The European Court of Town Rights
What does make a town a town rather than a village?
Well, let's look at our local towns: Axminster, Honiton, Sidmouth, Ottery St Mary.
They are all shopping centres for the villages around them. Yes, well we can say that about Seaton. They all have town halls - yes, Seaton qualifies there too. So, we must be a town like all the others then?
No, definitely not. So what is different about the others? What do they have that we don't have?
Well, Sidmouth, Honiton and Axminster have public swimming pools - here we have a "fun" pool at the holiday village, which we may be about to lose. They ALL have sports and leisure centres AND youth centres - even Ottery, which is smaller than Seaton. We have no sport or leisure facility and neither do we have a youth centre. Can you imagine a town without ANY of these facilities? Yes, it exists here in Seaton.
Perhaps we should be downgraded to village status - except that many East Devon villages have more facilities than we do!
What is it about Seaton that means that East Devon District Council pretends that we don't exist when it comes to the facilities that all the other towns in the area take for granted? Why is Seaton always refused facilities that others have had for years? Why can money be found to run something like the "East Devon Tennis Centre" in Exmouth and yet there isn't enough money either in EDDC's coffers nor the developers to let us have a purpose-built community centre in the regeneration area? The developers say they can't afford it. Well, if they can't afford to let us have a small piece of land as a community centre and a relatively straightforward building, are they financially fit enough to develop the land at all?
How come they can bring in one million tons of infill to raise the site 2-3 metres (guess how much that will cost) yet they can't afford to build us a community centre. No wait - there is Section 106 money - that's what it is supposed to be for. So what will it be spent on: 250 acres of marshland, a tiny visitor centre and maybe up to 75 affordable homes out of 500. And that's it, folks.
1,200 new people in the town, possibly more (hopefully, some of them children but the homes will probably go to the elderly and second homers). What will they all do in a town where the last bus from from Exeter is 20.45 and the last bus from Axminster is 18.25 and there are absolutely no facilities for them?
Oh, I remember now what the developer said to me personally when I asked this very question: "Shopping as leisure". So, instead of going to our gym or swimming pool or youth centre, we hang out at the supermarket - the biggest building by far in the town. Yeay - can't wait!
It's not going to be easy living in a town with all those new people and only up to 150 new jobs (they say 300, but that includes the 150 to be lost at the holiday village and takes no account of the jobs that will go when other shops close). AND the jobs will almost certainly be minimum-wage part-time, temporary or seasonal jobs.
So, what will we all do if we can't (or won't) "shop for leisure"? What will the youngsters do, what will those who want to keep fit and healthy do (we can't walk on the marshes in the dark EDDC).
If there were Human Rights legislation for places as well as people and you had "Town Rights" we could take our case to the "Europen Court of Town Rights" and EDDC would certainly be found guilty of violating our Town Rights and be forced to make available in Seaton the same facilities as in ALL the other towns in the area!
Stand Up For Seaton!
posted by Fighting for East Devon's future @ 11:03 am
8 Comments:
It does seem that we're a "second class town" here doesn't it?
Exmouth gets attention because it has some 35% of the east devon population, Honiton gets attention because its on the main drag so too is Axminster, Sidmouth gets attention because...well I can't think of a reason...
can we join west dorset?
I noticed that Colyton (it's a town) are looking to develop a local plan now...probably before some gang of muppets attempts to screw their town up;0)
My aunt and Mum who went to school nearby in Shute (so technically I'm not an incomer really...) said that in the 1950's Seaton was viewed then as a "second class" town.
Why?
It doesn't have to be like this. We can change it.
It is just crazy! I still find it hard to get my head around the stupidity of the entire plan!
It will encourage more use of cars, more risc of flooding, less community interaction areas, less use of the wonderful individual small shops, less faciclities for sport and leisure etc. All this plus more epople to experience the lack of community and facilities!
This is called progress???!!
With global warming and the delicate state of our precious planet, how can humans be so naive and blind! What a terrible legacy for future generations - and when in a position to make a positive impact by our actions.
I absolutely agree with Claire. That's what makes me mad and sad. The fact that we have here an opportunity to show people how it can be done and basically EDDC, by not discouraging the developers from putting in this plan right from the start and being so positive about it and on their side, it has said "Forget it, this is Seaton, it doesn't deserve it - and global warming, what global warming?".
What a legacy to leave to our children - should we be lucky enough to have anything to leave.
There's no doubt about it Seaton is the "poor relation" and we all know what happens to them. In slightly less enlightened times they would have been put in the workhouse. Out of sight out of mind. Thats what the difference is. Apart from this new and innovative web site, I have seen no effective means for anyone to represent their views and aspirations for the Town. Bringing about change is always difficult and when it involves effective planning and commitment to invest then it becomes all the harder. The formula has been drawn up and apparently discarded by EDDC, as the have bent over backwards to try to make the Developers "vision"?? come into being. I think SU4S has undoubtedly won the argument in terms of pointing out the major shortcomings of the plan and I can only hope that this is reflected in the final outcome.
Seatons' lament
I can see why it makes you glum, Seaton Town is overrun, with Developers' spin and Council greed there will be nothing left for child in need.
Knock it down and build a slum the Developers will, if we don't stand against their plans so underhand.
But keep good heart till judgement day when they will fail and the people will have their way.
(With apologies to Rupert Bear et al).
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