EDDC, Liatris, our MP - posting 2 (a long one)

OK, I feel up to the typing now, here goes (please see the entry below this for my comments on it). It's a long one so get a cup of coffee (and a pencil!):

The covering letter from our MP Hugo Swire:
Dated 16 January 2007 but received today:

Seaton Regeneration
Further to my letter of the 6th December 2006, I have now heard back from Karime Hassan and enclose a copy of his letter of the 4th January 2007.

I should point out that the Holiday Camp is a privately owned business over which no politician of any party has any control.

We must look to the future when examining redevelopment plans for Seaton and I urge all parties to work together to produce an outcome which is satisfactory to both the town's current residents, future residents, tourists and the surrounding local econom.

Yours sincerely,
Hugo Swire

All fine and dandy except for one work in the last paragraph. We are not examining redevelopment plans for Seaton we are examining REGENERATION plans. They are not the same. Unfortunate slip of the pen there.

Karime Hassan's letter (in the public domain):

Dear Mr Swire

Thank you for forwarding me your letter to Mrs Semple outling the points of concern raised with you regarding the proposals for Seaton.

The outline planning application has now been submitted by Liatris Holdings Limited. Much of the information that is sought is included in the supporting documentation. I shall clarify my understanding of the proposals in relation to the points raised in your letter.

Community Facilities:

The proposals include a SUSTRANS terminus (changing room, bike racks, etc) and community facility. I understand this to be a room that could be used as a gym or meeting room 278 sq m is the size of this quoted facility.

There is no proposal for a swimming pool.

The Visitor Centre is proposed as a building of 1,500 sq m (this is the specification set by the Locym Consulting Feasibility Report).

Prior to the application being submitted, I was aware of concern being raised regarding the size of the centre. I trust now the application has been submitted this point is now resolved.

Economic Impact

The loss of bed space capacity is clearly an issue that will have to be weighed in the assessment of the application. The Socio-Economic aspects of the proposed development are assessed in Chapter 6 of the Environmental Impact Assessment. The report states that there are 264 chalets with a 77% occupancy rate equating to 26,000 visitors. The value to the local economy in terms of levels of spend is much lower than the figure quoted in your letter. The basic conclusion drawn by the Assessement is that the loss of the Holiday Village will result in a monetary loss to the local economy but this will be more than compensated for by the visitors to the new Jurassic Coast Visitors Centre. The SUSTRANS terminus and expanded Seaton Marshes are also anticipated to have beneficial impact.

The Council now has the role of assessing the submitted documentation and testing the assumptions. I therefore believe that it is inappropriate at this stage to draw any conclusions,

The letter from Martyn Harrison, Chairman of Hollybush Hotels, included in the report in the support material is important background material. His view is that the Holiday Village was built in a different era and is increasingly an out-dated holiday concept. he believes Seaton should re-launch its entire tourism agenda taking into account changing tastes. He believes in the medium term the business will be forced to close.

Much of the work the Council has been progressing as landowner regarding the Visitor Centre and Seaton Marshes has been informed by the aim of providing a visitor infrastructure that Seaton use to re-launch its tourism agenda. The uncomfortable truth is that at the moment there is little demand for new hotels to serve the current tourism offer - not just Seaton but across the District. We are trying with the Council's land to provide attractions for visitors that may help stimulate demand for hotels. There are no easy answers and this is why we have resolved to pursue with the Rural Renaissance Programme a bid for carrying out a Market destination strategy for East Devon's Jurassic Coast with particular emphasis on hotels and bed space capacity.

Turning to the car parking provision, this is set out in the Transport Assessment Volume 1. There would be 496 new spaces for the retail development that would be available on short term basis for visits to the town.

Hopefully this will go someway to answering the questions raised but in terms of the current application it is premature at this stage to draw conclusions.

Yours sincerely,
Karime Hassan, Corporate Director, Environment cc: Andy Carmichael

Well - do you know what scares me in all that? The fact that Mr Hassan is constantly quoting what the developer says and then says later on that it is "inappropriate to draw any conclusions" and that it is "premature at this stage to draw firm conclusions". Do you find anything in there that reassures you, Seaton resident? It seems that developer's words stick in Mr Hassan's mind much more than those of Seaton residents.

I happen to be able to calculate that the holiday village has 274 chalets (I've stayed there, unlike many of these people, by the way). Let's assume that each of these sleeps 2 people (though some sleep 3 and 6 - I know I have stayed there) = 548 people could sleep there every night. Elsewhere occupancy is given at 77% so that's 422 people sleeping at the holiday camp every night. Multiply that by 7 and that's 2954 bed nights a week. Let's assume that the holiday village is open 50 weeks a year - that's 147,700 tourist bed nights per year.

Now, I don't think there is anything wrong with my maths there - so how does Karime Hassan get 26,000? (Why does he get 26,000 is another story).

We know from Government figures that to replace one overnight tourist you need three day visitors. We know from the Jurassic Coast documents that they consider day visitors a poor substitute for night visitors. So, we would need to attract 147,700 x 3 = 443,100 new tourists to Seaton to replace the holiday village.

How many are we getting? 230,000 for the Visitor Centre and 30,000 for the Wetlands Centre = 260,000. 443,100 - 230,000 = 183,100 lost day visitors or 61,034 overnight visitors.

Would someone check this and see if I have it right? Perhaps we could start with Mr Martin Jenkins, Sales Manager of Hollybush Hotels: 0845 450 596 - he surely wouldn't want to talk down his sales figures would he!