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Wednesday 13 December 2017

Plans for Port Royal: the Drill Hall: a short modern history

The best place to go for a history - both ancient and modern - of the Drill Hall on Sidmouth's Esplanade is a specific site set up to carry out research and provide an archive of material:
Sidmouth Drill Hall Research Site - Sidmouth Drill Hall Research Site

There is also a separate 'campaign' site:
Rescue Sidmouth Drill Hall - Sidmouth Drill Hall Rescue
Mary launches new campaign to ‘rescue’ Sidmouth Drill Hall - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

The Drill Hall is very controversial issue - with disputes over ownership and covenants:
‘They’ve stolen our Drill Hall’ - claim - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

And a new campaign was launched this summer:
Campaigners with alternative vision for Port Royal accused of ‘scare-mongering’ - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

The 'campaign' goes back some years, though, with the Vision Group being set up in 2005 with a primary focus on Port Royal:
The day SVA became pro-active in a Vision for Sidmouth - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
EDDC throw out marina - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (March 2008)
Sidmouth Port Royal challenge to town's businesses and experts - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Sept 2009)
Sidmouth Vision Group hosts Port Royal events - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (June 2010)
Sidmouth Port Royal development hope - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Dec 2010)

Various amounts of money keep appearing:


Sidmouth's Port Royal redevelopment hiccup
31 August 2009
LACK of money and staff could mean redevelopment plans for Sidmouth s Port Royal area are put on hold.
Following the departure of its Urban Designer and the post being frozen, East Devon District Council has no internal resources to progress a development brief for the Port Royal site, says corporate director Karime Hassan, in a report before the council's executive board next Wednesday (September 2), and private consultants would have to be engaged, at an estimated cost of £60,000, to produce the brief.
Councillors have to decide whether Exmouth's redevelopment brief takes priority.
Mr Hassan reports: "The council has previously agreed to work with the Town Council to produce the development brief, and Sidmouth Vision (Group) and others have also signalled their interest. A lot of time will need to be invested in community consultation and the cost of the brief will need to reflect a significant investment of time."
There is no funding shown in EDDC's revenue budget for such work and the only source of potential funding would be the Local Authority Business Grant Initiative. "There is sufficient funding in the LAGBI to take forward a development brief, but it does mean less funding is available to invest in the regeneration programmes for Exmouth and Seaton," states Mr Hassan.
Unless EDDC can secure half of the money needed through match-funding, possibly through Sidmouth Town Council or the private sector, so the district's costs would be kept to £25,000, it seems the project could be mothballed.
Part of the scheme to re-develop the Ham Lane/Port Royal area would involve the acquisition of the Drill Hall site, and in February 2008 the executive decided to negotiate with the trustees of the Army Cadet Force to acquire the hall and work with the ACF to re-locate the cadets to a new HQ. Permission has been granted for a joint meeting place for ACF and ATC and rifle range at Chambers Close, Stowford Rise, but executive members will be told the scheme, together with the site value, may cost more than the Drill Hall site is worth.
Councillors will be asked to consider what priority they want to place on producing a development brief for Port Royal and signal the possibility of match-funding to the town council.


Sidmouth's Port Royal redevelopment hiccup - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

And so the tale has wended its sorry way:
Port Royal NOT for sale says EDDC - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (March 2009)
Mystery bid for Sidmouth's Port Royal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Sept 2009)
Key agreement in Sidmouth Port Royal re-development - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Nov 2010)
Regeneration of Sidmouth’s Port Royal inches closer after £500k deal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (or £550k?? Nov 2011)
EDDC budget £48k to demolish Sidmouth’s drill hall - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Dec 2011)


£90k strategy could boost Port Royal
01 February 2012

Stefan Gordon
Sidmouth, Port Royal. Picture by Alex Walton. 
A REGENERATION pledge of £90,000 over three years could help kick-start a long-awaited bid to change the face of Sidmouth seafront.
Port Royal is one of three projects that would benefit from mooted “town centre renewal and resilience strategies” paid for by East Devon District Council (EDDC). Overview and scrutiny committee members last week ruled £30,000, for the first year of the scheme, should be catered for in the authority’s budget for 2012/13 – despite concerns from some the project was “premature”.
The funding had initially been omitted and a “special item bid” for its inclusion was made. Projects in Axminster and Honiton would also benefit.
Scrutiny committee members heard that the funding would allow ‘preparation and foundation work’ to be done for when the economy picks up.
Preliminary graft would mean Port Royal could be “ready for growth, ready for change,” said Councillor Andrew Moulding.
However, some councillors wanted to see the matter postponed for a year so ongoing regeneration schemes in Exmouth and Seaton could progress more.
“I’m not against the principle but the timing - it is not now,” said Cllr Philip Skinner. Cllr Roger Giles praised an “excellent initiative” but said: “It’s a question of timing. If you agree this, you are agreeing £30,000 for three years – so it’s £90,000. I’d be delighted to support it, but it’s premature.”
Backing the bid for funding, Cllr Stuart Hughes said: “It’s time to prepare for the future and kick start the Port Royal development – it’s very important for the town.”
Cllr Graham Troman added: “People in Sidmouth are forever talking about what we’re going to do. We need to be working on it.”
Councillors voted seven to four in favour of recommending the cash be included in the budget. 
EDDC’s cabinet will make a final decision of the issue.


Bid to save ‘iconic’ Sidmouth seafront building
09 May 2012
Stefan Gordon
Louise, Hattie, Kate, Matt, Darcie and Coco at the Sidmouth Drill Hall protesting against the council's plans to replace the derelict building with a car park. Picture by Alex Walton. 
YOUNG families have launched a bid to save Sidmouth’s “iconic” seafront Drill Hall from demolition.

A group of friends turned campaigners want the community to decide the fate of the 117-year-old building – and feel the bid can unite generations.
East Devon District Council (EDDC) members earmarked £48,000 to flatten the venue - branded “unsafe and unusable” - four months ago. A temporary car park was suggested for the site. However, the authority told the Herald yesterday that there were currently “no plans” for the hall.

The prime site is viewed as a key in the regeneration of Port Royal.
EDDC took ownership of the site last year in a land swap deal that saw it spend £500,000 on a new headquarters for the Wessex Reserve Forces and Cadet Association in Chambers Close.
An EDDC spokesman said: “The long-term future of the site has not been decided, but it is proposed it should form part of a wider opportunity to re-generate this part of the seafront. In the meantime, the building will remain as it is until a planning application comes forward for an alternative use.”
Minutes of a meeting on November 30 show cabinet members resolved the hall should be demolished to avoid maintenance costs.


Bid to save ‘iconic’ Sidmouth seafront building - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald 

Shock change of plan for Drill Hall
11 March 2013 

Stefan Gordon
Alex Vick's alternative designs for the Drill Hall have got the town talking
SIDMOUTH’S Drill Hall has been granted a stay of execution in response to calls from campaigners to save the seafront building from demolition and refurbish it for community use.
In the short term, the council’s intention had been to demolish the hall and allow boat parking on the levelled site. Around £11,000 was spent on removing asbestos in December.


Shock change of plan for Drill Hall - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald 

Port Royal future: ‘Let’s get the community on board’
09 April 2013
Stefan Gordon
Sidmouth, Port Royal. Picture by Alex Walton. 
RESIDENTS have been challenged to come up with ideas on how to change the face of Sidmouth seafront by driving forces striving for a people-powered regeneration of Port Royal. A once-shelved brief put together by a group of community members was this week hailed as a ‘starting-point’ in a move it is hoped will kick-start a long-awaited scheme for the area.
Sidmouth Town Council has vowed to engage with district authority bosses to develop proposals for the site – and civic leaders say public consultation will be ‘key’.
The Port Royal Steering Group (PRSG) dossier describes – but does not promote – a range of options, including high-rise, luxury flats, a pedestrian-friendly ‘leisure’ retreat, the detailed reworking of the Ham car parks and the introduction of a jetty for waterborne transport links. The conservation and refurbishment of the Drill Hall, or its demolition to make way for a more expensive regeneration of the whole area while retaining current uses, are also featured.
The only option ruled out on the grounds of ‘physical geography and costs’ is a substantial marina.


Port Royal future: ‘Let’s get the community on board’ - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald 

Inspiring residents will secure Drill Hall future
19 April 2013
Stephen Sumner
Drill Hall campaigners want to give an inspiring vision to capture the imaginations of Sidmouth residents and get their backing. 
An open meeting on Tuesday brought together local activists with representatives of FolkWeek and cycling charity Sustrans.
Campaign leader Matt Booth led discussions on how to move forward after the building’s stay of demolition, including reaching a purported £440,000 asking price. 
He said the site could make a developer ‘five or 10 million’ pounds, but the cost to the town would be greater than that. The Drill Hall advocate added that there may be some debate over who owns it, or what the draft Local Plan has in store for Port Royal, but that should not make them falter.
...a potential cycle link from Feniton to Sidmouth. The latter idea was backed by Michael Brittain, of Sustrans, and the Drill Hall could benefit from its bid for cash from the Coastal Communities Fund.
Businessman Richard Eley said the asking price was likely to be £440,000, because that was the price that was previously paid for it, and the people of Sidmouth would get the first chance to buy it, ahead of any developers.

Inspiring residents will secure Drill Hall future - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

Etc, etc...
Sea Fest is a splash hit! - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (April 2014)
The real issue going on here... - Letters - Sidmouth Herald (May 2014)
Drill Hall facts - Letters - Sidmouth Herald (May 2014)
Council marks time on old Drill Hall blueprint - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (June 2014)
‘Drill Hall must not hinder future plans at Port Royal’ - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Oct 2014)
Drill Hall campaigners share vision at new HQ - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (June 2015)
‘War’ cry over future of eastern town - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Oct 2015)
Hugo Swire’s multi-storey ‘big vision’ for Sidmouth - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Nov 2015)
Re-imagining Port Royal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Jan 2016)
Streetlife users share ideas for Re-imagining Port Royal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Jan 2016)
Neighbourhood plan: ‘Chance for Sidmouth to move ahead together’ - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Feb 2016)
Campaigners make case for Sidmouth’s Drill Hall - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (March 2016)
Global interest in competition to ‘re-imagine’ Sidmouth - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (March 2016)
Flood prevention and Sidmouth east should be developed together says MP - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (April 2016)
Storm over leaflet about future of Sidmouth seafront - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Aug 2016)
Will the Ham be in Sidmouth redevelopment plan? - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Oct 2016)
Exciting plans to protect and promote Sidmouth’s unique coastal heritage - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (March 2017)
First look at plans for Sidmouth’s Port Royal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (June 2017)
‘Predictable’, ‘too big’, ‘great’ - reaction to Port Royal proposal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (July 2017)
‘Retain, refurbish, re-use’ - campaigners’ alternative vision for Sidmouth’s Port Royal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (July 2017)
Graham shares alternative vision for Port Royal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (July 2017)
SVA weighs in on plans for Sidmouth’s Port Royal - Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald (Aug 2017)
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