Categories: scming
Date: 03 August 2005 23:15:57
I'm originally from a local town in Devon for local people - otherwise known as Ottery St. Mary. I'm delighted to discover that there is a big campaign underway to save the local shops from civilisation! I visited one of the local shops this evening to discover a leaflet explaining the following:
Save O****y Shops
Are you aware of the proposed development for the ... Factory site?
... Property Group have put forward plans to develop the factory site, the plans include residential apartments, a new library, offices and a 17,000sq ft Supermarket with 100 parking spaces.
What effect will this have on your town?
In their plans they state that: £9 million per year is spent on food outside the town. And that a supermarket would help to keep the money in the town? They also state that it would not affect local shop trade? £9 million pounds is more than the total food expenditure of the town!
The effect of a supermarket would severely affect the majority of business in the town! And could result in the majority of food stores closing! The butchers, bakers, grocers and food related shops could not exist if a 17,000sq ft supermarket was built. The other shops would also be badly affected.
You have the opportunity to have your say! Don't wait until the bulldozers start working, fill in a feedback form and let them know your views.
Well, as I'm no longer a resident I don't feel I can have a say in any valued manner so I'll comment on it here. I think the proposal is brilliant. I'm aware this may make me one of the less popular residents of the town - hence the asterisks, despite providing all the relevent information. As someone in their twenties who migrated from the town I do think that I still have some valid voice. I went to civilisation when I left for uni, and couldn't leave it behind again. I would like to think that the town will join the twentieth century by the time I'm 30, and the twenty first by the time I'm 40. This is a town that the Government - local and national - has said needs to increase its size. This is not good. I'm not disputing that, but they are building all over the place and another three large planning proposals are being considered at the moment. There are not petitions and public outrage over those plans but there are for provision that the town genuinely needs. When I was growing up there were around 7000 people but there has been a huge amount of building since the last census. I would imagine it's heading towards double that, yet we still have the same provision. The Library upstairs, in an unaccessible location and it's so small that it can't really hold a decent selection of books. I also understand a museum would be included in the new development. When this town is the home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Anglican Church, Tar Barrels and the URC. Each of these attract interest from outside the town and could do with being showcased. There are other things too but I can't recall them at the moment. The town has got very few office-based businesses as there just isn't space for them, nor is there affordable interesting housing but new posh houses can be built.
I'm also intregued to know how the stage shop, the pine shop, the charity shops, the cafes, the computer shop, shoe repairers, hardware stores, electrical shops etc are going to be negatively affected by more people using the town. I'd also hazzard that there would be good things to - like business having to run properly. I know things tend to run on local time, but not even all the locals do that so if a shop is supposed to be open until a set time, it damn well better be more times than not.
There are currently supermarkets in the nearby towns that have not put all the local food suppliers out of business. Many residents of Ottery go to the surrounding towns to do their shopping anyway. It makes me very angry that the residents are so unwilling to embrace change. Mum says that the local councillors who came out against proposals for the last planned supermarket are now in favour of that plan because it's nearer the centre of town. I don't believe it. Well, that's not entirely true - I expect it but I'm very, very disappointed. The other plan was to build a brand new supermarket on a greenfield site which would have been directly behind the main shopping street and the new plan could be considered regeneration. It's suggesting use of a brownfield site that would otherwise spend years falling apart as there isn't anything else of the size being considered. I'm a big fan of regeneration and using brownfield sites generally, especially in this setting. I think it would make the town centre feel much more like a town centre. If they do it well, it could link in well with the nearby public park, make the river area and millenium green more popular and better used. When I heard of the plans I thought it was absolutely brilliant.
One of the problems of going to another part of the country was the shock factor. I was a small-town girl seeing the big bright lights for the first time and I've not looked back since. I enjoy having the opportunity to do thinks I want, when I want to do them. I know I've frequently got a bit of a downer on Devon but this would really improve my town. If they used comparible consideration when regenerating Exeter then I might possibly consider moving back intentionally one day. I really do like lots of the region - the moors, the countryside, the seaside but I don't like the feeling of being stuck in a time long past.
I was disagreeing with my sister a little this evening when she said she finds it hard when her boyfriend and I moan about the area. She's seen the bright lights and rejected them but he and I have found them hard to leave behind. I pointed out that I really do have a lot of time for the area and want the best for it but there are somethings that are hard to live with. She kept mentioning that she feels safe here but didn't at uni or when visiting her bloke or me. I found that entertaining as there have been some interesting attacks recently - murder by sword in Sidmouth and screwdriver in Exmouth, rapes and other attacks in the area. Which bit of this is safer? She got threatened recently near home. Having worked in related fields, I know that fear of crime is frequently a very large problem that isn't reflected in the facts.
So, I suppose I should make my feedback more concise:
To whom it may concern,
I would like to congratulate ... Property Group on your forward-thinking plans for the factory area of Ottery St. Mary. I think the proposal is inspired and wish you all the best with it, especially overcoming the concerns of the townsfolk. As a young former resident of the town I hope that development of this kind will help stem the flow of migration away from the town, and thus protect its future. If there were more resources such as these I, for one, would have thought twice about moving away permanently.
I sincerely hope you get planning permission granted for this enterprise and I'm very pleased to hear about such positive, well planned use of the disused buildings.
Regards.
Never Conforming.