Your letters: Use River & Rowing museum car park for breast screening service

Unnecessary expenditure

Sir, — We read in last week’s Henley Standard that our town councillors need to keep their spending down, so I was quite surprised this morning to see the flashing lights of the highway maintenance truck cleaning the already clean kerbs from their last visit scarcely more than three weeks ago.

The money would have been better spent, I believe, resolving the dire state of our roads with ever-increasing numbers of dangerous potholes.

Councils have to get their priorities right and while, yes, residents do want them to get things done, they trust their precious taxes are not just frittered away. — Yours faithfully.

Rhona Mogridge

Makins Road, Henley

Use museum for screening

Sir, — Having read about the loss of the breast screening service in Henley due to parking issues (Standard, March 6 and 13), may I suggest that the mobile service uses the River & Rowing Museum car park.

There is plenty of parking available and even if at some stage the museum is bought for whatever use, maybe a clause could be put in the contract that this service must remain along with two or three car parking spaces. — Yours faithfully,

Isobel Morrow

Henley

Roadworks are upsetting

The roadworks at the roundabout in Northfield End… it is absurd that the town is once again paralysed by a single smallish unattended hole in the road just because the guys who are doing the work can’t be bothered to move their bollards when they are actually not working on the road.

Where is the cost analysis of this destructive upsetting behaviour? What is our silent MP doing for us to address this bullying behaviour? — Yours faithfully,

Sophie O’Sullivan

Henley

Quality is not assured

Having read the article about the lane rental scheme (Standard, March 13), I'm not sure it’s all good news. Where the objective is to complete roadworks as quickly as possible to minimise costs, I wonder if this could affect the quality of the job to be done?

I would hope that the company responsible for restoring the road surface isn’t the same one that is filling local potholes as many are washed away by the next significant rainfall! — Yours faithfully,

Mike K

Shiplake

Unconvincing argument

Sir, — I am grateful to the Rev Sam Brewster for the courtesy of his reply to my letter (Standard, March 13) regarding his implied belief in the reality of eternal hell.

His detailed response confirms his belief that Jesus talks about the reality of hell and he accepts this as a biblical truth.

However, what is truly astonishing is his reason for not making entirely clear this consequence of lack of belief in the “salvation” offered through Jesus, merely hinting at it. “It is neither possible nor desirable to state every strand of Christian teaching in every context.”

Surely, the reality of hell as the consequence of lack of belief is infinitely more than a mere “strand” of theology. Based on national figures, fewer than four per cent of Henley residents are informed, committed Christians.

The remaining circa 96 per cent are presumably heading for eternal punishment of some sort and Rev Brewster considers it proper that his Thought for the Week contribution should only very remotely imply this!

Rev Brewster bizarrely equates declining the offer of “salvation” with not accepting an offer of shelter from the rain.

Surely the crucial difference is that we all know declining the latter offer will result in our getting wet. The huge majority of people have no awareness of the threat of hell or of the doctrine relating to it.

It is very difficult to understand the mindset of those Christians who comfortably believe in the existence of eternal hell but are not willing or able to convert those around them and, when they do make the effort, the results bear no relationship to the apparent universal need.

How many converts have arrived at Rev Brewster’s church over the last year, for example? — Yours faithfully,

Douglas Kedge

Lea Road, Sonning Common

Stop wittering about beliefs

Sir, — It was so good to see Douglas Kedge in full myth-puncturing form challenging Rev Sam Brewster’s strictures about God and Jesus (Standard, March 13). It is reasonably certain that a chap called Jesus worked as a prophet some 2,000 years ago — indeed his claims in that respect are supported by that other prophet Mohammed and other monotheists. However, Jesus’s claim to be the son of God cannot be proved as there is no proof that God exists.

Every human society, as soon as it had language, developed its own creation myth supported by a cast of gods, seers, prophets and sundry mythical beings invented to support that myth. That is all we know for sure.

The sad thing, to me at least, is that the ancient myths that grew up among the various Semitic peoples of the Fertile Crescent in Mesopotamia have persisted, including claims that the most senior god “gave” various tracts of land to various tribes who are even now still warring over them, inflicting enormous damage on each other’s people and lands, as well as causing great collateral economic damage to most other nations.

Bearing in mind that the Bible and the Torah are just rehashings of old Babylonian beliefs, such as are set out in Enuma Elish and on thousands of cuneiform tablets, surely it behoves Rev Brewster and his mates to stop wittering on about beliefs included in the gospels and to get stuck in to persuading the warring parties to stop. Good luck with that! — Yours faithfully,

Philip M M Collings

Peppard Common

Many reasons for refusal

Sir, — I would like to comment on your recent article “More flats at retirement village would spoil view for neighbouring homes” (Standard, March 6).

There was a number of reasons why the planning application by Retirement Villages Group to redevelop the Thamesfield Retirement Village site was refused by Wokingham Borough Council, and I think it is important to clarify these to ensure a complete understanding, as spoiling the view of neighbouring homes was only one small part of the refusal.

The following reasons are taken directly from the Wokingham Borough Council notification of refusal of planning permission dated December 11, 2025.

Reason 1 — The proposed development, by reason of its bulk, scale, height, and proximity to neighbouring dwellings at Remenham Row, would result in an unacceptable level of overlooking and perceived loss of privacy to the front elevations of those properties, together with an unneighbourly overbearing impact.

The development would result in material harm to the living conditions of existing residents. The proposal is therefore contrary to Section 12 of the Neighbourhood Planning Policy Framework, Policy CP3 of the Wokingham Core Strategy and the Borough Design Guide.

Reason 2 — The proposed development, by reason of its scale, height, bulk and massing would fail to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Remenham and Henley Bridge Conservation Area and the Henley-on-Thames Conservation Area.

I would also wish to point out that the neighbours referred to live at Remenham Row, not Remnant Row, as indicated in the article. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. — Yours faithfully,

Geoffrey Snell

Remenham Row, Henley

Is Henley safe for pedestrians?

Sir, — I rarely visit Henley although I do have an upcoming appointment at Townlands Memorial Hospital.

I read your paper every week and am concerned that in nearly every issue is a letter from a grateful person who has been helped after a fall in the town.

Is this due to age or are the roads and pavements unsafe for pedestrians? — Yours faithfully,

Stephanie Clarke

Caversham

Henley must look its best

Sir — I was pleased to learn from Sheridan Jacklin-Edward, the clerk to Henley Town Council, that the broken benches in Station Park are to be repaired and the paving pressure-washed.

I also note that Henley is bidding to become the UK’s first ever “Town of Culture” (Standard, March 6). So, there’s now even more reason to ensure our lovely town looks its best.

Broken benches and filthy paving are hardly conducive to winning anything. Watch this space and I’ll keep you posted! — Yours faithfully,

Steve Ludlow

Station Park, Henley