Your letters - October 3

What demand?

IN response to references by recent correspondents to the alleged need for a new hotel with sea views to complement the De La Warr Pavilion, I would draw attention to some pertinent facts.

When the Pavilion was constructed in 1935, it was shoehorned into a small site, closely confined by the five storey Metropole Hotel to the west and Marina Court, a massive six storey block of apartments with shops beneath, to the north east, standing where the car park now exists. This juxtaposition probably accounts for the plain design of the west, north and east facades of the building, which aspects give every appearance of an iconic block of municipal public toilets.

Desperate visitors to the town must surely be enticed by such appearance and, no doubt, their urgent entrance falsely inflate the Pavilion's visitor records!

If the Metropole Hotel had not been damaged by fire and bombing in WW2, it would probably now be standing derelict or converted into flats, closed by lack of demand, like every other large hotel in the town.

Four years ago, the golden opportunity to construct a new hotel on either of the two sites at the Sackville roundabout escaped Rother planners in the unfortunate absence of evidence of demand and an optimist willing to risk the necessary investment.

These vital pre-requisites are still awaited but, in the meantime, how about a proper car park instead, which should attract rather more visitors to the town than six bars in a hole in the ground behind the Colonnade? The former Kwik Fit depot site seems to be available and there is still the Sainsbury's option. I rest my case.

J HODSON

Cooden Sea Road

Cafe confusion

OH dear! Yet another incomprehensible planning decision by our mighty district council. This time, it's the Sovereign Light Cafe who have been refused planning permission to add some toilets to the end of their existing building, without which they have been advised that they will have to close.

So the council - which owns the building, and presumably has the power to shut the business down, with the loss of ten jobs, and which has been busy closing toilets all over the town centre, and which is keen to encourage a variety of different architectural styles in the town, and which noted in its own report to its own planning committee that the cafe is outside the Bexhill Town Centre Conservation Area - this district council now decides that the proposed facility would, if permitted, be detrimental to the visual amenities of the public promenade and fail to take the opportunity to contribute positively to the appearance of the building or the public enjoyment of the public space.

Somebody in the Town Hall must be having a laugh. The extension is small, entirely in keeping with the existing building, which has stood for over 40 years, and a mere mote in Bexhill's eye compared to the planks of De La Warr Heights and the other monstrosity opposite (and I don't mean the Pavilion) - not to mention stainless steel wind shelters.

All of this information was gleaned from the council's website - so, congratulations are due for that. If only the process of decision-making in planning matters were as transparent as the outcomes themselves. But then we wouldn't be able to carry on this debate in your columns, would we?

PETER WEBB

Glenleigh Park Road

Modern hotel

Mendelsohn and Chermayeff's proposed plans for the area around the De La Warr Pavilion were exhibited at the re-opening of the pavilion in 2005. These plans included an hotel on the site of the present seafront pitch and putt course.

The present pitch and putt is only open for three months in the Summer. At other times the grass is not close cut for the pitch and putt holes. I doubt very much whether the fees received covers the cost of the attendant and the close mowing. I cannot envisage a more splendid site squandered on so little effect. It is not as if the site has the significance of, say, Plymouth Hoe! Those people who play with their children on this patch of grass are evidently unaware of the extent to which it is contaminated by dog fouling.

The Bexhill sea front really needs a good class of modern hotel and what better place than next to the pavilion as Mendelsohn and Chermayeff planned. Anyone can see the effect that the Cooden Beach Hotel has on that locality.

Such a hotel could be stepped back from the sea front with terraces fronting the sea. This arrangement would preserve the views of and from the pavilion. It is an unfortunate fact that the buildings at the end of Sackville Road and on Marina do not have any exclusive right in Law to the sea view that they have enjoyed for the past 50 odd years.

A hotel would add immensely to the town and to the pavilion as a destination and could be more of a catalyst for regeneration than anything else in the power of the district council to achieve. If Morecambe can do it, why not Bexhill?

E Potts Lt Cdre (Retired)

South Cliff

Much derision

After attending the Town Forum meeting in Little Common last week, I got the feeling it was good job that the meeting was not held in a brewery as the organisers could not have ordered a round of drinks, let alone anything else!

But the main reason for my letter is the presentation made by representatives of Next Wave. They put up a screen with their proposals on and then proceeded to read out to everybody what was on the screen; I'm not sure if they thought we couldn't read, but I can assure them that most of those who attended are far too intelligent to be taken in by their words and pictures, especially when they showed their idea of what the promenade would look like. The laughter and derision that rang round the hall spoke for itself. I got the impression that they really thought that it was going to be a walkover for their proposals '“ little did they realise.

One question I would have liked to ask, it was reported that 600,000 had been spent on consultants and planners, have we not got the expertise working within Rother to draw up acceptable plans? I have an 8 year old grandson who, I am sure, could draw better pictures than they did.

Peter Morgan

Harewood Close

Weekly market

NOW that we are coming to the end of the season, so to speak, may I make a few comments regarding activities in the town?

Unfortunately, the Polegrove Horse Show was rained off. However, activities such as the Bexhill Carnival and ensuing Fair at the Polegrove, The Bexhill Hospital Fete, The Bexhill 100 Classic and Custom Car Show, plus the Continental Market, show that we, the people of Bexhill, can put on a good show and that they are well supported by the townspeople as well as by people from other areas.

I hear from many different people, local and out of town, how they look forward to and enjoy these events - even asking why we don't have more of them.

This brings me to another issue; during the periods of these events, why are so many town centre shops closed? This Sunday, during the Continental Market, there were shops not open, even on Devonshire Road where there were a lot of people all day, far more than there would be on any normal day of the week.

There were some enterprising shops who not only had their premises open for business but had stalls in the street as well. They deserve to do well.

There is always much talk of regenration and town centre businesses not doing well and yet, when there is a once-a-year opportunity to do business, many shop owners aren't prepared to put in the effort.

No wonder we have so many closed businesses in the town centre.

In Devonshire Road over the weekend, a number of us looked around and thought that it would be so easy to close Devonshire Road permanently to traffic, pedestrianise it and have a weekly market like many other towns do. How many extra people would that bring into the town on a weekly basis?

If the people of this town really want regeneration they need to give the public a reason to come here.

RICHARD J PORTER

Sutherland Avenue

WHAT a disappointment the Anglo-French Market was. In my opinion - far too much Anglo & not enough French. Apart from bread, cheese, a few continental pate & crepes, all was about jewellery in abundance, pottery, handbags, soap and artificial flowers etc. Would the whole event look far more appealing set up on the seafront leaving Devonshire Road free for those who wish to do alternative shopping.?

RACHEL PRANCE

White Hill Drive

Student roll

I have read with interest the article in yesterday's Bexhill Observer concerning planning permission for a new Bexhill High School. Whilst I agree that a new school has to be built to replace the existing ageing structure, I am aghast at the proposed number of students that it may eventually contain. It is obvious that the idiots in the Education dept in county hall have not learned the lessons of educational history. We went through the painful learning experience of large new comprehensive schools in our large cities in the 1960s. For example some of us in education can remember the disaster in London of Kidbrooke comprehensive and many more like them up and down the country. These schools failed big time and it was decided never again to build comprehensives with more than 1000-1200 students. So, what has East Sussex decided ? Yes, it has passed planning permission to build a comprehensive of 1650 students plus ! It really beggars belief doesn't it. They have learnt nothing.

As it is Bexhill High School is filling Bexhill College with students who have not attained a grade C or higher in GCSE Maths. With a High school with even more students Bexhill College will be overwhelmed with their ' GCSE Maths duds '.

I urge the County Council Education Dept to think again about the maximum number students in the new comprehensive.

R.H. Marshall

The Finches

Danger road

Mrs. Hammond, (Letters, September 26,) has brought up a point which many people would agree with, for the traffic in Little Common is, at times, very dangerous especially for the young, elderly and infirm. Later this month, East Sussex County Council will start to remedy this with:

1 Two Puffin Crossings on Cooden Sea Road, one near where the present Zebra is and another in the area of the Chemist / Dry Cleaner. These Puffins will be sinchronised so that the traffic will not be held up for too long.

2 Traffic exiting from Church Hill Avenue onto the A259 will turn have to left so that those wishing to go East will have to go to the island and turn round. A slightly longer trip, but a lot safer.

3 The pavement from Church Hill Avenue where the Lollipop Lady works will be expanded giving more room and more safety for children going to Little Common School.

4 The bus stops will be altered so that the elderly who find getting into buses difficult will find it easier.

5 Painting Double Yellow lines at the bottom of Collington Lane West, and also Drayton Rise, to stop people from parking there as they block the road and could cause accidents.

These, and other improvements, will not be done over night and I am told that some of them will not be carried out until we are in 2009 and I am pushing for the most important points to be carried out first and the 'smaller' ones afterwards.

Brian Gadd (Cllr)

County Councillor for West Bexhill

Rowing support

ON September 13 we were lucky enough to have the race of our lives and bring back home the Bideford Bowl from the South East Rowing Championships.

The win took many many hours of hard work in the gym and out in boats training - often twice a day throughout the past 12 months.

We could not do this without the support of our family and friends, to which we are very grateful. There have been too many people to single out and thank at this time, but Matt, Colin, Phil, Ashley, Yaz, for your help in training and racing - we thank you.

Whilst five of us race and win the trophy, the whole club (led by Andy Bickers) has to pull together to allow us time away from the day-to-day duties to focus on this, so in a sense - everyone has had a part to play.

There is no better rowing club, and no better people to share this prize with.

Finally, huge congratulations to Eloise, Emma-Jane, Hannah, Vinny and Phil - who provided the inspiration by winning the Junior Open just moments before we boated. It sent shivers down our spines!

Here's to the end-of-season celebrations.

Mark, Doug, Matt, Kieran and Jess

2008 Senior Four Coxed Fours Championship Winners

Bexhill Rowing Club