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Stand Up For Seaton (SU4S)

Community Action for Seaton's Regeneration Area, 80% owned by Tesco - a floodplain on a World Heritage site bordered by nature reserves, tidal river, the sea and the unspoilt town. SU4S is a state of mind - no members, no structure, no politics. SU4S has objected to 2 planning applications by Tesco, including one for a massive superstore/dot com distribution centre which led to the recent closure on the site of 400 tourist beds with the loss of 150 jobs,a gym and pool - all used by locals.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Report on flooding in Tewkesbury last year

Interesting report
here
on why the flooding in Tewkesbury in 2007 has led the National Flood Forum and Severn and Avon Valley Combined Flood Group to give reasons why there should be no further building on flood plains. Very interesting to see the predictions of government agencies about where flooding would be expected to take place and where it actually took place. Also really interesting to see the state of the floodwater channels which existed in the town and why they didn't do their job.

The report says that local communities are experts on flooding in their areas and they are not routinely consulted when decisions are made.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Tesco in Barnstaple

VERY interesting post on the Tesco planning application in Barnstaple here.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Insurers demand action on floods

Check out this link to the BBC website here

which includes the following statements:

However, Environment Minister Phil Woolas said it was unfair to suggest that nothing had changed."A huge amount of work has been going on since the floods of last year, by the Environment Agency and local authorities, to put in place flood defence programmes," he said.

He said that both the agency and councils were now using their powers to restrict building on flood plains.Also, the government announced last month that it would bring forward a Flood Bill to give the Environment Agency and councils more powers to prevent flooding.

But the ABI warned that what were once freak incidents are now becoming commonplace. It said not enough was known about the real threat of flooding, whether it be from rivers, drains, or the sea. And it pointed out that two-thirds of last year's flooding came from surface water or sewage flooding.

Restricting building on flood plains? New one on me.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Racal site

Good to hear from the owners of the Racal site that they are demolishing because they will have a planning application in soon. Particularly glad that their reason isn't that ,under the new legislation, the site will attract business rates if it has an empty building on it but no business rates if there is no building on it.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Update

News from Tesco to the Seaton community: Nothing
News from Sainsbury to the Seaton community: Nothing
News from East Devon District Council to the Seaton community: Nothing
News from Seaton Town Council to the Seaton community: Nothing
Useful news in local newspapers: Nothing

Ever felt that the Seaton community is invisible!

Difficult planning applications usually go in just before a public holiday or school holidays to cut down the time people have to respond. What's the betting that there will be one in mid-July (or like Liatris - at Christmas!).