Seventeen Windows

[admin]

And the footpath uphill towards Offerton on the Seventeen Windows side is still unusable!!  It is too narrow to walk on, and it is dangerous to walk in the road on that bend.  I have seen no mention of this being remedied in all these discussions, and there is no sign of anything being done.  Have I missed something?

The way I have understood it the pedestrian crossing (see the drawing a few posts back) will allow the footpath users to cross from the 17 Windows side to the opposite side after the Hazel Grove turning and then continue up Marple Old Road (which is were the cyclists are supposed to go too). If this is the case then there would be no need for the pavement to be widened from the lights up towards Offerton. In fact it would be better if the narrow pavement was removed and maybe a cycle lane created for coming down the hill.

I don't know want the condition of Marple Old Road is like but I recall cyclists complaining that it wasn't very good in other topics. Perhaps there will be some money spent on improving that.

Whatever your views on 17 Window itself the widening and crossing scheme seems to be a good idea to me.

[sooty2]

Oh and I know that will make you happy Dave, for the safety of pedestrians and the *little Darlings* who choose to walk in the road anyway

[sooty2]

 As im sure you are aware Miss Marple the civil engineers or whatever you call them created the mound in the first place with excess earth from the burying of the huge tank! I totally agree with you that the garden looks flattish to me on the photos. The extra lane that was to be created to turn left to Romiley cant go ahead because the land owner wont sell at an acceptable price.Good grief how much will it cost to buy land for the pavement widening from the lights to Hill Top Drive? I dont think I want to know,as they will never tell us the true cost anyway. I think this whole project will be full if inconsistencies. I still dont see how any of this will improve the junction as Dave says. All I know is there is to be a pedestrian crossing.

[Miss Marple]

I am unsure about the retaining wall    Why was there a need to build a retaining wall as many posts have already pointed out there was only ever a low garden wall and a hedge.  It would be my opinion that the retaining wall is now needed due to landscaping (i use the word loosely)  Look at the pictures of the original seventeen windows and you will see that there was never a huge hill.  NB  I have spoken to the planning dept and they assure me that a tree planting programme has to start within 6 months.  At the cost I would assume to the owner but lets just wait and see as it would be my view that this will be an additional cost to the tax payer.  Also can anyone  tell me why the tree that is on the farmers land has been topped?  It was a mature tree that stood there for years and the only reason I can see for its topping is that God forbid it hung over Seventeen Windows land. 

[Dave]

Apologies if my post wasn't clear, sooty2.   The main point I was trying to make was not to do with the cost, but to take issue with your use of the word 'squandered'.  I don't think it's 'squandering' to spend 27K of public money on rebuilding the retaining wall within the garden of 17 Windows so that the junction can be improved and the pavement widened to make it safer.   

[sooty2]

Dave, You know  that I know , that the whole £200k wasnt squandered on 17 windows. You are stating the obvious. WHY? 

[Barbara]

And the footpath uphill towards Offerton on the Seventeen Windows side is still unusable!!  It is too narrow to walk on, and it is dangerous to walk in the road on that bend.  I have seen no mention of this being remedied in all these discussions, and there is no sign of anything being done.  Have I missed something?

[Dave]

It doesnt matter what department the funding has come from, its taxpayers

Well at least we can all agree on something!  However, sooty2 then goes on to write....

.....and has been squandered on a private dwelling.

Er, not really.  200K of public money, whichever pots of money it came from, is being spent on a major modernisation of the entire junction, as described in the summary from Cllr Alexander. Of this, 27K is the cost of necessary ground work taking place within the garden of 17 Windows.  This is the 'stabilising the ground, regrading and replanting' described in Cllr Alexamder's summary (above).    Without this work, the junction improvements could not take place.  Sooty2 may call this 'squandering' but most people, I suspect, would not.  Money spent on making roads and pavements safe for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians etc is not 'squandered' - on the contrary, this is a key responsibility of local authorities, and what the Council is doing is entirely right.   

[Tricky]

 

[Rachael]

I cant see how it would be divided either, before they put the net curtains up, you could see in, and there was a lovely big kitchen downstairs .

I think the garden only looks ugly because nothing has been grown up the fences yet , I do think it will look very different this time next year ( fingers crossed that its finished ) .

The junction  is, I agree,  a complete nightmare, and even with the new drive, it still looks like it could be a headache getting a car in and out , but its got to be better and safer than it was before.

As for funding, like I said, its getting way too confusing for me, with conflict of figures from different directions.

Maybe I should speak to the landscapers at seventeen windows ,  I  may have more of a chance of getting them to do the fencing  and landscaping in my garden  than Ive had with the THREE local companies Ive had to come and quote me for work who cant be even bothered to come back to me     ...... and thinking about it , maybe I could sell a bit of the land at the bottom of my garden , its very very near a well used path , I'm sure I could come up with an idea why they might need it  .... In FACT, I might as well say my goodbyes now, because If I become a millionaire from it, then all I can say is ADIOS, my new villa awaits me 

 

[sooty2]

Yes it is confusing PP. We cant get a straight answer about the costs involved. It doesnt matter what department the funding has come from, its taxpayers and has been squandered on a private dwelling. As for the office rumour, it  sounds unlikely, but nothing would surprise me! I personally dont think it is an attractive property as ive said countless times, an ugly garden on a busy junction and proposed crossing and it cant possibly  be worth realistically whats been spent on it. Quick way to split it in two;  Remove a section of rendering, Take a big lump hammer,a couple of whacks and Hey Presto! job done.

[Rachael]

Its all going over my head this subject because its getting way too confusing, even for me  ( I know ... can you believe it     )

someone told me the other day that they "Think" that seventeen windows is going to be divided into two ( on the inside ) and used as offices ??

[admin]

Why didn't you publish the whole email your councillor sent to you? That is what I would like to know. 'technical error' hmmm.

I'm not concerned about Miss Marple's age; every lady is entitled to exaggerate that, one way or the other. And Pink Panther is absolutely right  - she was joking.

However, I am concerned about the accusation quoted above. I didn't notice it when it was posted because I was on holiday in an old cottage in Wales with a lousy wi-fi connection. The quote in the previous post has caused me to go back to see what it was all about.

I can categorically state that Miss Marple sent me a complete and undoctored email from Cllr. Bispham and that was posted here, around the same time as an email from Cllr Alexander. Subsequently, Cllr. Bispham forwarded me an email that he says he sent to Miss Marple before the one that was posted and confirmed that he had sent two. Miss Marple says that she didn't receive the first one, only the second one, which is why she expressed some doubt about the one forwarded by Cllr Bispham as being genuine. It is my sincere belief that both Miss Marple and Cllr Bispham are telling the truth and the simple fact is that the first email was sent but did not arrive. It happens all the time for a multitude of reasons.

I have actually spoken to Cllr Bispham about this face-to-face. I can tell that the emails are not forged and I am very unhappy that accusations like this are flying around. If I had noticed soon after it was posted I would have deleted it. As it has been there since 9 September that is no longer an appropriate response but I feel a need to reply and set the record straight now that I have noticed it.

[Rachael]

She is joking Andy

Sense of humour on the boards, especially on this topic  is catching

[andy+kirsty]

I forwarded the complete email to admin what are you trying to say that he held information back      SHAME ON YOU !!!  PS  Your right that could  have been a relative of mine but maybe  my Great Great Great  Grandfather. I am only 25

http://www.marple-uk.com/smf/index.php?topic=2712.0

hmm,