LETTERSFrom Roger Gladdish, Brighstone:
MARC Morgan Huws’s statement that the company needs parking for 16 buses in Wellow in order to reduce its carbon footprint takes the biscuit.
His argument that it makes green sense to have buses in West Wight rather than driving them to and fro would make perfect sense if they had any buses in West Wight.
Has nobody told him that as of next month there won’t be any buses (or hardly any) in West Wight under the new timetable.
There will be more buses travelling to and from the rest of the Island to park up in the West Wight than there will be taking passengers around West Wight during the day, and after 6:00 pm the only buses to be seen on West Wight roads will be travelling to Wellow to park for the night.
It will be particularly galling for the residents of Wellow that having had their bus service taken away, they will have to put up with a fleet of buses going through the area every morning and evening.
From Chris Lewis, Thorley:
Freshwater folly? Marc Morgan Huws says up to 16 buses are stabled overnight at Lee Farm. This equates to 32 movements past my property each school term day and since up to six of these vehicles are coaches used to take children to and from school, they actually go in and out twice a day.
This suggests the actual number of bus movements in and out of Lee Farm on those days is nearer 40.
Mr Morgan Huws also says Southern Vectis is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by keeping buses overnight in West Wight rather than having them driving to and fro.
Perhaps Southern Vectis should have kept its bus garage and hard-standing in Freshwater rather than selling it off for redevelopment. Is a similar situation likely to arise in the Ryde area when their depot there closes?
Stephen Cowley says the number of bus movements are less than when farm traffic was at its height. I think he misses the point that farm tractors and the like run on very large low pressure tyres and milk tankers are often of the multi-axle variety thereby spreading their weight. All of the buses accessing Lee Farm are two axle and almost all of them weigh more than ten tonnes.
The vibration they cause to my property when they pass within 6ft of it is not inconsiderable.
I am therefore delighted to hear Bill Murphy, head of planning at the IW Council, suggests use of the site, as described by Sue Langford, requires planning permission.
I understand farmers need to diversify and would have no objection to SVOC’s vehicles being stabled overnight at Lee Farm if access to it was directly off the main road between Shalfleet and Yarmouth.
To be fair to Mr Cowley, he has recognised that mine is the most affected property by all of this and he has offered to make improvements to the access road. This consideration is appreciated but these vehicles are large and come very close.
I am being pressured by many residents of both Wellow and Thorley to start a petition against this. That is not my way. I wish to remain on good terms with my neighbours, including Mr Cowley.
From Barry Coates-Evans, Yarmouth:
Lorries next? I am amazed Steve Cowley believes his planning permission granted in 2003 for storage and warehousing, covers the parking of buses on his property.
Does that mean that if a ferry company approached him that he could also park the supermarket large articulated lorries there as well?
Does it mean there is no limit to what can be stored or warehoused on his farm land?
Come on Steve, you’re a local lad, and I believe you care for your local community.
The access to the site is near the quiet rural, residential area of Thorley.
I wonder if Steve was one of the residents living in one of those properties near the entrance to his farm, would he like those buses motoring past his property as early as 6.30 in the mornings?
I think I know what his answer would be!