Futures Forum: What next for Sidmouth: VGS AGM: the action group reports

At this evening's Vision Group AGM
Futures Forum: What next for Sidmouth: VGS AGM: Weds 18th June
several reports from the various 'action groups' will be presented:

Futures Forum

Over the course of the past twelve months, the Futures Forum has held several sessions

bringing the ‘key players’ in areas of public policy together and giving a wider audience the

opportunity to engage and discuss. In September, Cllr Mike Allen and planning ofﬁcer Matt

Dickins were able to share ideas on ‘development for sustainability’ in the District; and in

November, the future of health in Sidmouth was explored between key professionals, lay

members and service users.

As well as providing a platform to enable exchange and debate, the Forum continues to

seek to build contacts on key issues: it has worked with Sustrans on cycling and hopes to

help the councils with taking forward the plans for routes out of Sidmouth.

The Futures Forum has also represented the Vision Group on the Save Our Sidmouth

campaign – contributing in trying to engage with the authorities on the major planning

issues facing the Sid Valley, notably, the relocation project from Knowle and the ongoing

drafting of the Local Plan. Indeed, the Vision Group has been involved in these areas

since its inception, having been set up in 2005 by the Town Council and SVA to “commend

the residents' vision to the Local Development Framework”.

The Forum, on behalf of the Vision Group, has been involved in attempts to create a town/

neighbourhood plan for Sidmouth. Based on its 2006 report, proposals were sent to the

councils in 2009. Whilst the Town Council felt that much of the report was then out of date,

it acknowledged that “two main issues are still relevant e.g. Port Royal Development and

the threat to Salcombe Cliffs” – and this year, the Forum has been involved in the Beach

Management Plan process, as well as being supportive of innovative ideas for developing

the eastern end of town.

Over the coming year, the Forum will work with its partners and with the authorities to bring

forward the town/neighbourhood planning process. It is clear that the Save Our Sidmouth

campaign would like to be proactive: “We also wish, in the longer term, to encourage and

assist Sidmouth Town Council to prepare a ‘Neighbourhood Plan’.”

The Futures Forum is also hoping to put on a weekend event looking at the theme of

‘resilience’, following on from the Vision Group’s very successful session this March on

climate change and sustainability. Many of these themes are covered on a regular and

topical basis on the Futures Forum blog: futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk

We look forward to a positive and determined year ahead.

Sidmouth Science Festival

• The Sidmouth Science Festival is now in its third year and establishing a strong

reputation in the area. It has been agreed to stage the event annually.

• Exeter University are now a key supporting partner and members of Exeter

University management have joined the Festival organising team.

• The 2014 Festival Week will continue with a range of Science Technology

Engineering and Maths themes but also coincides with the UK Earth Science Week

2014, which will strongly feature on two days. In addition Ada Lovelace Day,

promoting women in STEM subjects, falls on the Tuesday of the Festival Week.

Countess Lovelace is widely held to have been the ﬁrst computer programmer over

170 years ago.

• The range of events is constantly expanding.

• Two TV personalities, Professors Iain Stewart and Bill McGuire have conﬁrmed their

participation.

• This year more emphasis will be on making and creating. One aim is to create a

model car competition for local groups.

• The monthly Cafe Scientiﬁque continues to be popular with growing numbers

attending.

Cycling

The last year has seen mixed progress on promotion and development of cycling routes in

Sidmouth and the immediate surrounding areas.

The VGS Futures Forum has continued to monitor developments and also attempted to

inﬂuence the decisions of DCC and Sustrans. We have worked closely with the Otter Trail

Group, which is as keen as we are in promoting a new cycle route out of Sidmouth on the

old railway track between Sidmouth and Feniton via Ottery.

Last July Sustrans (in conjunction with DCC) appointed a new Sustrans Manager for

Devon, and we were delighted that his ﬁrst major task was to carry out a detailed feasibility

study for the development of a cycle track between Sidmouth and the railhead at Feniton.

This involved engineers and no doubt cost DCC and Sustrans a substantial amount of

money. The report was due last December but was delayed and ﬁnally issued in May

2014.

The Sustrans Devon Manager agreed to speak to an FF meeting in early June, but

cancelled the meeting at very short notice after the FF Secretary had put in a great deal of

work in contacting a very wide range of groups, and individuals. He was also scheduled to

speak to the Otter Trail Group. This has been cancelled. Two weeks ago he resigned

from Sustrans and gave only three weeks’ notice to interested parties in Devon. The day

before he announced his resignation he addressed STC but did not say he had resigned

his position We have now heard his position will not be ﬁlled in the foreseeable future.

The policies and actions of DCC with respect to cycling in Devon remain opaque, and

Councillor Stuart Hughes has not been forthcoming in sharing his views and actions with

us, although he has been asked to do so. It came as a surprise in April to hear that two

"public consultations" took place in Sidbury and Sidford. At least 3 DCC ofﬁcers were

present and three consultants were present on the two days of the consultation. Some

DCC Councillors were also present for part of each day. Although all cyclists and potential

cyclists would welcome an off road track between Sidbury and Sidford there are the

problems of the allocation of scarce resources, the acquisition of land, and the so called

preferred route crosses a busy main road. Neither DCC ofﬁcers or their consultants were

realistic or well briefed, on the evidence of the two days of consultation. Sustrans had not

been involved or consulted (as far as we know from the departing Devon Sustrans

Manager), and the route does not have a NCN number (National Cycle Network Number).

The Sidmouth to Feniton route does have NCN number and has been surveyed on a

number of occasions during the last 12 years.

A similar situation of obfuscation, lack of clarity, and a failure to consult with the public and

cycling bodies applies to the use of 106 monies, presumably "given" to STC by EDDC. As

a ﬁrst step STC acted admirably and undertook a public survey to ascertain how the total

amount of 106 monies was to be used. There was good support for some of the monies to

be used by cycling, but the public consultation did not specify details. Some weeks after

this consultation, a plan was announced to connect Woolbrook with the Byes. The plan

made no sense, and although the FF asked Cllr Hughes for details no clariﬁcation has been

forthcoming. The authorship of the plan was not disclosed.

There is a role for VGS to continue to monitor cycling promotion, and the development of

off -road cycle routes in Sidmouth and the surrounding area. Furthermore to bring

pressure on DCC, EDDC, STC and Sustrans to allocate a fair amount of their "cycling

Budgets" to Sidmouth. In the past 10 years DCC (often in conjunction with Sustrans) has

spent millions on new cycling routes and the promotion of cycling in many parts of Devon.

Sidmouth and surrounds have received virtually nothing.

Futures Forum

Wednesday, 18 June 2014

What next for Sidmouth: VGS AGM: the action group reports

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