Your Letters - November 30

Quick response

CONGRATULATIONS to the managing director of Laing Homes, Mr Richard Matthews, for his rapid and decisive response to concerns raised by Bexhillians about the loss of Baird Court (Observer, November 23).

This was a pleasant change from the usual, often obscure and baffling, Local and Central Government meanderings and priorities.

Perhaps he could throw in a quality signpost as well? On this note I saw a gentleman being almost run over on the Sea Road zebra crossing on Friday last so perhaps, finally, some traffic-calming around the Endwell Road exit and a roundabout between the new development access and the church will be in order. Sadly, there has been no response yet from the De La Warr Pavilion to its recent critical review or my comment about the possibility of providing Tourist Information from the most obvious site in town! I saw Bridgetower on Saturday with Julian Joseph, who I first came across on local TV when I began to visit Bexhill in 1998.

There was a pretty full house despite relatively high prices (as highlighted by Alex Drawbridge on this page November 23). I was a impressed by the number of people who (it seemed to me) may possibly have left their usual comfort zone but turned up and responded very enthusiastically to a radical, impressive and stimulating crossover between Jazz and Opera. The evening and day staff seemed generally very helpful and enthusiastic but the shop was looking a bit sad and empty. Overall, of course, it's the managerial leadership that really counts in the end!

In my view the current DLWP malaise links to the anxieties expressed in last week's council story that one million pounds may not be available after all to "improve" Bexhill seafront (shock horror!).

This seems, to me, fairly irrelevant. Lots of people were out there last weekend in the Sunday sunshine very much enjoying the impressive promenade with very little apparent awareness of it's deficiencies. It is stated that the core aim of the development project is hopefully (they say) to stimulate interest and business activity focussed on the DLWP.

In practise, of course this can't be guaranteed at all by improved street furniture and landscaping. More activity within and around the Pavillion, along the seafront for more days of the year and longer opening hours within the seven (or now nine?) million pound flagship building, would be a start.

Before the renovation it was possible to have a late night drink and watch the seascape - not now.

The sudden rush of festivals etc in 2002 was controversial and unfortunately truncated but that's the sort of way to go.

A genuinely committed collaboration between the council and the DLWP, without an expectation of immediate profits, could prime the pump at a relatively low cost and create a vibrancy that will never arrive simply via improving the sea front (or even by honouring J L Baird) .

These should certainly be a part of that process but I suspect that when residents and visitors see a lot happening on an ongoing year round basis and not always at great cost, the criticisms will begin to melt away.

Dave Walsh

Rotherfield Avenue

Cough up

FIVE years ago, amid a fanfare of publicity, Sea Space appeared on the scene with a 15m programme to regenerate Hastings and Bexhill. Two years later their destructive proposals to develop the seafront were roundly rejected by both residents and Rother council. Since then millions have been lavished on Hastings, but not a penny has reached Bexhill.

Small wonder then that public repetition of the same tired old mantra by director John Shaw is greeted with hoots of derision. Show us the money Mr Shaw, for something we really need, then perhaps we shall take you seriously!

For a start, how about a nice new car park on the old Kwik-Fit depot site?

J HODSON

Cooden Sea Road

Such mayhem

I SHOULD be grateful if you would publish this letter to make users of the A259 Barnhorn Road, Little Common to Eastbourne, aware of the proposed large development, 36 care flats/30 nursing apartments, by McCarthy & Stone, which would entail the demolition of five houses number 41/47 Barnhorn Road, a few hundred yards from the Little Common roundabout, and the subsequent erection of a large 2/4 storey block.

If this development is allowed to proceed it will cause absolute mayhem with the traffic flow along the road and from our experience with accidents on the road, five at least during the last few months, the tail-backs will be at least to London Road to the east and Middle Bridge to the west.

It is dangerous to have such a development on the very busy A259 trunk road so close to the village roundabout and the result would be catastrophic.

If readers agree write to the Planning Officer at Bexhill Town Hall quoting ref. RR/2007/3123/P - deadline December 11.

D W PORTSMOUTH

Barnhorn Road

Post haste

Copy of a letter sent to Gary Herbert, Network Development Manager, Post Office Ltd:

Re: Collington Mansions post office closure

WHY are you considering closure of a very good, profitable, and helpful and very much needed post office? It is convenient to the residents and business activities of the area and, as many residents are elderly they will have great difficulty in getting to the main post office in the town, the queues of which will be much longer.

My wife and I are in our 70s and one of the reasons we bought our house was the vicinity of the post office and other stores. Some of the other shops have gone but the post office remains the mainstay of the people's postal requirements here.

I cannot stress too strongly the difficulties we will have travelling the extra distance and the anticipated longer queues and especially carriage of parcels to the main post office. We find the walking distance to Collington Mansions post office is just tolerable; a greater distance will impose great hardship on us as it will on a large number of others in the area. In addition to the elderly as many of our neighbours are, there are parents with very young children and the route to and from the town is not easy as it includes a hill half way in both directions.

In addition, the economics of both post offices are such that while Collington Mansions post office handles 1378 customer transactions a week with one permanent member of staff, the main post office handles only 4452 transactions a week with a staff of between eight to ten. As the Collington Mansions branch is a quarter of the size but handling much more than a quarter, it makes no sense to close it.

A much better idea would be to renew the business that was recently removed from the post office. The present lack of Government based business was brought about by the Government itself taking away the TV licensing and cajoling pensioners and other social claimants to insert cards into machines in order to obtain the money due to them.

I urge you to please reconsider your proposal and retain the Collington Mansions post office.

P R SCRASE

Holmesdale Road

Reversal cost

REFERENCE the letter "PO battle 3", Mr Jackson, our resident Tory-basher, can always be relied upon to criticise the efforts of Greg Barker, whatever he is trying to do for Bexhill. However, the suggestion that our respected MP should ask his party if they would re-open closed post offices, misses the point entirely!

To reinstate post office branches after they had been closed down and the premises changed to other uses, would be prohibitively expensive and would obviously be a non-starter. The real $64,000 question, and the one which Mr Jackson should asking his beloved Labour government, is will they now step in and put a stop to this damaging programme of closures, whilst our valuable PO branches still exist.

Barry Wright

Cranston Avenue

Caring PO

Copy of a letter sent to Gary Herbert, Network Development Manager, Post Office Ltd:

LIKE a great many pensioners round here, my wife and I read with regret your proposal to close the branch post office at Collington Mansions. This will conscript us into regular World War II style queuing in the town centre, either at your main branch, Barclays Bank or the Alliance and Leicester. In addition, we'll miss the help of a pleasant, dedicated postmistress and assistants, who are among the few still practising personal service, in a shop that is welcoming because small.

Yet at the same time, the post office is spending a fortune on TV advertising of its broadband facility. I wonder how many people, like myself, are still awaiting an explanation, in words we can understand, of what broadband is and why on earth as non-computer users we should add it to our expenses. Broadband may or may not be good, but a tried and tested local post office we know to be good, despite sustained government efforts to run it down.

If you care at all for the positive features of life in Britain, you'd be far better off supporting the personal service offered by small business than the unlimited financial ambitions of the oppressive computer establishment.

ALLAN BULA

Wickham Avenue

Local debate

AS your readers are aware, a six-week public consultation on Post Office Ltd's plans for Sussex '“ including the Hastings area '“ started on November 13. This is part of a national programme that involves 2,500 post office closures throughout the UK and the introduction of 500 replacement "outreach" services such as mobile post offices.

The closures follow a Government decision that continuing financial losses and falling customer numbers cannot sustain the current network.

We at Postwatch, the consumer watchdog for postal services, accept the need for change. One of our principal tasks is to now ensure that local communities are aware of Post Office Ltd's proposals and to encourage customers to engage in the consultation process for their areas. Meaningful local engagement will be the best way of achieving an outcome that minimises any hardship.

Demonstrations, petitions and hundreds of duplicated letters '“ though evidence of local feeling '“ will not in themselves cause Post Office Ltd to reconsider its proposals for individual branches.

Post Office Ltd needs to know from local communities how its proposals will impact them. It requires new information about such factors local transport, obstacles to accessing alternative branches, planned housing and business developments, sheltered housing, dependent populations, etc, etc.

Consultation ends on December 24. We urge people to participate.

They can contact Post Office Ltd by calling 08457 223344. Alternatively, they can write to (no stamp required):

National Consultation Team, Post Office Ltd, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM

Or email : [email protected]

MALCOLM BUTLER

Regional Manager, Postwatch South East, Grosvenor Gardens

London

What benefit?

POLITICIANS love to make sweeping statements and Cllr Skellett's "the new link road will greatly benefit local business and residents" is typical. Does he think that increasing the volume of traffic along the A259 will benefit the residents of Little Common for whom the sirens of the emergency services are already background music? And why no information about the 1600 houses to be built or the people who will live in them or about the factory sites or the quality of the jobs to be provided? If this is such a marvellous scheme why doesn't someone take advantage of the opportunity provided by your newspaper to explain it in details and show how exactly the residents of Bexhill will benefit?

Perhaps we are ignored because it is thought that many of us are too old to be bothered about the future of Bexhill! But we are fortunate to be able to enjoy an attractive town in which to live so shouldn't we spare a thought for those who will take our place - it's only too easy to wreck an environment!

There is a preservation order on the Pavilion but what good is that if the rest of the town is sliding down the slippery slope of degeneration because of ill-conceived development?

And please don't just say "the link road will regenerate Bexhill" - explain in details just how!

D W WOOLLER

Collington Rise

Scout cash

SENLAC District Scout Council wish to sincerely thank all Sainsbury's personnel and respected customers for outstanding support during the recent Scout Community Weekends. Sums of money raised for 1st Battle, 1st Little Common, 2nd Bexhill and 3rd Bexhill Scout Groups amounted to 2,527.20. Sainsbury's donated 500 to 9th Bexhill Group.

David King

Assistant District Commissioner

General Duties

Cost efficient

THE De La Warr Pavilion is not as busy as it could be because - "there is not enough decent accommodation in Bexhill." I find this an insult as I and many B&B owners work very hard welcoming and looking after the visitors to Bexhill, with I might add no help from the council.

I think the best way forward to help one another would be to put the Tourist Information Centre (which is very much needed) back in the De La Warr Pavilion - it would be a very economical option as there are many staff already being paid to work there who, with the help of our tourism regeneration officers, could promote Bexhill.

Maybe part of the shop could sell local artists' work as well.

That way visitors would pop into the De La Warr, pick up a few leaflets, browse over them whilst planning their day over refreshments from the cafe/bar, look at the art exhibition, book theatre tickets and spend money in the shop. There, a few problems solved.

The taxpayers' money does not have to be wasted on the vast sums of money being paid to consultants, architects, surveyors etc who come into our town telling us what we need.

By the time they have been paid there is no money to actually do the job. Let's just use some sense - some good lighting along the seafront, sort out the toilets, put back some litter bins and a general spruce up of the town would be a good start - that way more people would open new businesses, more people would spend money in the town. Shave a few people from the council (after all, private enterprise have to cut their cloth accordingly) and there you go; well on the way to regeneration without it costing a fortune.

Jacky Crouch

Dunselma

Marina

Raw deal

I HAVE just read Christine Madeley's letter (Observer, November 16) and although for various reasons I am in favour of the proposed changes at the bowls club site in Knole Road, I consider Gullivers' Action Group has been badly let down by Rother District Council.

The group was led to believe that the council would take its opposition to the scheme "all the way" and boastful talk of making it a test case was voiced by the planning committee.

It would be interesting to know the cost to us of the appeal hearing - officers' time, legal expenses and so on - probably several thousand pounds.

Furthermore, the council has probably now lost the 700,000 which the developer offered to meet the cost of affordable housing on other sites.

I thought this was generous, but the planning committee thought it was a bribe. Compare this with the story of the council's approval of Tesco's proposed building of a large store at Little Common. In this case the council thought Tesco's was too big to take on. Good luck to the small seaside town in Norfolk which has, it is reported, turned down a not dissimilar application from Tesco's.

It is a great shame that there is no one like Ms Madeley, with fire in her belly, to oppose Tesco's in Little Common. They are likely to make life difficult for the small baker, butcher, stationer and other small shops here, and maybe force them out of business.

Given that Rother District Council can throw away so much of our money, it is no wonder that it cannot find a few hundred pounds to improve the men's toilets in Devonshire Square. Surely toilet paper and soap dispensers, hooks on the inside of the doors, brushes and a rubbish bin should be affordable.

But I understand on good authority that the council has been waiting for Network Rail to move the station entrance. We should not be lavish in the use of exclamation marks, but I think my last sentence deserves one.

C. N. King

Saltdean Way

Heritage vandalism

WE are shocked to see from the current list of planning applications that a further act of heritage vandalism is planned for Bexhill. Following the demolition of Baird Court application no. RR/2007/3136/L is an application to demolish the 'remnants of the Old Mill' in Gunters Lane.

We believe this to be a listed structure and if it is not it should have been when the decision to remove the remainder of the mill was taken. It is one of Bexhill' s few remaining links with the more distant past and was the subject of one of L. S. Lowry's more usual paintings in that it was not his usual type of subject matter. Is there perhaps a more sinister reason behind this application than wanting to be rid of the past? Is it connected with the passage of large refuse lorries up and down Gunters Lane from the A259 Little Common Road to the proposed landfill site at the brickworks in Turkey Road?

Even if this application has no connection with that proposal permission should be refused for the good of Bexhill' s heritage.

Too much of the past has been lost to the town or ruined by greed or crass development.

We note that the application has been made by The Old Windmill Management Company (Gunters Lane) Ltd. of Old Mill Cottage, 11 Old Mill Park, Bexhill and we call upon the company secretary or chairman of that company to make a full explanation of the company's actions and plans regarding Hoads Mill in a statement to the citizens of this town in a detailed interview with your newspaper.

GILLIAN AND ALAN BEECHER

Normandale

Elderly care

DECEMBER 5 2007 is International Volunteer Day; a day which provides individual volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations a chance to work together to promote their contributions to their local communities. International Volunteer Day provides a wonderful opportunity for community groups and organisations to work together to attain their common goals.

I would like to use the opportunity to highlight the work of older people's charity, IndependentAge, which helps over 6,500 older people throughout the UK. IndependentAge currently has a network of more than 1,200 volunteers who regularly give their time to offer friendship and support to beneficiaries in their own homes.

The charity particularly looks to support older people who have given their time to caring for others. This includes providing older people with an extra income for life, grants for emergencies, mobility equipment, clothing and household linen. With a growing number of beneficiaries, IndependentAge is always in need of new volunteers who can make regular visits to the people we support, help us to raise funds and act as ambassadors in their local communities.

Volunteering with IndependentAge offers a wide range of opportunities to meet new people of all ages and develop new skills.

Every step of the way local colleagues are on hand to offer guidance and support and the time and energy given by volunteers makes a large contribution to our work. The great thing about being a volunteer for IndependentAge is that people can choose the roles they would like to do and the hours and days which suit them.

I have heard and shared many and various stories and laughter, but the most important thing is to be there as a friend and someone the beneficiaries can turn to for guidance and support.

Just by sparing some time every now and again, volunteers provide a lifeline and unique helping hand to older people in need, enabling them to remain independent. Throughout the year, their visits help to enable older people to remain in touch with their communities.

For more information about the charity's services please do feel free to get in touch with me on

01732 459933 or email: [email protected] < mailto:[email protected]>

FRANCES GIBSON

IndependentAge Area Representative for Kent and East Sussex

Caring service

I VISIT the cafe in the De La Warr Pavilion quite a few times a week. Normally it's for a coffee and snack to break up a working day and sometimes lunch with my wife.

For us the coffee and food is great and the view inspiring. I don't especially like it when it's busy as the noise level is too much but, some large plants might soak up some of this.

Regardless of your thoughts about the place, I don't think anyone could fail to appreciate the people that work there and the effort they put in. There's always a smile and polite and efficient service and they take a pride in their work which is all too lacking nowadays. I went in there today and they all wanted to read my copy of the BO to find out what was being said about them in the paper this week. They do care.

So, on behalf of their many happy customers, a big "thank you" to all the staff including Lee and his team and especially Anya, who is always such a delight.

Mark Meakings

Bexhill

Charity snatch

IT is not just the charities in Rother, but all over the country, that raise a significant proportion of their funds by raffles, especially at Christmas time. I have just renewed the annual licence issued by Rother DC that enables us to run two or three raffles during the next year.

The increased renewal fee is 20. If it were to lapse and be renewed, or applied for in the first instance, the fee would be double, 40.

Councils seem obeisant to Government directives. Funds that have been donated to charities are precious; for the council to take a portion of these funds for little more than sending a couple of letters, is contemptible.

On the one hand they puff out their chests, expounding the good deeds and support they give to the community while on the other, out of sight of the public eye, they dig into charity funds to pay for their expenses and other aspects of council funding. Yes, they may say, 'but we have to, because the Government says we have to.'

Fortunately Rother residents have greater independence.

Many of us will be putting our cross on the ballot paper for those that really do support the community and don't just say they do and don't. Where is the brave council that will put its head above the parapet and say that, "we will support the charities in our community by absorbing the licensing fee"? Charity funds are precious and should only be used for the purpose for which they have been donated.

Tony Smith

Treasurer and Chairman of Trustees

Brownbread Horse Rescue

Market forces

EVERY week without fail, I read with interest the views and opinions of the local residents of Bexhill on all sorts of matters they feel passionate about.

To add my humble comment in trying to attract business and interest to this town, the French market earlier this year brought many visitors, as well as a welcome increase in revenue to the traders of this town. I wonder whether a weekly market, which would add colour and vibrancy, hussle and bustle to the desolate area of Devonshire Square and surrounding roads, would put Bexhill on the map?

Especially so, if the traders offered a unique commodity thereby attracting visitors from all over East Sussex and beyond (with the added attraction of taking lunch and catching a show at the De La Warr).

Furthermore, I wonder whether the farmers market could trade within this market, preferably on a Saturday, which would allow workers like myself (9am-5pm Monday to Friday) to access this invaluable local resource. What do the people of Bexhill think?

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED