Letters: All our brownfield sites should be built on first

Many are in areas of low demand.

This makes one wish that there was some way of moving people to these areas - but of course that is wishful thinking except in rare

cases.

However there is a more practical solution.

There remains a considerable amount of previously-developed land (so-called brownfield) which has yet to be redeveloped.

Brownfield is not popular with builders - an awkwardly-shaped site perhaps, and with foundations, drains etc to be removed, instead of nice fresh, open fields.

It requires all major local authorities to prepare a really thorough schedule of all areas of brownfield within their jurisdiction, and then to tell developers that no green fields will be released until every bit of brownfield has been redeveloped.

This would be in the long-term interest of our country.

I know that some local authorities have been trying to do this for some time, but there remains more to be done.

Arthur Quarmby

via email

Think of

our friends

As the negotiations over Brexit come to a conclusion, we are seeing all sorts of speculation about what is happening behind the scenes....talks of compromise and of remaining in a Customs Union are rife.

I would like to ask who are our friends? For the Government in Parliament, Theresa May’s friends include Northern Ireland’s DUP and Labour MPs who risk their careers by voting for Brexit.

Internationally, after the Salisbury poisoning incident, and now the Dutch revelations, our allies are the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand .

But where is the talk of compromise leading? Using the Northern Irish border as an excuse, it seems to be leading inexorably to a Remainer agenda. Perhaps this is the straight down the middle compromise spoken about by the Chancellor.

What would that do to our friends? It would not lead to trade deals with the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, nor to the free ports that would re-balance a London-centric economy.

It would not lead to reciprocated support for the loyal DUP or Labour rebels in Parliament. It would reward the bullying of the EU and lead to our being tied into a shared sovereignty of an organisation that wants to rewrite foreign policy.

Where are the 27 on their own defence? Where is Germany on Russia, given their dependence on Russian energy supplies?

It would reward so many Remainers who have campaigned ceaselessly to reverse the referendum result.

I hope that the deal, when it comes, will not let down our friends.

Keith Punshon

via email

May must walk the walk now

No one said it would be easy - and the continuing Brexit negotiations show that it is far from so.

But we voted to leave the EU and leave we must and not just in name but in reality.

We have to be able to make our own rules, control immigration and establish our own free trade agreements.

The EU has obviously not been keen to help with this as giving us a good deal could be seen as an encouragement for other member states to head for the door.

But now Brussels is actually offering us a Canada +++ deal and we should be biting their hand off.

Theresa May’s so-called Chequers deal is not the right solution and she must ditch it, even if it does mean losing face.

A Canada-style deal does still leave the problem of the Irish border but it is not insuperable, especially with the aid of current technology.

Mrs May talks the talk about Brexit meaning Brexit and she really has to walk the walk and follow the Referendum mandate.

Paul Nuttall

North West MEP

UK Independence Party

Charity bags

I have heard of people complaining about charity bags, which come through the door. I use them to line waste bins. It saves buying black bin liners. It’s not rocket science, it’s called recycling.

R S via email

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