SIR, – It is a great shame that the outlying areas of Hazlehead Park are not now being maintained. Ditches are overgrown and full of stagnant water, culverts are blocked, the paths are in poor condition and there are many fallen trees that have not been cleared.
Saddest of all is the “tree garden” lying to the east of the crematorium and the graveyard. This used to be a quiet area with many specimen trees and was often used by mourners for a period of quiet reflection. Not now. The grass has not been cut since the spring and is waist high, and many of the trees and bushes need attention. Walking through here is now impossible.
Come on, Aberdeen, no excuses based on budget cuts. You can do better than this.
George Bews,
8 Corse Gardens, Kingswells,
Aberdeen.
SIR, – There has been a lot written about the Home Report recently, and most of it falls into the common trap of concentrating purely on the seller when the basis of the Home Report was to give buyers far more information on the condition and valuation of a property.
The major lenders in Scotland are perfectly happy to accept the valuation contained in the Home Report, and the whole thing can be trusted by the buyer as well as the seller because chartered surveyors who carry out the single survey, valuation and energy report are highly regulated.
There is a full redress system and independent ombudsman service should people have reason to complain.
I think it’s time we let buyers and sellers decide for themselves if the Home Report is a good thing.
Graeme Hartley,
Director, RICS Scotland,
9 Manor Place, Edinburgh.
SIR, – Your editorial of December 3 implied that the Calman Commission might have rejected the idea of fiscal autonomy for Scotland on the grounds that it could be a “gateway” to full independence. I sincerely hope that this was not the commission’s reason.
It goes without saying that anyone who believes that fiscal autonomy is likely to be detrimental to Scotland’s economic health has an absolute duty to oppose it. However, anyone who believes that fiscal autonomy would increase Scotland’s prosperity but who nevertheless opposes it on the principle that it would constitute another step closer to independence is guilty of putting their loyalty to the sentimental ideal of British unity before the wellbeing of their fellow Scots.
This would be an incredibly selfish and irresponsible attitude.
Rob Johnston,
Westerton, Inverugie,
Peterhead.
SIR, – Yippee! Yet another Tesco in Inverness. We have as much need of a fourth Tesco in Inverness as another pothole in the roads.
When will the councillors listen to the voters? The majority of voters I speak to want an Asda, not another Tesco. The same goes for the food kiosk by the riverside. The only thing Inverness has going for it is the riverside, and the council seems hellbent on spoiling it.
Ian J. Fraser,
Oldmill Lane,
Inverness.
SIR, – The public outpouring of anger and grief regarding Baby P has brought some measure of accountability to Haringey Council, although other services also failed the baby. This has led to a countrywide “wake-up” call regarding how our vulnerable children are protected.
I was shocked therefore to read that Aberdeen social services have been heavily criticised by HM Inspectorate.
Have they forgotten baby Carla Nicole Bone, who died in 2002 following appalling abuse in Aberdeenshire?
I am unaware of anyone being held accountable in her case, but there was not the public outrage then that we have seen recently.
In the equally devastating case of Danielle Reid in Inverness, I am unaware of any action being taken.
Doubtless we will again get the mantra, “lessons will be learned”, while many of those responsible will cling to their jobs as the vulnerable continue to suffer.
Helen Clark,
Cladich, Station Road,
Gargunnock, Stirling.
SIR, – Having read the correspondence from R.D.V. Kite (Press and Journal, December 5) and J. Reid (Press and Journal, December 2), both authors make very valid points regarding the need for sound wildlife management and looking at the whole picture when dealing with one or many species.
It is a question of balance, and this is something which the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust holds at the heart of its policies. In a country where there are no ecosystems unaffected by man, a useful precept is that good game conservation is good nature conservation.
The trust has shown unequivocally during its upland predation experiment that predator control can reverse the fortunes of birds such as lapwings and golden plovers and that gamekeeping is a vital tool in maintaining a productive upland environment with important public and economic benefits. Further, our farmland research into grey partridge and brown hare has also illustrated the benefits to both species through dedicated gamekeeping and habitat restoration.
However, in order to prove these theories, lengthy scientific research must be carried out, and this costs money. We applaud those members of the public who financially support the work of charities such as the trust and look forward to further collaboration with the public-sector agencies.
Katrina J. Candy,
Media & Education (Scotland), Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust,
Couston, Newtyle.