Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: deciding to sell >>> Audit and Scrutiny combined Cttees: Thursday 12th March >>> reports
In doing so, the District Council has proposed that the parkland left over from the proposed development be handed over to the Town Council - but with conditions:
Plan to relocate East Devon Council offices moving ahead
“The council legal department has still failed to contact the people we referred them to in January 2008, who could prove the existence of the ‘lost’ covenant on the Drill Hall".
Mr Crick [chair of the VGS] said that he wrote several times to EDDC about the 19th-century covenant for the Drill Hall, which he believes would prove that ownership for the site should belong to the public. "It was only after several letters from me that EDDC finally replied and told me that they didn’t believe the covenant existed, and even if it did it wouldn’t say that the public could take over ownership, which many people believe".
'Filthy' Drill Hall says Sidmouth Vision Group - News - Sidmouth Herald
SIDMOUTH: Council is ‘desperate to sell’ an historic part of town - View from Sidmouth
In doing so, the District Council has proposed that the parkland left over from the proposed development be handed over to the Town Council - but with conditions:
The council has decided to sell 1.8 hectares of land at Knowle, including the area currently occupied by buildings and asphalt car parks, plus 14 per cent of the remaining parkland including the upper terraces, to retirement homes developer Pegasus Life Ltd for around £8m.
This month, at a joint meeting of the Audit and Governance and Overview and Scrutiny committees, members voted in favour of the sale of the council’s headquarters and recommended approval for its relocation.
Their backing is subject to a condition that as part of the negotiations with Sidmouth Town Council, a covenant is proposed to ensure that the remaining surrounding parkland is not built on and remains as public space.
Plan to relocate East Devon Council offices moving ahead | Exeter Express and Echo
This begs several questions:
> Has the Town Council been approached - even informally - and can the District Council be sure that they would accept responsibility for this park? Why this area and not the Byes or Connaught Gardens?
Futures Forum: Knowle: the Byes and when a 'meadow' is a 'park'...
Futures Forum: Knowle: the Byes and when a 'meadow' is a 'park': part two
> To what extent are these parks and others in the District not considered 'surplus' to requirement?
Futures Forum: Knowle: the Byes and when a 'meadow' is a 'park': part three
LAND AT KNOWLE AND MANSTONE DEPOT, SIDMOUTH - Heynes Planning - September 2014
Heynes Planning - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
> Why is does one authority deem it necessary to prevent another from maximising the value of its (future) assets? The District Council has ignored attempts to prove that the Knowle site should not be 'asset stripped'.
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "gaining the most out of your existing buildings and demonstrating how they can continue to be valuable assets"
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "We’re digging into the opportunities to release assets and invest in assets to increase revenue streams."
> What of the District Council's own record when it comes to respecting the provenance of other covenants? There have been several instances when 'inconvenient' covenants have been dealt with or denied the existence of:
Exmouth: Seafront covenants
On 12th May 2010 East Devon District Council bought out all the seafront covenants from Clinton Devon Estates for £50,000 plus legal fees of £9,000.
This came as a great surprise to residents. The covenants had references to ‘a place where visitors can sit and enjoy the sea and coast view in quiet and comfort’ and ‘such buildings and erections shall be subject to supervision and to rules and regulations usually adopted in a first-class residential seaside town’.
The effect of the removal of the protection afforded by the covenants would seem to have opened the door for EDDC’s seafront regeneration plans. Given the importance of the seafront to town and visitors it is considered a gross act of betrayal that the public were never consulted on the covenant issue.
Exmouth | East Devon Alliance
Exmouth Seafront Covenants: “an unfortunate public airing” | East Devon Watch
Elizabeth Hall Exmouth - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
'Filthy' Drill Hall says Sidmouth Vision Group
This month, at a joint meeting of the Audit and Governance and Overview and Scrutiny committees, members voted in favour of the sale of the council’s headquarters and recommended approval for its relocation.
Their backing is subject to a condition that as part of the negotiations with Sidmouth Town Council, a covenant is proposed to ensure that the remaining surrounding parkland is not built on and remains as public space.
Plan to relocate East Devon Council offices moving ahead | Exeter Express and Echo
This begs several questions:
> Has the Town Council been approached - even informally - and can the District Council be sure that they would accept responsibility for this park? Why this area and not the Byes or Connaught Gardens?
Futures Forum: Knowle: the Byes and when a 'meadow' is a 'park'...
Futures Forum: Knowle: the Byes and when a 'meadow' is a 'park': part two
> To what extent are these parks and others in the District not considered 'surplus' to requirement?
Futures Forum: Knowle: the Byes and when a 'meadow' is a 'park': part three
LAND AT KNOWLE AND MANSTONE DEPOT, SIDMOUTH - Heynes Planning - September 2014
Heynes Planning - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
> Why is does one authority deem it necessary to prevent another from maximising the value of its (future) assets? The District Council has ignored attempts to prove that the Knowle site should not be 'asset stripped'.
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "gaining the most out of your existing buildings and demonstrating how they can continue to be valuable assets"
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "We’re digging into the opportunities to release assets and invest in assets to increase revenue streams."
> What of the District Council's own record when it comes to respecting the provenance of other covenants? There have been several instances when 'inconvenient' covenants have been dealt with or denied the existence of:
Exmouth: Seafront covenants
On 12th May 2010 East Devon District Council bought out all the seafront covenants from Clinton Devon Estates for £50,000 plus legal fees of £9,000.
This came as a great surprise to residents. The covenants had references to ‘a place where visitors can sit and enjoy the sea and coast view in quiet and comfort’ and ‘such buildings and erections shall be subject to supervision and to rules and regulations usually adopted in a first-class residential seaside town’.
The effect of the removal of the protection afforded by the covenants would seem to have opened the door for EDDC’s seafront regeneration plans. Given the importance of the seafront to town and visitors it is considered a gross act of betrayal that the public were never consulted on the covenant issue.
Exmouth | East Devon Alliance
Exmouth Seafront Covenants: “an unfortunate public airing” | East Devon Watch
Elizabeth Hall Exmouth - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
'Filthy' Drill Hall says Sidmouth Vision Group
“The council legal department has still failed to contact the people we referred them to in January 2008, who could prove the existence of the ‘lost’ covenant on the Drill Hall".
Mr Crick [chair of the VGS] said that he wrote several times to EDDC about the 19th-century covenant for the Drill Hall, which he believes would prove that ownership for the site should belong to the public. "It was only after several letters from me that EDDC finally replied and told me that they didn’t believe the covenant existed, and even if it did it wouldn’t say that the public could take over ownership, which many people believe".
'Filthy' Drill Hall says Sidmouth Vision Group - News - Sidmouth Herald
SIDMOUTH: Council is ‘desperate to sell’ an historic part of town - View from Sidmouth
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