Letters: David Aylett, Europe, sugar tax, school reform, wind turbine, freight strategy and housing

Music

Proud of concerts

This is just to supplement the correspondence about the musical life of Aylesbury, set in motion by the idea of a David Bowie statue.

It should be noted that since the 1980s weekly mainly classical music concerts (albeit of works with small forces - up to nine so far) have been held at St Mary’s Church on Thursday lunchtimes.

Somewhat transformed in recent years, they now have a reputation which reaches way beyond the Vale, and probably no comparable town in the UK has a series so rich in adventure and diversity.

Week in, week out, professional musicians from all over the world delight what is, after all, a significant minority of music-lovers in the local community, and nowadays way beyond.

This audience has just had the pleasure of seeing one of the UK’s finest young violinists, Charlotte Rowan; this week, for Holy week, there is a performance of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, and in the near future two of the country’s finest jazz musicians will be demonstrating the art of improvisation. And so on and so forth, and all for a nominal admission; and totally self-funding.

I help to run these concerts, and am proud to do so.

As a finale, we are always being told they are ‘the best thing in Aylesbury’; so I think they should be recognised along with the flourishing performance societies who rightly made their call last week as part of the LIVING warp and weft of the town’s musical life.

David Mulraney

One of the Music at 
Lunchtime team

Statue

David Aylett please

I write to endorse the views of your correspondent on music in Aylesbury.

We have long had a flourishing amateur tradition in the town, thanks to the enthusiastic participation of Aylesburians.

I know nothing of David Bowie, and cannot venture an opinion.

Personally, however, I would suggest a statue of David Aylett, for his long and dedicated contribution to music in our town would be really appreciated by all who knew him and his work over many years.

Thus a Aylesbury statue of an Aylesbury man, remembered with respect and affection.

Sheila Butcher

Hillary Close, Aylesbury

Legacy

Complete musician

Picking up on last week’s letter, I fully endorse the view that if statues for musicians are to be erected, then one should be raised for David Aylett, a complete musician, who did far more for the music of Aylesbury over many years than David Bowie, whose brief association with transient music only came to many people’s attention following his recent death.

Let’s get matters in proportion!

Derrick Matthews

Address supplied

Campaign

Seduced by fame

I must agree with the correspondent whose letter to the Bucks Herald appeared last week (March 16, 2016) under the heading “It’s not just Friars”.

David Bowie appears to have had at best a very tenuous connection with Aylesbury, and his lifestyle and brand of music are certainly not to everyone’s taste. Is it to be expected, I wonder, that any pop singer who has made a handful of appearances in the town will now have a statue erected in his or her honour?

We seem to be so seduced in recent years by anyone deemed to be a “legend”, an “icon” or a “celebrity” that we risk overlooking those quiet people of immense musical talent – composers, performers and teachers – who work tirelessly but unostentatiously to bring musical pleasure to the people of Aylesbury and the surrounding areas.

I would question whether a statue of David Bowie will generate any income at all for Aylesbury and hope that the councils which are still to decide on the matter will take a less star struck view than the town council seems to have done.

Margaret Ross

Drayton Beauchamp

Strategy

Freight matters

There appears to have been a good response to the consulation on the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan.

Analysis of the comments is likely to be a challenging exercise.

Therefore it is not certain when an approved Local Plan will be available to manage proposed developments. Meanwhile, there are two existing policy statements which are too important to be overlooked.

These are the county’s Local Transport Plan and Freight Strategy, both of which should guide decisions on any scheme which contains new traffic routes or affects existing ones.

That means any roads of higher status than internal distributor roads provided for the benefit of the development.

The county policies arise from duties imposed by Parliament to make provision for transporting freight (ie lorry routes), securing free movement of traffic and reducing congestion.

The Local Transport Plan recognises that congestion has an impact on the County’s economy.

The Freight Strategy identifies the need to minimise and mitigate the impacts of noise, odours and emissions from freight vehicles. District councils also have that duty in regard to air quality management.

These are important matters. It does not seem that they have been receiving sufficient attention.

OJ Oliver

Campion Close, Aylesbury