Hear All Sides

While not against it, I am bemused at how it has been approved. After all, it was only nine months ago that Darlington Borough Council vehemently opposed the expansion of Hurworth School on the grounds that the road infrastructure was not suitable for an extra two buses.

Since then, Hurworth Parish Council has been discussing the problem bottleneck at Oxford Garage, on the western approach to Hurworth. Nothing has been done about either the infrastructure that was not capable of handling the excess two buses less than a year ago, nor the bottleneck.

So the question is, how has planning approval been given when the roads are clearly unsuitable?

What if Hurworth School gets the funds to expand in the future? Will it then be told again that the road infrastructure won't be able to cope due to Middlesbrough FC's new development? - Ian White, Hurworth.

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

IT is interesting to note (Echo, Dec 9) that crime surveys had been delivered in Harrowgate Hill, Darlington.

What we find strange is that there has been a file open for more than a year with reference to the problems with anti-social behaviour on Harrowgate Farm, and our Labour councillors had a meeting two years ago. Our MP has not taken an interest until now.

Even stranger was that, as soon as we arranged a public meeting to discuss anti-social behaviour, our ward councillors were kick-started into action and arranged their own before we had ours.

Then, at the meeting, it was mentioned that they did not know there was a problem. So why arrange the meeting?

We have taken positive action to help resolve this problem by forming a group of local residents to look at strategies to combat anti-social behaviour, as well as making plans to improve youth activities for young people in Harrowgate Hill. - Gill and Mike Cartwright and Tess Galletley, Conservative candidates for Harrowgate Hill, Darlington.