New home for Mr and Mrs Mouse?

The Observer dated October 26 contained an excellent resume from Heather Grief regarding the latest proposals to ‘regenerate’ the area around the Summerfields/Bohemia estate. She outlined very well the complexities of this consultation.

Inadequate notification of the consultation period and the necessity to purchase the printed copy in order to properly study the proposals were just a couple of he stumbling blocks for local residents. Too much ‘council speak’ for the average resident and this happens all the time with these complex consultations.

It was the same situation with the Local Plan consultations. Few made comment and even fewer attended the hearings conducted by the independent government inspector. Maybe this is what the council prefers?

Ms. Grief further refers to the debacle over Warren Cottage and the much lauded new Visitor Centre at Fairlight. The council persisted in its desire to have this new visitor centre constructed from eco-friendly straw bales and obtained outside funding for this project.

According to Ms. Grief’s account these costly straw bales are now decomposing and providing a home for rodents whilst the council search for an architect willing to project manage the building of the centre.

I find it somewhat shocking that this external funding is now providing not so much a visitor centre where one local councillor was reported as saying he was looking forward to drinks on the terrace, but is providing a nice little residence for Mr and Mrs Mouse and Mr and Mrs Ratty.

Surely this is an abuse of funding?