowed access via this Right of Way to deteriorate over the years and why pressure should be put on them to do something about it!. Register support to Save Our Stones! See Comparative Pictures

The campaign is all very laudable, but the reality is that Bradford Council don't see it as a priority & with the severe squeeze on public finances over the next 10 years, I don't think there is a hope in hell of them putting money or resources into restoring the Stones.

There are 2 options -
1).  Force Bradford Council to do what they need to do, via the courts. 

OR


2).  Raise our own money via a public appeal for funds either under the auspices of Burley Parish Council (as the legal entity for this area) or as a separate legally constituted body.  Then do the restoration work ourselves.

[appropriatebridge]

weirdmusic, on 06 September 2010 - 01:46 PM, said:

The campaign is all very laudable, but the reality is that Bradford Council don't see it as a priority & with the severe squeeze on public finances over the next 10 years, I don't think there is a hope in hell of them putting money or resources into restoring the Stones.

There are 2 options -
1).  Force Bradford Council to do what they need to do, via the courts. 

OR


2).  Raise our own money via a public appeal for funds either under the auspices of Burley Parish Council (as the legal entity for this area) or as a separate legally constituted body.  Then do the restoration work ourselves.

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't BMDC find £30k for a new garden at the Methodist church in Burley? If so, there must be some money about. Maybe new gardens are seen as a priority!

[weirdmusic]

appropriatebridge, on 06 September 2010 - 02:09 PM, said:

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't BMDC find £30k for a new garden at the Methodist church in Burley? If so, there must be some money about. Maybe new gardens are seen as a priority!

Maybe gardens are - so get a cost estimate of the work required for the Stones.

[Wharfedale]

weirdmusic, on 06 September 2010 - 01:46 PM, said:

2).  Raise our own money via a public appeal for funds either under the auspices of Burley Parish Council (as the legal entity for this area) or as a separate legally constituted body.  Then do the restoration work ourselves.

Once the outcome of the comprehensive spending review is published I wouldn't think there will be a great deal of cash around to spend on thinks like this, so it may well come down to alternative means of fund raising (has the lottery been discussed as a possibility?). I would certainly donate 50p to see Appropriate Bridge sit in a bath of cold baked beans for 24 hours

Anyone know how much the BBA have managed to raise in their lifetime?

[appropriatebridge]

Wharfedale, on 06 September 2010 - 02:58 PM, said:

Once the outcome of the comprehensive spending review is published I wouldn't think there will be a great deal of cash around to spend on thinks like this, so it may well come down to alternative means of fund raising (has the lottery been discussed as a possibility?). I would certainly donate 50p to see Appropriate Bridge sit in a bath of cold baked beans for 24 hours

Anyone know how much the BBA have managed to raise in their lifetime?

According to the Secretary of the BBA last December, they had £11k in the bank (see Burley Bridge thread). Obviously they will have raised more than this in their lifetime as they have used some money on design work and there must have been surveys also.

As regards funding in Bradford, I was interested to see the article in the Yorkshire Post 13 August 2010 (see here)which said:
[indent]
"Bradford Council, which increased its council tax by 0.9 per cent this year, had the largest reserves at the end of the last financial year, totalling almost £120m.

By contrast, Leeds – Yorkshire's biggest council, with a budget 60 per cent larger than Bradford's – was sitting on around half that amount.

It is considered prudent for all councils to have a certain amount of cash in reserve in case of unexpected occurrences or budget overspends. But some have built up vast stockpiles, often from the sale of public assets such as council houses or disused buildings.

A spokesman for Bradford Council told the Yorkshire Post that around £20m of its reserves had since been spent on this year's budget and much of the remainder was either ring-fenced or earmarked for council projects. But some £22m remains available for use."[/indent]

[Kingfisher]

appropriatebridge, on 06 September 2010 - 10:55 AM, said:

A new picture of The Stones has been received taken in 1986, Compared to their current state, this shows dramatically how Bradford Council has allowed access via this Right of Way to deteriorate over the years and why pressure should be put on them to do something about it!. Register support to Save Our Stones! See Comparative Pictures

Now that the hydro-electric plant development is being built and as a particularly interested party, I would be interested to know if an accommodation has been agreed between the Angling Club/Derwent Hydro and BMDC/Environment Agency to allow for a usable and temporary facility to divert or drain off water from the main river course in order to maintain the stones crossing and the old ford. If not, I would have to wonder why.

[Sebastian-Smythe]

Will the former damstone boards be put back in order to divert the water or are Derwent hoping there's enough water in the river to allow for both flows?

[sutters]

As far as i am aware there is no agreement in regards to diverting or reducing the level of the river so work on the stones can go ahead


Also the boards will not be replaced on top of the weir as it would reduce the flow downstream too much.

[Wharfedale]

I noticed that the stones were an agenda item at last nights Parish Council meeting. Anyone have an update?

[Flas# #arry]

Not a big fan of the no win no fee blame culture, but just out of interest, who gets sued if someone trips, slips and dies on this crossing? landowner or local authority?

[Malcolm]

Wharfedale, on 10 September 2010 - 02:16 PM, said:

I noticed that the stones were an agenda item at last nights Parish Council meeting. Anyone have an update?

The draft minutes for the meeting of 9th September can be accessed from HERE

[appropriatebridge]

A result! Thanks to the efforts of the Parish Council, Highways Structures at Bradford Council have now advised that a contractor has been appointed to carry out repairs to The Stones. Work will take place between now and Christmas. Once we have a start date, it will be shown so that those who are interested can go down for a look. The exact nature of what the repairs will be is yet to be determined so may be a little early to celebrate but it is a positive start.

[Wharfedale]

Congratulations, that’s a really positive result for your campaign!