Council vandalism

[BoSoxGal]

Cotton doesn't trap the heat as well. You can get very reasonably-priced silk ones; mine were discount on sierratradingpost.com

[wesw]

silk makes me cringe when it touches my skin, like fingernailss on a blackboard, the cotton ones are quite expensive (to me), if you get quality ones.

12 bucks last time I checked for just one garment

[oldr_n_wsr]

fingerless gloves

I never understood these. When my hands get cold it really my fingers (especially the tips) that get cold. Fingerless gloves do not help that condition.

[Gob]

A medieval village is to spend £100,000 ripping up the paving slabs which were installed to replace historic cobblestones in a controversial move.



Dunster in Somerset, one of the best-preserved communities in Britain, put in the new pavements in order to improve pedestrian safety earlier this year.

But Historic England objected to the change, while locals claimed that the paving stones were too brightly coloured and regular-looking, comparing them to 'a new housing estate'.

Now the local council has backed down after being accused of 'vandalism', and agreed to replace them with new paving which is more in keeping with the traditions of the area.

The works, which will cost a total of £100,000, will see the Blue Lias stone torn up and Brecon Grey slabs put in their place.

Jeni Fender, local shop owner and chair of Dunster Tourism Forum, said: 'What has happened is an outrage and a failure.

'The council failed to share their choice of stone with us - if they had consulted with the village beforehand then they would have avoided this whole ridiculous situation.

'How is it that we are not allowed to make the slightest change to our homes but Somerset County Council can get away with tearing up a whole street?'

At the time of the decision to rip up the cobbles, Historic England - formerly part of English Heritage - wrote to the council 'expressing dismay' and demanding 'a more sensitive approach'.

They also asked for the blue paving stones to be replaced with something more suitable that local people would be happy with'.

Somerset County Council announced today that the new paving stones will be in place before next year's tourist season, and will cost £100,000, with 10 per cent of the cost coming from the parish council and Dunster Working Group.

A spokesman said: 'Work to make the West Street pavement safer and more accessible was requested by the community and carried out as part of a bigger scheme that has been a success overall.

'Although we achieved the safety and accessibility, considerable concern has been raised locally about the materials used and the look of the new paving.
'After much discussion with the Parish Council and local community, we have decided to replace the scheme.

'We would rather have got this completely right first time but it's important that we listen to people's views and come up with a scheme that works for an historic place like Dunster.'

Dunster is located near the site of two Iron Age hill forts, Bat's Castle and Black Ball Camp - their exact age is unknown, but they could be as much as 3,000 years old.

The village itself was first recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book, the first ever thorough land survey of England, and was originally known as 'Torre', meaning 'hill'.

It is thought to have gained its full name thanks to a link with a local Anglo-Saxon landowner named Dunn, but after the Norman Conquest it passed into the hands of powerful noble William de Moyon.

The Norman landlord built the original Dunster Castle on an outcrop overlooking the village, but it was largely rebuilt in the 17th century as a Jacobean-style manor house, and thoroughly renovated in the Victorian period.


Dunster was for centuries a major centre for the wool trade, making its own variety of the material which is particularly thick.
The importance of the trade in village life is shown by the Yarn Market, above right, a distinctive 400-year-old building standing in the centre of Dunster.

[rubato]

Dunster, that was John Mortimer's book. Very good too. I think I'll order a copy.


But the above just goes to show that democracy allows people to do any goddamn loopy thing if they've really got the wind up their skirts. its like someone with a really painful rash trying to find the least painful way to sit ...


yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

I thought they looked like interesting pastel shades rather than dull grey. They appear to be congenial vis-à-vis the wall colours of the local shops.

Oh dear - sounds like they've gone for dull grey...

[Lord Jim]

They should put back the cobblestones, but paint them a bright safety yellow...

[rubato]

blown in insulation eventually settles, .... "

the lawyers' dream insulation.


yrs,
rubato

[wesw]

ok, that was funny.....