Join the protest to Save Our Setts
CAMPAIGNERS battling to save the cobbles in Beverley's market place are urging residents to join their latest protest march on Sunday.
The Save Our Setts campaign wants to send a strong message to East Riding Council ahead of work starting on a £2.5m town- centre makeover in less than two weeks' time.
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out in force: The Save Our Setts campaign, opposed to removing the cobbled setts from Beverley's Saturday Market, staged a protest march last month. Picture: Kate Woolhouse
Hundreds turned out for a march before Christmas and they are planning to take to the streets again on the eve of talks between the civic society and council.
Campaign group organiser Adrian Stokes said: "The feeling is very strong. Three hundred people came and walked through the town on a foul day to protest in December and almost 800 people have signed a petition.
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"If you talk to people all over the town, they are horrified about what is happening and they need to have their say."
Campaigners are urging the council to drop its plans to rip up the market place cobbles.
Protesters say cobble setts can be seen in the first known print of the market place in 1829 and are an important part of the town's heritage.
But the authority is planning to replace the setts, which it says were laid in the 1980s, with block paving as part of plans to make the market place more pedestrian-friendly.
Beverley Civic Society chairman Sandy Patience said his members would be meeting with council officials on Monday night to discuss the controversy.
Mr Patience said: "I think it's infernally stupid to get rid to the setts. It's a case of the council shooting itself in the foot again.
"The sad thing is they are condemning a part of our town's heritage to the skip.
"There's precious little point in doing it – what is there to gain from it?"
East Riding Council leader Councillor Stephen Parnaby says the majority of people are in favour of the scheme, which will go ahead on January 14.
He said: "The scheme has been accepted by the majority of people, including traders in the market place and North Bar Within and the market traders.
"It has also been accepted by all sorts of groups, including disability groups.
"The setts are a danger. People have said they don't like walking on them and people don't like pushing pushchairs on them."
Cllr Parnaby said he was saddened by the protest.
He said: "I think some people have another agenda.
"We don't have an agenda, we just want to improve the market place and make it a better visitor attraction and better for traders.
"I think when it's finished people will say 'wow, it's fantastic'."
Sunday's march will set off from the Market Cross at 10.45am. A 800-name petition will then be handed in to East Riding Council.
Comments
by AstynomiaKats
Friday, January 04 2013, 7:38PM
“East Riding Council leader Councillor Stephen Parnaby says the majority of people are in favour of the scheme, which will go ahead on January 14.
Time for action - Parnaby OUT
This is built with blood money - taxing the poor the sick and disabled so Parno can satisfy his bloated ego - Resign NOW”
by democracy_now
Friday, January 04 2013, 5:23PM
“Parnaby said "I think some people have another agenda" - what does he mean?
People are peacefully protesting about something they feel passionate about. If earlier generations had done a lot more of this then many of our towns and cities would not have been blighted by ugly tower blocks!
Please have this passion come the next local election and confine Parnaby to the political dustbin!”
by Sympathiser42
Friday, January 04 2013, 12:57PM
“Show us your evidence Mr Parnaby and please don't put words into our mouths. How do you know the reaction will be "WOW"”
by dontwo
Friday, January 04 2013, 12:57PM
“Find out which traders want the market place cobbles ripped up and boycott them. See how much favour they have for it then.
Cllr Parnaby said he was saddened by the protest. Why saddened?. People are fighting for something they want to keep thats all. Being a councillor he should feel humbled that the people of Beverley are uniting, and perhaps swallow his ego in coming to terms that maybe, just maybe, that wow,people dont think it's going to look so fantastic after all.
Why the hell did he spurt out "I think some people have another agenda." That just comes across that the guy is arrogant, or is it maybe proof he is getting desperate to avoid the imminent about turn of his pet project?..”
by Sympathiser42
Friday, January 04 2013, 12:51PM
“Leave Beverley alone - if Mr Parnaby wants visitors to keep coming the historic character of the town must not be ruined with concrete and at a great expense. Once they have gone they are gone for ever. The simple answer is to take some of them up and make "user friendly" walkways at intervals so pram pushers, the less able-bodied etc can avoid them. Everybody is entitled to an opinion but why air useless and derogatory comments on here? The Civic Society have the best interests of Beverley at heart along with hundreds of us who are prepared to turn out and hopefully make our opinions count. Beverley Town centre will end up like Whitefriargate in Hull- a most unviting (sadly) area of Hull with lots of empty shops and characterless if the Council don't stop mucking about with the history.”
by TIGERPETER
Friday, January 04 2013, 12:43PM
“UK tourists spend thousands of pounds visiting European Cities just to see their old buildings and cobbled streets. Why should it be so different in Beverley. The organisers of the March should seek a Freedom of Information review on every aspect of this project from its original inception through to all the tendering. Keep asking questions and objecting. This will delay the project for a very long time. What Beverley should be doing is uncovering more of its setts and cobbles. Those useless brick pavers will all sink over a period of time.”
by Ianm_hull
Friday, January 04 2013, 12:27PM
“If he says the scheme has been accepted by the majority, then show is the evidence to back it up. Chance for the HDM to do a straw-poll and see wh is right here.”
by David_Nivea
Friday, January 04 2013, 12:18PM
“In the background, are there other protesters still complaining that the cobbles ruined the rural idyll that existed before any human intervention at all?
Shouldn't the pro-cobbles faction be called 'Cobblers'?
Why is there a bloke with bagpipes? is he lost?”
by CarmellaBrown
Friday, January 04 2013, 10:31AM
“Leave it alone it is not needed to dig everything up when the footpath next to it is dangerous and uneven- fix that mr parnaby and the problem you have imagined can be solved for not very much money at all then give the other money to fix roads that are crumbling that are not in beverly”
by LordChez
Friday, January 04 2013, 10:10AM
“I'm sure I remember the original cobblestones being tarmacced over late 70's early 80's, though my memory for that era is a little vague!”