Plans for Port Royal: questions around the next stages for the Drill Hall

We are now entering the next stages for what will happen to the Drill Hall and possibly the wider context of Port Royal: the District Council have come up with a shortlist of three potential plans and are now in the process of conducting more in-depth interviews:
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: Drill Hall bids to be considered

It is clear, however, that once a purchaser has been selected that a great deal of work will still have to be undergone before contracts are exchanged - because very little preparation has been carried out by the District Council for this sale:
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: how to become 'preferred bidder' >>> score highest against a range of set criteria, which includes economic impact, design and regeneration potential

And the questions which were raised at the beginning of this process still remain largely unanswered:
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: questions raised at full District Council meeting > and more questions
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: questions raised at full District Council meeting > press reports

There are certainly questions over the original tender document which was sent out - and how much detail it contained - for example, the extent to which any future Beach Management Plan will impact on the Drill Hall site:
Futures Forum: Beach Management Plan: the official video

The District Council will be aware of the flood and erosion risk to the development site - but it is not clear to what extent any of the bidders were:
Futures Forum: Plans to “hold the line” on England's coastline – building defences to keep shores in their current position – are proving unaffordable
Futures Forum: "If Pennington Point goes another four or five metres, the River Sid will become the sea - and Sidmouth will be under water."

And any developer would pay less for a site that floods compared to one that does not, as flood defences would have to be built into the design of the development and would be one of the pre-commencement conditions:
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal and the Eastern Town >>> apartments over car parks

There are also rather grey areas around the ownership of the site:
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: anticipating a Regeneration Board >>> of covenants and land-swapping at Port Royal
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: who owns what
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: 'further investigations in respect of flooding and covenants' needed

But of course, the Drill Hall site is part of the larger Port Royal site - and the District Council's own consultants had thought a development of the larger site might not be viable:
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: 'the redundant Drill Hall site remains a more straightforward and viable opportunity for redevelopment and reuse'
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: 'not seeking a mixed development for the overall site and ... marketing of the Drill Hall only'
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: 'Council proposes to drop regeneration plans and sell the Drill Hall'
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: anticipating a Regeneration Board >> Scoping Study consultants' "final report" published
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: spending £10k on a report with 'a level of detail and analysis of the area which had been previously available' - simply to prove that redevelopment is not viable

The point being, that most would prefer the whole site to be tackled, rather than a piecemeal selling off - as MP Sir Hugo Swire's recent poll of Sidmouth businesses underlined:

Do you believe that the redevelopment of Port Royal and the adjacent area should be looked at as a whole rather than in smaller developments? Yes – 36 (85.7%) 

Futures Forum: How to revive the health of Sidmouth's high street >>> >>> East Devon MP's survey results
Futures Forum: Beach Management Plan: businesses oppose seawall and stakeholders demand clarity
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