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Monday 19 October 2015

The Carbuncle Cup Prize for East Devon's new buildings

The UK's biggest architecture prize has just been announced:
Riba Stirling Prize 2015: Wandsworth school wins prestigious architecture award for Britain's best new building | Architecture | Culture | The Independent

A more infamous prize is awarded to the worst piece of architecture:
Carbuncle Cup 2015 winner announced | Features | Building Design

The excuse for bad design is that it 'creates jobs':
Futures Forum: Woolwich Central and the Carbuncle Cup: "We worked and consulted with local communities and [the] developments have had a positive effect. We've created more than 1,000 jobs and built much-needed homes..."

It has been suggested that East Devon would be in the running for such an award.

The problem seems to be that we are spoilt for choice.

There is the ED Business Centre, site of the proposed new HQ for the District Council:



EDDC’s relocation project….let’s take a close look | East Devon Watch
East Devon Business Centre - East Devon
Futures Forum: Parking in East Devon: where and how much...

What about the jewel of the District Council's artistic offerings, also in Honiton:



A Venue in Honiton, Devon for music, theatre and other events | The Beehive Honiton
Questions raised over finances of £2m Honiton Beehive centre ahead of independent audit | Exeter Express and Echo

And there is the architectural splendour that graces Exmouth's seafront:



Exmouth’s Premier Inn ready to open for business | Exeter Express and Echo
Exmouth Vision
Regeneration projects in Exmouth - East Devon

... which replaced this little squat thing in a bit of useless parkland:

Elizabeth Hall, Exmouth (C) Derek Harper

Photo of Elizabeth Hall, Exmouth
12,000 battle to save Exmouth hall facing sell-off in seafront shake-up | Western Morning News
Friends of Elizabeth Hall
Premier Inn hotel work begins on Exmouth's Elizabeth Hall site - BBC News
Further along the coast, the new medical centre in Sidmouth isn't exactly inspiring:



New medical centre ‘cut off’ - News - Sidmouth Herald
The Beacon Medical Centre - Information about the doctors surgery opening hours, appointments, online prescriptions, health information and much more

Nor is the centre of the Jurassic Coast:

Seaton-Jurassic-Coast-Aerial-View

Seaton Jurassic - Jurassic Coast
Seaton Visitor Centre Trust
Seaton Jurassic - East Devon
Trust to reveal plans for £4m Jurassic Coast visitor centre | Western Morning News

Then there are the concepts that didn't get very far:
Futures Forum: Skypark and “authoritarian high modernism”
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: and the Skypark fly-through: "Many a contentious proposal has shimmied through the planning process (and on to the sales office) on the back of a series of CGIs, gleaming evocations that are liable to be slight on detail and heavy on seductive gleam."

This is all rather depressingly expensive.

And yet the District Council wants to demolish a significant Victorian hotel:



Moving and Improving - East Devon
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