Your views on posters, the hospital rebuild and roadworks

Here are the readers’ letters from the Lynn News of Friday, September 27, 2024…Advertisements were directly in the eyeline of car driversIt is so nice to see that Norfolk County Council has removed all of the large posters, which are advertising the coming of a circus, off the pedestrian railings here in Gaywood, especially near the Gaywood Clock.They were all directly in a drivers’ line of sight and as such clearly a hazard.Much the same can be said for the posters advertising a car wash. They want the publicity but are not prepared to buy any advertising space anywhere. Norfolk CC, carry on please, and also start removing all of those placed for events at the Adrian Flux Arena.Gordon Eagle Gaywood

Here are the questions that I want answeredReaders will be aware that there is a very broadly based campaign in West Norfolk to progress the case for a replacement Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Indeed, should the existing hospital deteriorate further there is a very real possibility of the QEH even being forced to close or offer a restricted service.That said, QEH management is to be congratulated on its ability to continue to provide a full service in the face of extremely difficult operating conditions. The QEH has a favoured solution – to redevelop its existing site, and throughout this campaign, I have repeatedly asked that the board demonstrate that their process has fully considered alternative sites, of which I understand a number have been offered.We are blessed with viable alternatives, which should allow for quicker construction, minimal disruption, lower costs (for example no need for a £50million multi -storey car park) and be better located to avoid the A149 bottleneck.And yet, our past political leadership – MPs, county council and borough council – have never seen fit to scrutinize the decision of the QEH. West Norfolk Council leader Alistair Beales has responded to these concerns and councillors are to be given the opportunity to inspect the QEH and to ask meaningful questions of management.And from my point of view, if these can be answered fully I for one am absolutely open minded. In other words, I implore the QEH to show me that their preferred plan is indeed the best for West Norfolk. I would like to receive satisfactory answers to:1. Where are the report facts that prove an off-site option is not viable?2. Why has the Trust not spoken to any of the off-site owners ?3. Why does the Trust continue to invest money into the existing site when it has not ever been confirmed that its proposal is the right one? 4. Has the proposal for helipad in the roof been properly thought through and what of the permanent fire crew needed to be on standby?5. Why has a second engineering opinion never been considered in relation to the props’ lifespan?6. Would you agree that health and safety of patients, staff, visitors and workers will be compromised on such a small site?7. Where is the proof that it will take longer to build a new hospital on a green field site when all the experts disagree that is the case? 8. What research has been conducted involving all QEH employees and where have the findings been reported for scrutiny?9. Where are the costings for road infrastructure improvements and why have they not been included in the proposal?10. Does the QEH accept the views of a number of civil engineers that the excess cost of redeveloping the existing site could well exceed £200million?11. What is the current best estimate of the total cost of erecting the multi-storey car park? Cllr TomRyvesvia emailTories all talk, but Labour are all actionIf anyone could light up a Labour conference it would have to be our fantastic Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. After 14 years of the Tories destroying our country and letting crime rule the roost, at last, we have a Home Secretary fit for purpose ready to bring about the change our country so desperately needs.Tory commissioners like Donna Jones and former Home Secretaries like Suella Braverman can try all they like to put a spin on their failures but all we had from the Tories for 14 years was talk and dog whistling and pandering to the political right.So I say thank you and fully welcome the newly proposed respect orders set to be rolled out in 2025 to keep anti-social louts off our streets.I also welcome the enabling of police to seize and destroy dangerous off-road bikes more quickly. Thus replacing the need for warning after warning under the current failing system. And I welcome Labour’s manifesto pledge to introduce 13,000 additional police and PCSOs, with guaranteed local patrols, and a taskforce to tackle robberies carried out with knives.The Tories were all talk. As change begins, Labour is all action.Geoffrey Brookingvia emailAs a nation, we were never in Europe anywayWhile Rob Colwell did his level best to resurrect the corpse of Brexit in his stint on the Lynn News Friday Politics soapbox and invoke the unmentionable ‘elephant in the room’ it’s pretty plain that there’s little or no chance of anyone in authority showing the slightest interest in dragging the entire nation through another referendum.Having democratically voted to leave the EU after years and years of relentless opposition from various UK Governments to almost everything the bureaucratic leviathan in Brussels and Strasbourg tried to impose upon us it became very clear that our efforts to trade with that ‘big old wider world’ out there was a dismal failure too for a variety of trade ministers including our own dear departed Liz Truss.Like many, Rob holds onto a very ‘rose tinted’ view of our time as subjects of the EU and conveniently forgets how utterly opposed people were to accepting both the Euro as our currency and signing up to the Schengen (open borders) Agreement which would have now been an unmitigated disaster in terms of any hope of curbing illegal immigration.As a nation we were never really ‘in’ Europe and never saw ourselves as part of the continent.You’re going to have to let go of your pipe dream of returning to the EU Rob and while we’re talking about elephants in rooms I fear there’s one more you didn’t mention… it’s highly unlikely with our national current ‘lame duck’ financial chaos that the Burghers in Brussels would have us back because we’d just be a burden and a crushing liability on EU funds…and you can thank your Tory opposition for that too!Steve MackinderDenver No confidence that anyone actually caresThe article in last Friday’s edition about the traffic disruption planned for Grimston Road suggests that work is ongoing to keep this to a minimum.The motorists in Lynn are in no doubt that this is balderdash.Last week saw the transportation to Norwich of a large load, causing street furniture to be removed along the route.Disruption has continued all week.The temporary pedestrian lights on Low Road have been stuck on red, causing long tailbacks.The temporary lights at Estuary Road junction have caused delays all week.Just two current examples of unnecessary disruption. There is no confidence that anyone actually cares. If you do, please supply some evidence.Robert GardnerSouth Wootton