More historic blue plaques for Sidmouth > SVA launches 'blue book'

The SVA has been busy updating its blue plaques:
Futures Forum: More historic blue plaques for Sidmouth nominated > including Woolcombe House

And this week, it has published its latest volume: 

Sidmouth history on display with new release of blue plaque book

PUBLISHED: 14:09 08 May 2019

Clarissa Place

Sidmouth's most important buildings and people are the centre of a guide book highlighting the town's history.

The Sid Vale Association (SVA) launched the 'blue book' on Wednesday, a comprehensive guide to all 64 of the town's blue plaques.

It took a dedicated team two years to compile due to extensive research, consideration and application to secure the prestigious plaques for a number of new sites.

Kennaway House recently received its plaque due to its connection to J.R.R. Tolkien, who is said to have written much of The Lord of the Rings in Aurora, now the back portion of the Regency property.

Richard Thurlow, from the SVA said at the launch on Wednesday: "This marks the culmination of a huge amount of work over the last couple of years from a dedicated team. I'm very pleased to launch the blue book today.

"We had to research the history or update the history to make sure it was all relevant and sometimes new facts have come to light. The number [of plaques] is almost irrelevant. We have had to judge the level of what we want to put a blue plaque on, is the building important architecturally? Has it got any historical importance and who visited there? If any of those three connections were met then it was considered for a blue plaque."

It is hoped there will be blue plaque tours around the town in future.

Julia Creeke first published Life and Times in Sidmouth in 1992 when there were 32 plaques and updated the guide in 2012. She teamed up again with the SVA when it was decided to rewrite the book back in 2016. The third edition is complemented by a pocket size version of the guide.

Ms Creeke was assisted this time by Nigel Hyman, curator of Sidmouth Museum, John McCarthy, illustrator John Dowell and editor Nigel Rugg-Gunn.

Ms Creeke said: "We started work on this some two-and-a-bit years ago, I thought I cannot go on doing this by myself and sent out a cry for help and help was very forthcoming. It's going to tell a lot of people a lot about our history."

Both Mr Thurlow and Ms Creeke each received a small token for their dedication to the project.

The book is now on sale for £9.75, with the pocket size guide available for £1.50.

SVA release new book on history of Sidmouth's 64 blue plaques | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

With more information here:
Blue Plaques - SVA
Sidmouth Town Website - Blue Plaques
Sidmouth Town Website - The Sidmouth Blue Plaque Walk
Blue Plaque for Kennaway House!
Alma Bridge, Sidmouth blue plaque | Open Plaques
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East Devon Heritage Strategy and Local List of Heritage Assets >>> report from strategic planning cttee

Last month's District Council Strategic Planning Committee considered its heritage strategy:
Futures Forum: East Devon Heritage Strategy and Local List of Heritage Assets >>> report for strategic planning cttee

The 'draft minutes' have just been published:
Browse meetings - Strategic Planning Committee - East Devon

Interestingly, East Budleigh has been chosen as a pilot scheme - because of its relative size and because of good contacts with the Otter Valley Association.

Nevertheless, due to the intervention of Cllr David Barratt of Sidmouth, it was made clear that the Sid Vale Association would be involved in a second, larger pilot scheme: 

Heritage Strategy 

The report presented to the committee outlined the outcome of the public consultation on the Heritage Strategy and sought agreement to the adoption of the East Devon Heritage Strategy 2019 – 2031, subject to amendments outlined in the report and to the introduction of a pilot scheme for a Conservation Area review in a phased approach for East Budleigh including the Otter Valley Association. 
The Service Lead, Planning Strategy and Development Management advised that 34 responses to the consultation had been received from consultees including local history and amenity groups, neighbourhood planning groups, and town and parish councils. Members noted that the responses received were largely positive including minor comments about detail and engagement with other groups and comments about the timing and monitoring of the action plan. Members also noted a positive response had been received from Historic England endorsing the strategy. 

The Committee were supportive of the recommendation and comments included:

 Clarification was sought about recommending East Budleigh for the pilot scheme. In response the Service Lead, Planning Strategy and Development Management advised East Budleigh was a typical example of a conservation area with a community group and neighbourhood planning group that were keen to be involved. 
 Clarification was sought if East Budleigh had been chosen because of its historic association. In response the Service Lead, Planning Strategy and Development Management confirmed this was the main reason and drew attention to the Otter Valley Association and the Neighbourhood Planning Groups. 
 Clarification was sought whether the parish council was aware of the proposal. In response the Service Lead, Planning Strategy was not able to confirm but advised the Policy Team had liaised with all the community groups. 
 Clarification was sought on the Sid Vale Association’s interest on the pilot scheme and whether two schemes could be run at the same time. The Service Lead, Planning Strategy and Development Management advised he was aware there had been interest but wanted to use a smaller town for the pilot to learn from; 
 The need for an additional planning officer to help undertake the task. In response the Chief Executive confirmed that additional staff resources were not envisaged; 
 The need to protect heritage; 
 The need to engage with national bodies including The National Trust; 

RESOLVED: 
1. That the East Devon Heritage Strategy 2019 – 2031 as detailed in this report be approved. 
2. That the pilot scheme for a Conservation Area review for East Budleigh including the Otter Valley Association as described in the Heritage Strategy be approved.


Printed minutes 26th-Mar-2019 10.00 Strategic Planning Committee.pdf
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East Devon Heritage Strategy and Local List of Heritage Assets >>> report for strategic planning cttee

The District Council's heritage planning officer has been consulting widely over their Heritage Strategy:
Futures Forum: East Devon Local List of Heritage Assets >>> process to go out to public consultation

Yesterday, the council's Strategic Planning Cttee met up to consider the results of this consultation:
Agenda for Strategic Planning Committee on Tuesday, 26th March, 2019, 10.00 am - East Devon

And the report's recommendations are as follows:

Heritage Strategy 

Purpose of report: 

To advise Members on the outcome of the public consultation on the Heritage Strategy and propose that it be adopted. 

Recommendation: 

1. The East Devon Heritage Strategy 2019 -2031 be adopted subject to amendments arising from the consultation as set out in this report. 

2. That a pilot scheme for a Conservation Area review involving the community as described in the Heritage Strategy be agreed for East Budleigh including the Otter Valley Association. 

Reason for recommendation: 

To gain formal approval for the amended Heritage Strategy 2019 – 2031 and to gain approval for a pilot scheme involving the community at East Budleigh.

Item 7 Heritage Strategy Committee Report.pdf

Congratulations to the Otter Valley Assn - who have really pushed for this strategy and listing:
Futures Forum: Community Assets @ Budleigh Salterton
Futures Forum: District Council postpones yet again its review into heritage assets
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East Devon AONB Heritage Conference > Saturday 27th April

The East Devon AONB annual conference is always interesting: 

AONB Heritage Conference 2019

Saturday 27 April 2019

Artefacts, Museums and the Historic Environment

The conference will this year explore themes relating to the local distinctiveness of East Devon museums, the landscape that surrounds them and the history of their collections.

As in previous years, the conference will include a mix of presentations by heritage professionals and local enthusiasts, plus a European dimension.

Saturday 27 April 2019 - 9.30am - 4.00pm

Early bird fee of £18 per person (if received by 28 Feb). Fee £20 thereafter. Includes lunch and refreshments.

View more information and the booking form here

Heritage Conference flyer2019.pdf
East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Welcome - East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
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1839: the Great Landslide creates the Undercliff >>> >>> talk on Friday 8th March

It happened 180 years ago: 
The Undercliff - Wikipedia
Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs - Explore Devon

And there's an opportunity next week to hear about what happened when there was a massive land slip between Seaton and Lyme Regis:

SUPPER & CONVERSATION: THE GREAT LANDSLIDE OF 1839

Speaker: Richard Edmonds

The tumultuous accounts of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 1839 record one of the most famous and celebrated landslide events in the World which took place in the undercliff between Axmouth and Lyme Regis. Eyewitnesses describe a huge convulsion in the earth where 16 acres of land, 8 million tonnes of rock, slipped seaward creating Goat Island isolated from the fields behind by a yawning chasm. The sea bed was heaved up to form a reef offshore, and the Victorians, being fans of the forces of nature, flocked to this coast to marvel at the spectacle.

Since then a number of scientists have developed theories to explain this complex landslide but there is no agreement and no detailed map to base any interpretations on, however, with the entire coast of England now being surveyed under a strategic monitoring programme the answers may be in sight.

Richard Edmond’s love of the Jurassic Coast started with the chance finding of a perfect pyrite (fools gold) ammonite when he moved to Lyme Regis in 1972. The spark of love for geology was lit for him. Having spent over 2,500 hours working on exploring and analysing the evidence of The Great Landslide there is no-one more informed than Richard to explain the geology of our local area and the dramatic change made to our coastline by the Great Landslide of 1839.

Supper and Conversation with Richard Edmonds takes place at Trill on Friday 8th March. Book a ticket with dinner, or for the talk only here...

Trill Farm - S&C: THE GREAT LANDSLIDE
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Knowle relocation project: selling off council furniture and chattels to councillors > and not considering public opinion

Over Christmas, a furore erupted over priveledged access by councillors to the furnishings of Knowle:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: selling off council furniture and chattels to councillors

An explanation was given - of sorts:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: selling off council furniture and chattels to councillors > So, that's alright, then.

Devon Live reports on the latest explanation: 

Council management team reminded to 'consider public perception' over way it handled sale of assets at HQ

A furore erupted just before Christmas when it was first revealed that council staff and members, but not the general public, were given the chance to bid on various items from the former Knowle HQ

Daniel Clark Local Democracy Reporter
14 FEB 2019

East Devon District Council’s senior management team have been rebuked by scrutiny councillors after failing to consider the public perception over the sell-off of assets from their former Knowle HQ.

The council this week completed its move from its former Sidmouth home at the Knowle, to Exmouth town hall and the new Honiton Heathpark HQ, and as part of the move, they had to find homes for various items that are unsuitable for its new building.

But a furore erupted just before Christmas when it was first revealed that council staff and members, but not the general public, were given the chance to bid on various items, and then when an email was leaked claiming a councillor managed to buy a large mahogany dining table and 20 chairs for £50 at the internal staff auction, instead of allowing it to be publicly auctioned for the best possible price.

A council spokesman had said that this leaked information was totally incorrect with the bid being for £400 and only including some of the chairs, and that the bid was withdrawn when Exmouth Town Council, who initially declined the offer of the table originally, changed their view just before Christmas and are now expected to take ownership of the table.

East Devon District Council's former HQ at the Knowle (Image: Daniel Clark)

Cllr Ian Thomas, Leader of East Devon District Council, had previously said in a statement: “Our council relocation team has been working with professional auctioneers, Sidmouth Town Museum, charities and clearance specialists, to value and dispose of a wide range of items from our old East Devon District Council offices at The Knowle in Sidmouth.

“As part of this process, we offered our staff and elected members the chance to bid for items that may be of sentimental interest or practical use, but are of negligible commercial value.

“The value of items to be disposed were identified based on the view of experienced professionals. They included the large table from the Members area, which attracted little professional interest with one valuer estimate of just £50.

“All proceeds from this sale and those raised from other sales will go to the Chairman’s Civic Fund, to be donated to nominated charities.”

The new East Devon District Council offices in Honiton
East Devon District Council’s scrutiny committee considered the disposal of the contents of the Knowle at their meeting last Thursday.

Richard Cohen, the Deputy Chief Executive, produced a report that outlined the process of disposal of items from the Knowle prior to handover to PegasusLife for demolition.

He said: “As part of that process and prior to the handover of the old office buildings to the developer, the council needs to clear the buildings. In total there are just over 2,600 separate items in the Knowle.

“The vast majority of these are office furniture: desks, chairs, cabinets etc of varying ages, condition and size. There are also a number of particular items of varying antiquity and value: these involve both furnishings and fixture and fittings. From a perspective of bulk disposal the estimated total weight of all these items is 45 metric tonnes.”

He outlined that Sidmouth Museum and Sidmouth Town Council were both interested in re-home various items, multiple local auction houses were invited in to look over items but that the majority of items were not of interest to them, and that for remaining items an opportunity was offered for council staff and members to bid for items whether for practical or aesthetic reasons.

He said: “These were items that had been attributed little or no sale value by the various professional auctioneers and ranged from standard office furniture items to cupboards, upholstered furnishings, tables, curtains for example. This element of the disposal process involves around seventy separate items and is likely to raise of the order of £2,000 for the Chairman’s chosen charities.”

Mr Cohen added that groups such as Action East Devon, Green Furniture Aid and Hospicare who are all either networked with voluntary groups or can sell furniture via charity outlets were asked whether they had an interest in some of the for the more generic items such desks, chairs and tables, but the response has been largely muted.

East Devon District Council's former HQ at the Knowle (Image: Daniel Clark)

Town and parish councils will also be contacted asking them whether they have an interest in any items with the requirement that they transport said items away themselves, he added.

But councillors said that contrary to what Mr Cohen said, a full list of the items for disposal had not been circulated to them.

Scrutiny committee chairman Cllr Roger Giles said: “There has not been a list that we have seen so could someone produce a list that will be circulated very soon.” He also asked wat do town and parish councils know about the process, as the answer he had heard from them is nothing.

Cllr Cathy Gardner added: “Why was the full explanation of the process not circulated to members before we were given the chance to bid for items? The reason there was a furore around the subject as the offer of sale of items internally was offered in isolation and the lack of communication meant there was a lack of understanding of the wider process that this sat.”

Her recommendation, which the scrutiny committee backed unanimously, was that they remind the senior management team of the council to always consider the public perception of actions taken, particularly when it is involves public assets, and the disposal of public assets.
Council management team reminded to 'consider public perception' over way it handled sale of assets at HQ - Devon Live
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East Devon Local List of Heritage Assets >>> process to go out to public consultation

The consultation on the District Council's heritage strategy has just finished:
Futures Forum: Heritage assets and a Heritage Strategy for East Devon >>> to go out to public consultation

And detailed plans for a 'local list' will be going back to the council next Tuesday: 

Strategic Planning Committee 

29 January 2019

Subject: East Devon Local List of Non-designated Heritage Assets 

Purpose of report: To agree a draft East Devon Local List Guide for public consultation. The draft guide sets out criteria for assessing whether locally important heritage assets should be placed on the East Devon ‘Local List’.

Recommendation: That public consultation is undertaken on the appended draft Local List Guide, to advise local communities on the identification and assessment of non-designated heritage assets for inclusion on a Local List. 

Reason for recommendation: To ensure that the approach towards local listing of heritage assets is undertaken in an open, transparent and consistent basis having regard to Government advice and best practice. 

Officer: Jacqui Best, Planning Policy Officer, jbest@eastdevon.gov.uk 

Report in full 

This report seeks approval for the draft East Devon Local List Guide to be submitted for public consultation, for 6 weeks from 30th January 2019. The guide advises local communities on the identification and assessment of non-designated assets for inclusion on a local list. It will be of interest in particular to specialist local history groups and neighbourhood planning groups in the formulation plans for their local area.


290119strategicplanningcombinedagenda_opt.pdf
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Knowle relocation project: selling off council furniture and chattels to councillors > So, that's alright, then.

The saga over selling off bits of Knowle started off with a letter to Councillors:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: selling off council furniture and chattels to councillors

And spread quickly on-line:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: fantasy 'cost savings over twenty years' are of no interest to people in East Devon

The District Council has just responded: 

Sidmouth and Ottery breaking news and sport - Sidmouth Herald

With the piece already on-line: 

Condemning rumours over East Devon Districts Council’s auction of public property quashed

PUBLISHED: 11:00 18 January 2019
Beth Sharp

East Devon District Council offices at The Knowle. Ref shs 03 19TI 8509. Picture: Terry Ife

Rumours that public property was sold off to council workers behind closed doors for cheap, have been dismissed by council bosses.

The rumours emerged on social media, and several people approached the Herald, as East Devon District Council (EDDC) is preparing to move its Sidmouth headquarters at the Knowle, to Exmouth and Honiton.

As part of the move the authority has been finding homes for various items, that are unsuitable for its new building.

Council bosses have slammed recent claims that one councillor managed to buy a large mahogany dining table and 20 chairs for £50 at an internal staff auction, instead of allowing it to be publicly auctioned for the best possible price. A council spokesman said this was ‘totally incorrect’, with the bid actually being for £400 and only including some of the chairs. However, after the bid was submitted, Exmouth Town Council showed an interest and the councillor who made the £400 offer agreed to withdraw.

The spokesman said they had agreed to use three disposal methods for the items which are no longer needed. There include the use of auction houses for valuable items and an internal auction for staff and members, for items not wanted by the auction houses. Some items have been offered for free to town and parish councils, charities and other local community groups.

Items earmarked for the auction house, including a bell push and a map table. Other tables and chairs are waiting to be sold while valuations are carried out.

The internal auction has already taken place, raising around £2,000 for the Chairman’s Civic Fund’s chosen charities. These items primarily comprise office chairs, bookshelves, metal drawers, small filing cabinets and other small bits of furniture.

There are still a number of items left, including metal filing cabinets, desks, whiteboards and shelves. Some local councils have been in touch requesting some of the items.

Whatever is left will be offered to local charities and other local groups. Once the council has vacated the building, groups will be invited in to see whether there are any other items left over that they want to take.

A spokesman said: “These processes were put in place to achieve the best value for these assets given it was all second-hand, well-used furniture which had a very limited value. Computers and phones have not been offered to staff.”

Condemning rumours over East Devon Districts Council’s auction of public property quashed | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

Others would beg to differ, with a Freedom of Information request asking obvious questions not answered above:
Auction of Council Furniture Chattels, etc - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow

And the East Devon Watch blog has a few more very obvious questions: 

KNOWLE FLOG IT: STATEMENT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

18 January 2019

An “explanation” of the Knowle Flog It fiasco appears in today’s Sidmouth Herald. It appears to be printed verbatim from a council statement.

Owl wonders why this statement was printed without challenging some of its very, very vague claims – one hesitates to use the word ‘facts’. “Journalism”? Not as Owl knows it!

Guess some answers MIGHT come from the Freedom of Information request by an Exmouth resident on 8 January 2019:
https://eastdevonwatch.org/2019/01/10/the-knowle-flog-it-scandal-rumbles-on/

In the meantime:



Amongst Owl’s questions:

It seems Councillor Skinner paid £400 for the table he wanted so urgently – earlier reports mentioned it being valued at a very low price, much lower than £400. Which is correct? And including just how many chairs?

Who decided on the “three disposal methods? It does not appear to be the Asset Management Group.

Which councillors have bought items? Have they declared these on their Registers of Interest?

Which groups were offered ‘free’ items, how were they chosen and by whom? Have any of these groups taken items – and if so, which groups and how much did they pay for them?

What exactly is the Chairman’s Civic Fund and how and when has it been used recently and in the past? What are its rules? Who oversees the disbursements?

Which local groups and charities will be able to bid for what is left after officers and councillors have taken their pick? How have they been chosen and by whom?

Are internal and external auditors happy with the procedures?

Will the Scrutiny Committee be scrutinising these actions?

Owl is sure readers have many more questions!

Knowle Flog It: statement raises more questions than answers | East Devon Watch
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Sidford business park > "Campaigners say that there are broader reasons why the plan should have been refused" beyond "highway safety", including flood risk, visual impact, impact upon listed buildings, impact on the area of outstanding natural beauty, light and noise pollution and questions over the need for the business park.

Only one reason was stated by the planning authority for rejecting plans for an industrial estate at Sidford
Futures Forum: Sidford business park > Fords planning application >>> 18/1094/MOUT >>> REFUSED: but only on grounds of 'highway safety'

However, there were several other grounds on which it could  have been rejected: 

... that it should never have been included in the Local Plan the first place:
Futures Forum: Take the business park land at Sidford out of the Local Plan

... and that there are other, undeveloped sites for employment land:
Futures Forum: Sidford business park > Other sites are available

The latest news from the campaign against the plans is that preparations are being made for a possible appeal - and that the case against will include more than 'highway safety':
Futures Forum: Sidford business park >> campaign group's latest update > approaching any potential planning appeal  

The local media has picked this up, including the Herald:
Campaign group vows to be ready if Sidford Business Park appeal is lodged | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

And Devon Live, with further comment: 

Campaigners are fundraising in case Sidford business park refusal is appealed

East Devon District Council planners in October rejected plans to build industrial, storage and non-residential institutions on agricultural land to the east of Two Bridges Road in Sidford

Daniel Clark Local Democracy Reporter
12:15, 3 JAN 2019



Campaigners have begun fundraising in preparation for any appeal against the refusal of controversial plans for a new business park on the edge of Sidford.

East Devon District Council planners in October rejected plans to build industrial, storage and non-residential institutions on agricultural land to the east of Two Bridges Road in Sidford on the grounds of harm to highway safety, relating to increased heavy goods vehicle usage of the area’s narrow roads.

It was the second time that application has been refused by officers prior to even reaching the planning committee after a similar, but larger, scheme was rejected in 2016.

The applicants, Fords of Sidmouth, have until April 18 to lodge any appeal against the refusal, and the Say NO To Sidford Business Park Campaign have announced that if an appeal was submitted and it went to an inquiry, they would want to fully participate as a ‘Rule 6’ party as part of the process.

Campaigners are delighted that EDDC has said NO to Sidford Business Park (Image: Daniel Clark)

A spokesman said: “We have had to assume that without any evidence to the contrary, the applicants will at some point submit an appeal. We are therefore preparing ourselves should an appeal happen.”

As East Devon District Council refused the scheme solely on highways grounds, the extent of their defence is restricted to the highway not being suitable for the anticipated size and volume of traffic that the Business Park could be expected to generate.

But the Say NO To Sidford Business Park Campaigners say that there are broader reasons why the plan should have been refused, including flood risk, visual impact, impact upon listed buildings, impact on the area of outstanding natural beauty, light and noise pollution and questions over the need for the business park.

The narrow School Street in Sidford that HGVs would have to travel on to access the Sidford Business Park(Image: Daniel Clark)

The spokesman added: “We would want to become a formally registered party which could fully participate at an appeal. We believe that the District Council was wrong to only rely upon highways arguments for its refusal, hence the reason why we feel the need to be a party to any appeal hearing.”

They added that to do this effectively, they will need to employ a planning professional to make the arguments and to cross examine the applicants’ representatives and witnesses, and have begun identifying someone to do that and how much they would cost.

“We are having to assume that we will need to be professionally represented at an appeal if one is held,” they added. “That means that we have to think about how we might raise many thousands of pounds. One way will be to seek pledges of funds from our supporters.”

The current agricultural land that would have become Sidford Business Park (Image: Daniel Clark)

A fundraising ceilidh will be held at Sidford Hall on Saturday, February 23, with tickets costing £5, and the campaign added.

The applicants have not commented publically since the plans were refused by the council in October.

READ MORE
Planners refuse controversial Sidford Business Park scheme over 'potentially lethal' highways issues

When plans were submitted, they said that 250 new jobs would be created as part of the scheme and that the site’s development will secure a cycleway to the employment site.

A petition of 1,398 residents of the Sidford area and over 200 signatures from the wider area against the plans was collected.

Signs sprung up all around Sidford that were opposed to the Sidford Business Park plans (Image: Daniel Clark)

East Devon District Council when refusing the scheme said: “The site is allocated in the adopted East Devon Local Plan and is acceptable in principle, but the allocation is primarily for light industrial uses. The applicants included a significant amount of warehouse space in their application, which would be reliant on HGVs to deliver goods to the site and then distribute them from there.

“The numbers of HGVs combined with the narrow roads, both in the vicinity of the site and through Sidbury, would lead to conflict between vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians to the detriment of highway safety, and it was on this basis that the application was turned down.”

Campaigners are fundraising in case Sidford business park refusal is appealed - Devon Live

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Knowle relocation project: selling off council furniture and chattels to councillors

The District Council's leadership clearly felt that the fittings and furnishings at Knowle are rather nice - as they had a photo of their leader standing in front of a fireplace for the latest press release:

Futures Forum: District Council annual message: "East Devon's many achievements over the last year"

When the District Council moves to Honiton, it will not be taking the Victorian fireplace with it:
Futures Forum: Knowle: Victorian hotel: heritage asset or not...
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: and protecing our heritage

However, a Councillor (who makes it clear that they are from Exmouth) will be taking something with them: the rather nice table in the Members' Room:

Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "Impressive 1880s Victorian heritage"

As revealed earlier today by the East Devon Watch blog:

PLUNDERING OF KNOWLE ASSETS BY COUNCILLORS? BEST VALUE?

21 DEC 2018

It appears that councillors and officers have been given first dibs of Knowle assets, in advance of the move to Honiton and one of them has rather jumped the gun on claiming his prize.

Is this best value or equitable, Owl ponders? As does at least one independent councillor.

Note: Neither of these emails were marked private and/or confidential when acquired by Owl.

From a well-known Conservative councillor:

Subject: Re; Large Table In Members Area

“Dear Members and SMT,

Subject: Re; Large Table In Members Area

You will all be aware there has been an auction of council furniture, chattels etc of which I bid for a few bits and pieces.

I bid on behalf of my partner for the very large table in the members area along with the 20 green chairs that we all sit around.

I have been told that I have been successful in my bid so the table along with the 8’ extension is heading back to Exmouth to sit in (address of councillor), Exmouth in its rightful Town (some may say).

The relevance of my informing yourselves is that the rightful date of removal is end of January/ beginning of February when we finally ‘pull out of the Knowle.

I would apologise for the short notice but we have 22 family members to Christmas dinner and would like to pick the table up tomorrow as it appears it is the last day of our offices being open, which of course would mean I couldn’t collect it on Monday, 24th, as we will be closed.

We do have one or two meetings between the New Year and our final pull out but I feel it only right to ask members if indeed anybody felt offended if it was collected tomorrow on our last day.

I will fully respect any position any member may feel regarding it being removed earlier and would kindly request your thoughts.

If indeed it were removed earlier I have spoken to Simon Allchurch who feels we could put a few of the red tables on wheels in the place of the table and there is an array of chairs to use for members in the interim so it doesn’t look bare.

I must again apologise for the short notice but with the closing date being the 19th and all that goes with it at this time of year I would like to think you may grant me a little latitude (or not).

Best wishes and a Happy Xmas to one and all.”

And here is the response from an Independent councillor

“I feel I must reiterate my comment from when this started. Who authorised the ‘private sale’ of Council property to staff and members? Why are we not duty-bound to seek the best price at public auction? No-one answered my questions.

Will we ever know the proceeds of this internal sale for the public record?

I strongly suspect that members of the public would be shocked to know that councillors have been able to buy items in this way. It is somehow appropriate that 22 family members will sit down to feast at this table, assuming the removal goes ahead.”

Plundering of Knowle assets by councillors? Best value? | East Devon Watch
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A history of Sidmouth's cottage hospitals

The One Magazine always carries a piece written by the curator of the Sidmouth Museum - which is always of interest, not only because it covers some aspect of local heritage, but because the writer always puts it into context:
East Devon Online Magazine - One Magazine

Here is this month's contribution from Nigel Hyman, reprinted with permission:

SIDMOUTH COTTAGE HOSPITALS

In England the first cottage hospital was in Cranleigh,Surrey in 1859. By the 1890s there were at least 300 similar hospitals. Sidmouth opened its first one, May Cottage, in 1885 and, such was its success, in 1892 opened the purpose built Victoria Cottage Hospital.

In 1884 a group of well- known locals formed a committee. They included Mr Field, Mr Trump, the lawyer Mr Radford, his daughter Constance and the much admired Reverend Clements. May Cottage was chosen and subscribers sought. Generous benefactors were Colonel Balfour, Lord of the Manor and the owner of the property, and Annie Leigh Browne who offered to pay rent for the first 5 years. A year later the first floor of the house was converted into an operating theatre and a 4 bedded ward. 21 patients were admitted in the first 12 months and the general public were urged to provide subscriptions of 10s 6d which would allow one patient to be treated in any one calendar year. Cynics felt that this method simply provided a method for wealthy people to ensure that their servants were well looked after. Characteristically Peter Orlando Hutchinson did not subscribe, writing in his diary that he needed all his money to continue building his Old Chancel.

It was apparent that a purpose built hospital was required and once again subscribers found the capital and Colonel Balfour now offered a parcel of his land for the construction. Queen Victoria consented for her name to be used and in 1892 it opened. There were 10 beds and several criteria for admission. It was specifically for ‘poor persons’ without infections and, specifically, without consumption (tuberculosis). Injuries were accepted but those with ‘chronic’ disease and mental disorders had to look elsewhere.

Figures from the 1920s show that inpatient numbers were fairly static at 200/year with a total of about 100 operations. Curiously, annual outpatient visits fell from a peak in 1921 of 1200 to little more than 100 a decade later. Clearly the main focus was on ward care.

‘Ownership’ of the hospital was very important and fund raising was continual. When the Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria’s son, chose Sidmouth as his winter quarters in the early 1930s he unsurprisingly found himself patron of the Hospital.

The value of ‘cottage’ hospitals has been debated from the Victorian period to the present day. Aneurin Bevan, who presided over the birth of the NHS, said: ‘Although I am not a devotee of bigness for bigness’s sake, I would rather be kept alive in the efficient if cold altruism of a large hospital than expire in a gush of warm sympathy in a small one.’

Counterintuitively there is contemporary evidence to suggest that mortality after surgery is proportionate to the size of the hospital. This may reflect reduced rates of infection. Although difficult to quantify, the ‘homely’ feeling, the quiet environment and the ease with which relatives and friends can visit must all contribute to a patient’s well- being.

Nigel Hyman 

Sidmouth Museum closes on December 8 and reopens on March 22 2019.

Photograph

Victoria Cottage Hospital 1904

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The future of our National Parks @ Radio 4's Costing the Earth

What do our National Parks and AONB areas do?
Futures Forum: Review of National Parks and AONBs > call for evidence

And do we want to go from AONB to National Park in these parts?
Futures Forum: Support growing for a Jurassic National Park > although County Council not convinced

Tom Heap at Costing the Earth today looks at what these landscapes do for us now and what they could do for us in the future:

The Future of Our National Parks

Costing the Earth

2019 is the 70th anniversary of the legislation that created the first National Parks in the UK. 

At this crucial moment for the future of our countryside, Tom Heap asks how our best-loved landscapes can work better for people and wildlife. 

There are now 15 National Parks – all are protected areas because of their beautiful countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage. 

However, much has changed since the original legislation and many of these landscapes face significant challenges, including declining wildlife, a need for housing and poor public access. 

Tom visits two very different parks, the Cairngorms and the South Downs, to ask communities how they think National Parks should be improved to meet the needs of the 21st century. 

He considers some of the key issues; such as how to balance agriculture with enhancing and connecting habitats and how to deliver rural development and housing in protected landscapes.

Producer: Sophie Anton

BBC Radio 4 - Costing the Earth, The Future of Our National Parks
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Plans for the Drill Hall: architects working closely with the community

Some open-thinking from a commentator to this blog, received earlier today:

Here with Architect's Journal link to an interesting refurb project after a major fire in Clapham Junction.

The architects worked closely with the community over several years in a way that could be adopted for the Drill Hall:

Immersive architecture: Battersea Arts Centre by Haworth Tompkins

21 NOVEMBER, 2018 BY MERLIN FULCHER

Haworth Tompkins’ restoration of London’s Battersea Arts Centre was nearly complete when a devastating fire destroyed its Grand Hall. But the subsequent rebuild has created a beautiful and beguiling space, says Merlin Fulcher. Phototography by Fred Howarth, Philip Vile, Alex Brenner and Nicholas Hartwright

Immersive architecture: Battersea Arts Centre by Haworth Tompkins | Building | Architects Journal

With more from the Metropolis magazine:

After a Devastating Blaze, London’s Battersea Arts Centre Makes a Dramatic Comeback

London-based firm Haworth Tompkins has given the 19th century performing arts hall a sensitive, yet triumphant, new lease on life after a 2015 fire.

 George Kafka 

November 27, 2018

Inside the Battersea Arts Centre’s dazzlingly restored Grand Hall.

Courtesy Fred Howarth

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When the Grand Hall of the Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) burned down in 2015, nearby residents and the London theater community mourned. Already struggling to survive cuts to arts funding, the fire threatened to deliver a fatal blow to the civic stalwart which has occupied its southwest London site since 1893. One hundred and twenty-five years on, the Grand Hall has reopened as a triumphant centerpiece thanks to a masterful series of interventions by London-based performing arts specialists Haworth Tompkins.

Before the fire, the BAC’s history was far from straightforward. Originally constructed as the Battersea Town Hall with a design by E.W. Mountford—architect of the Old Bailey courthouse—the building once contained the Battersea council chamber and administrative offices. Its crown jewel was the Grand Hall, a separate building (connected to the back of the Town Hall via a small domed octagon) that featured a barrel-vaulted ceiling decorated with an elaborate plaster filigree.

“[The Grand Hall] was built as a community hall for the local people of Battersea for debates lectures, evening concerts, trying to bring culture to the masses,” explains Martin Lydon, project architect at Haworth Tompkins. “But over its 50-year life that hall was also used for political gatherings, community tea dances, weddings, and so on, so it became a really loved venue within Battersea.”

When the council moved out in the early 1960s the building was saved from demolition by Battersea residents and briefly run as a council-operated arts center. By the late ’70s it was again under threat of closure, but rescued by the independent Battersea Arts Centre in 1984. The subsequent decades saw the BAC run on a shoestring budget with shows performed in the council chamber, while the Grand Hall was hired out by the council.

In 2006, in conjunction with a landmark performance of the Masque of Red Death by the immersive theater company Punch Drunk, the gradual yet dramatic transformation of the building began. Punch Drunk sought to use as much of the BAC building as possible for their work and so Haworth Tompkins, fresh from their retrofit work on the Young Vic theater in Waterloo, came to provide simple consultancy on how to adapt the former council offices into performance spaces. One project, begun in 2014 as part of their ongoing work, was to reorganize the BAC offices into a converted attic and to adapt a central courtyard into another new performance space.

Throughout, Haworth Tompkins exercised a light touch, allowing layers of paint to serve as its own, ready-made wallpaper.

Courtesy Fred Howarth

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As this work was underway, disaster struck in the Grand Hall. A still unknown source caught fire in building’s roof lantern and flames licked through the structure, sending up smoke visible across south London, and eventually causing the roof to collapse in on itself.

Amidst the destruction there were miraculous moments: nobody was hurt, many parts of the theater organ, which dated from 1901, happened to be out of the hall for refurbishment, and Pluto the theater cat survived three days stuck in the basement. What’s more, the fire was held at bay by the hall’s inner doors, meaning the octagonal hall and the rest of the town hall building—and Haworth Tompkins work in the complex—were left unscathed. Two performances even went ahead the night after the fire.

With the roof of the grand hall entirely destroyed, the remains entailed gable walls standing at the north and south ends, and buttressed walls retained up to the bottom half of the previously arched windows. Haworth Tompkins clearly had more work to do. In order for the hall to have a reprise, the entire roof was to be reconstructed with crowdfunded support, as well as some public funding. Following consultation with local residents and building users, the first of which took place in the open air of the destroyed hall (“There were tears,” Lydon recalls), the final, vaulted form of the roof was decided.

“When we showed that [new vaulted roof design] to people there was a deep sigh of relief,” says Lydon. “I think because people could identify that the space was still the Grand Hall and that without this barrel vault it was sort of missing something.”

The BAC’s courtyard doubles as a performance space.

Courtesy Philip Vile

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The reopening of the Grand Hall thus represents only the latest act in a 125-year drama, with architectural scenes across sites and scales unfolding throughout the BAC’s raw, sprawling interior. For the most part, Haworth Tompkins’ work over the last 12 years has been remarkably light, aiming to bring out the character of the building in a way reminiscent of David Chipperfield’s work at Berlin’s Neues Museum or, more recently, Assemble’s work at the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art: Walls have been stripped leaving a scrappy collage of paint and plaster; a series of carpet covered seating booths augment the processional staircase; suspended ceilings have been removed to reveal the generous dimensions of the Victorian structure; light and sound facilities have been added to the former council offices for performances.

The more substantial structural moves also slot into the BAC’s messy palette: new interior corridors join previously disconnected sections of the first floor to create a more straightforward promenade architecturale. Here the seams are visible, but they are unremarkable in the midst of a building that feels a perpetual work in rehearsal.

In the courtyard, completed in 2016, Haworth Tompkins make their touch visible with white glazed bricks that contrast with the red Victorian masonry, plus a removable steel structure that allows spectators to watch plays from above with a Globe-like intensity.

In the hall, rather than copy the earlier ceiling design, Lydon and his team abstracted a version of the pattern across three layers of CNC-cut plywood which simultaneously hide technical facilities in the rooftop and create a striking contemporary take on the Grand Hall’s original elaborate ceiling. On the outside, the architecture has been replicated more traditionally down to its rebuilt roof lantern. On either side of the hall, the singed corridors have been left untouched, pronouncing the tender scars of the building’s history in the same way as the aged facade masonry.

The building’s 19th century mosaic floor, replete with intricate flowers and bees, remains a particularly remarkable feature: the work, designed by mosaic manufacturer Jess Rust, miraculously survive steel-warping heat and a barrage of falling rubble. During their work, Haworth Tompkins found a spare section and carefully relocated it in an elevator—an interpretive move, cheeky yet charged with history, and typical of this near perfect architectural performance.

• Grand Hall ceiling plan

  Courtesy Haworth Tompkins
• The BAC's historic Great Hall was left in ruins after a 2015 fire.

London's Battersea Arts Centre Makes a Dramatic Comeback
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