Walking must be the priority if we are to be a healthier, greener society

OUR future councillors need to prioritise improving our streets in their upcoming term to help people choose cleaner and healthier ways to travel.

The benefits of people walking more are plentiful, from increased physical activity and better health to reduced congestion and cleaner air.

Ahead of local elections and National Walking Month this May, walking charity Living Streets has set out seven steps to create better places for walking in its ‘Blueprint for Change’. Steps include maintaining pavements, improving pedestrian crossings and investing in public transport.

You can read more about this at livingstreets.org.uk/blueprint.

All these measures can make walking a safer and more attractive option and help bring our communities and streets to life.

It’s time to give walking the priority it deserves.

DAWN DAWSET Salisbury

‘How many is enough on homes?’

WHEN is enough, enough?

Housing seems to be out of control in local areas. Every way you turn, there is another estate or another field pulled up. Who are all these people that need these houses, I hear asked.

A lot of us in the local areas have moved, or lived here, because we enjoy the small towns and villages. But these towns and villages are now under threat.

Our schools are packed, no one can get appointments at their doctor’s and our roads have now come to a standstill in many towns.

The infrastructure simply was not built for this.

Picture of the week

The developers take options on land around every town, and the landowners have been just as greedy, knowing they will gain a great deal of money by doing this. Surely the landowners are also responsible, selling to the highest bidder but having no interest in conservation of the local area?

Developers greedily build inside the planning lines and outside them. They know no council can stand in their way – what they want, they will get. After which, these developers walk away with full pockets, leaving the council to sort the failing infrastructure, which undoubtedly means higher council tax.

I am unsure on the point of councils these days. If they refuse a planning application, the developers move up the chain until they get the ‘yes’ they want. So why bother having them if they have no power to protect their villages and towns?

So the question to everyone remains, when is enough, enough? Answers on a postcard please.

I know we are British and though we complain to each other, we rarely do anything about it, but at some point we must say, ‘Stop, let us decide how many new homes we want each year in our communities’.

Or could communities buy the land with councils, to protect it, or develop it as we see fit?

Maybe the Blackmore Vale could ask our MPs and councillors how much housing is enough.

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We are lucky to have so many local societies

READING through the pages of the Gazette, I am delighted to see so many local societies on offer in our area.

From history to the arts, from health and well-being to technology and sports.

While we are blessed in this respect, I wonder if the young people in our area are well enough catered for?

I guess there are plenty of sports clubs around to keep our younger generations fit, healthy and occupied, but what of other ventures?

I recall a younger member of our wider family talking of board game clubs, which do sound fun, though I guess not everyone’s cup of tea!

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Cosy Fireplaces

There’s nothing as cosy and comforting as sitting around a roaring fireplace, it is the perfect way to warm up after a day out in the cold or rain. A place where loved ones can gather and relax, or enjoy in your own company. A place to read a book or listen to music.

Having a fireplace in your home provides an amazing source of natural heat as well as being a great source of natural light. A fireplace can also transform a room by becoming the focal point and accenting the surrounding décor.

Whether you are looking to buy a new home, building or renovating, an addition of a fireplace is often considered. There are many different options, firewood, natural gas, propane, wood pellets, coal, or electricity are all options.

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If you have a front garden, spend a little time sprucing it up. A few plant pots and a clear pathway can make the front of your house more appealing helping with the first impressions. Out the back a well-designed garden can add a great deal of value, it should feel like an extra space for entertaining or relaxing, rather than an expanse of grass. It’s essential to trim borders, clear pathways and cut back any overgrown trees or bushes, particularly if they block direct sunlight into the property. An area of decking creates a sense of bigger usable living space and three per cent of homes sold in 2019 were even found to have a summerhouse in the garden, giving owners more space to relax and entertain in the brighter weather.

Blinds & Awnings

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