Your Letters

Lights not sustainable

Sir, — I would like to respond in full to Gavin Jackson’s extremely long letter about the objections to lights on Henley Bridge (Standard, January 12) but it would take up half the paper.

So just to reiterate a few points:

The study conducted by Thomson Environmental Consultants used by Make Henley Shine was lacking.

There is much scientific evidence to support the argument that artificial light at night interferes with and causes harm, including death, to many of our native species.

Unfortunately, our flying insects have declined by 60 per cent in the last 20 years (James Ashworth, Natural History Museum).

Nocturnal flying insects are attracted to light. Of those, up to a third will die through exhaustion, over-predation and inability to navigate properly.

By saying they’ll put up 456 extra LED lights, which equates to 40 to 80 lux, and persuade other properties to turn down their lights is not mitigation and certainly cannot be called biodiversity net gain.

Make Henley Shine has not considered invertebrates or bird life in its ecological surveys.

Although there is no evidence that bats roost on Henley Bridge, they do hunt for food along this stretch of the river. Bats feed from dusk onwards just when the proposed lights would be turned on.

Signify, the company which has designed this scheme, is a member of the Institute of Lighting Professionals, which publishes clear guidance in its booklet Bats and Artificial Lighting at Night.

This states that artificial light at night has been shown to be particularly harmful along river corridors.

This scheme does not follow the institute’s advice of maintaining dark corridors along rivers for foraging bats.

Bats have legal protection not only in their roosting sites but also their foraging sites.

Greener Henley’s swifts support group knows there are ancient established nesting sites for swifts very close to Henley Bridge.

Like bats, swifts feed on the wing at dusk and in the dark on the flying insects above the river, particularly the mayfly in the summer.

Swifts are on the red list of endangered birds struggling with loss of habitat and the decline in insects they eat.

Freshwater ecosystems like the River Thames are hot spots of biodiversity. We know that there are important migratory fish that travel along the river.

An aquatic survey has not been made of the species in the Henley reach of the river so we are unable to tell what effect this extra lighting would have.

However, we do know that fish need the dark to breed and produce melatonin for their natural circadian rhythm.

How can this be a sustainable scheme, as Mr Jackson claims?

Firstly, from an environmental viewpoint, it cannot be as the lights would impact on wildlife as detailed above.

Secondly, the manufacture of the lights, cable and the fixings would obviously involve carbon emissions which add to the climate destabilisation that we are experiencing now — something we should be working to mitigate.

Thirdly, the lights are said to last for some 25 years. What happens then? Are they removed from the bridge and thrown away? How sustainable is that?

What about the deterioration of the materials used — more plastic particles in the river and our food and water systems?

There is enough scientific evidence around showing how the climate destabilisation and the huge biodiversity loss is down to human behaviour.

The onus is on all of us to do everything we can to right some of the wrongs and restore the natural balance of our world.

We should be encouraging people to turn down the lights, not add to them. That way we will see the full beauty of the stars. — Yours faithfully,

Diana Barnett

Greener Henley

Bridge has charm now

Sir, — Gavin Jackson says Make Henley Shine aims to help bring economic and social benefits to the town by supporting tourist attractions and climate emergency objectives.

I cannot quite follow this point of view.

I would suggest that to encourage tourism you need more parking and to pay more attention to the severe traffic problems which are a daily occurrence.

I cannot quite understand the connection to climate change. I have seen no statistics as to the amount of electricity that would be used to implement Mr Jackson’s lighting strategy for the whole town.

The charm of Henley Bridge is its history and structure.This attracts visitors who come from busy, badly developed towns while overseas tourists love the history and antiquity and bring economic value to the town.

While living in America for many years, I often wore a Henley rowing T-shirt and was stopped many times by people who told me they knew Henley as a lovely old historical town that was so great to visit together with viewing the Oxford University colleges.

I don’t think these visitors would appreciate a lighting extravaganza for the walkway by the river or the town.

Will lighting at night bring more people to the town (restaurants in this area are very expensive) or will other activities take place? — Yours faithfully,

Odette Moss

Harpsden

Museum’s priorities

Editor, — I read with interest the letter from Michael Redley, chairman of the Henley Archaeological and Historical Group suggesting improvements to the River & Rowing Museum (Standard, January 12).

While I appreciate the group’s interest in local history, I am somewhat doubtful that a renewed focus on Henley will improve the museum’s finances.

The museum already has a sizable and engaging Henley Gallery. Considering that the museum’s bread and butter is local families and school groups, it would seem more profitable to focus on renewing some of the galleries that are less engaging to children.

Unless the group is aware of some kid-friendly gems hidden away in the collection, improvements to the Henley offering seem like a worthy long-term project rather than an immediate priority.

Speaking for myself, I have never gone out of my way to visit a town-focused museum.

The only town museums that I have visited have been for those towns where I already lived.

It was the River & Rowing Museum’s wider themes that got me through the door and keep me coming back with my children.

While sharing the museum’s focus may be a bugbear to local historians, it is worth remembering that its larger appeal also gives Henley’s history a much wider reach.

Whatever the museum’s next move, I would encourage Dr Redley to be forbearing considering the wide range of interest groups (rowers, river conservationists, local historians, parents etc.) who will all be vying for this lovely little museum’s time, resources and attention. – Yours faithfully,

Phillip Rothman

Marlow

Transport study needed

Editor, — Angus Ross wishes to reopen the debate on the “Seventies proposed solution to a third river crossing” (Standard, January 12).

This is commendable for a solution is desperately needed.

However, as he says, “it would take years”. Then there is the funding, the manpower, energy and concrete and steel, not to mention the cost of land, planning and disruption and additional congestion while it is being built, leading up to its opening in say 2045. What is to happen in the meantime?

Following an appointment at the Royal Berkshire Hospital on Friday, I found myself at 4.30pm joining a queue of traffic.

I reached my home in Caversham one hour later.

I fully understand the frustrations of getting through Reading at peak times for at off peak the same journey takes me 15 minutes.

What must be the cost in time, energy and lost production of all this congestion?

Angus refers to the difficulty of getting to work at Thames Valley Park from South Oxfordshire.

I have friends in Sonning Common who complain about the very poor public transport service from there to Reading and, in frustration, have petitioned for a cycle path.

Again, with the substantial housing development in Sonning Common, it may be worth considering a park and ride scheme for South Oxfordshire, as has been very successful elsewhere in Reading, to alleviate the congestion on the existing bridges.

Can I suggest that a comprehensive study be undertaken of the transport needs of the residents who live north of the river, including Sonning Common, Henley and Caversham, and that the local authorities in South Oxfordshire and Reading address the issue with an open mind?

They should aim to produce solutions which solve the current problems while being open-minded about changes in ways of working and advances in technology.

This leaves us with the problem of heavy goods vehicles.

At one time in South Africa a road transport company was only allowed to move goods by road if the railway company was unable to do so. That seems a bit extreme but road pricing may help.

This should be part of a comprehensive study by transport specialists. — Yours faithfully,

Douglas Wright

Caversham

We’ll right this wrong

Local Conservatives must be livid with their chairman Andrew Collins for revealing that Tories still support building a new town the size of Henley on Chalgrove airfield (Standard, December 22).

It’s clear that Conservatives cannot be trusted as only in November they forgot that they were the architects of the plan and claimed to have instead “consistently been against it”.

This despite the Tories putting Chalgrove airfield in the local plan in the first place and a Conservative Secretary of State forcing its adoption, as pointed out by Paul Boone, of Chalgrove Airfield Action Group (Standard, January 8).

The Tory chairman described the airfield in his letter to the Standard as a brownfield site.

The site is in fact an active airfield which is hosting training exercises by the RAF and a UK exporting success story with Martin-Baker manufacturing fighter jet ejector seats and associated pyrotechnics.

The airfield also hosts livestock grazing and has an essential flood risk reduction role in absorbing rainfall.

One can only imagine how much worse last week’s flooding in Chalgrove would have been with the airfield covered in concrete.

Fortunately, the Liberal Democrats have always been clear that it is not an appropriate site for development.

In writing a new local plan, the Liberal-Democrats finally have the chance to right this Tory wrong. — Yours faithfully,

Councillor Freddie van Mierlo

Liberal Democrat,
Chalgrove and Watlington, Oxfordshire County
Council

Ominous precedent

Sir, — At the possible risk of boring some of your readers, I note that there has been no relevant response from the leading Alliance group on Oxfordshire County Council to my concern over its decision to exploit primary school children (“20 is Plenty” material) to gain support for its controversial 20mph speed limit policy.

In the history of this country’s local and national government, I believe this is the first time that children have been used in this way, an ominous precedent. — Yours faithfully,

Douglas Kedge

Lea Road, Sonning Common

Stop ending service early

Sir, — I’m bored of being kicked out at 10pm.

I’m not sure what has changed, but has anyone noticed that if you go out for a meal in Henley last orders are called at 10pm?

I went to the Giggling Squid before Christmas and we were ushered out before 10pm, similar at the Three Tuns.

I appreciate that since the covid pandemic it is easier to turn people away in more quiet times. Perhaps the staff have got used to going home early?

Surely in times of declining demand it is important to draw customers in and show that they are valued.

I wonder what the business owners would think of this new way of working. Surely this is not good business.

In rising costs this does not make me want to eat out. There is an opportunity here for the guy who wants to provide great food and atmosphere and stay open until closing time. — Yours faithfully,

Ian Johnston

Bix

Taxing big carbon use

Sir, — Thank you for the amazing aerial photographs of the flooding this week.

While it wasn’t an historic highest flood, these big floods are more common now due to global warming.

It may be of interest that, unlike most relations between climate change and weather, the higher rainfall intensity in storms has a simple direct effect.

This has been known since the 19th century as an outcome of the “Clausius–Clapeyron relation”.

The water-holding capacity of the atmosphere increases by about seven per cent for every one degree rise in sea temperature and 1C has been the rise in recent decades due to global warming.

Global warming has also made extreme storms more frequent.

If we are to meet any carbon reduction targets that can keep us within a 2C temperature rise (let alone 1.5C), the only way is via a large carbon price which implies massive taxes.

Obviously, this can’t be considered realistic as a tax rise alone, in an election year especially.

But I’m in a group called Citizens Climate Lobby which advocates giving all funds raised from a carbon fee to citizens as a carbon income.

This would make most people better off or not worse off.

Only a minority who are very high carbon users would pay more in tax on products with high carbon than they get back in their monthly carbon income payments.

Do join us as we lobby the parties in the run-up to the election.

We don’t want to be seeing those aerial photos of flooding every week in Henley or around the world. — Yours faithfully,

Ed Atkinson

Queen Street, Henley

Did banks really burst?

Sir, — Did the rivers Thames and Loddon really burst their banks or did they simply overflow? — Yours faithfully,

David Gealy

Baskerville Lane, Shiplake