Consultation needed over £5.1m seafront plan says scrutiny committee

Monday afternoon's Town Hall cabinet meeting will additionally be asked that a public exhibition on the Next Wave proposals should be held at the De La Warr Pavilion "with an opportunity for the public to present any further views."

There was a full and sometimes vocal public gallery for this Monday's meeting of the services overview and scrutiny committee.

Legal services manager David Edwards defined for those members who also sit on the planning committee, which would eventually have to debate any council application, the difference in law between "pre-determination" and "pre-disposition."

Pre-determination is where a councillor is guilty of entering a planning debate with fixed views on the issue; pre-disposition where they have views but retain an open mind.

Newly-installed microphones meant that visitors were able to hear director of services Tony Leonard and conservation officer Diane Russell when they gave computer screen presentations on the 5.1m seafront regeneration.

Mr Leonard talked members through various Rother reports dating back to Restoring Spirit of Place in 1994 and Edwardian Legacy in 1996.

While consultation showed the public supportive of conserving the town centre Edwardian Legacy in Spirit of Place, under-funding of this had brought dissatisfaction and Edwardian Legacy plans for the seafront had not found favour, he said.

Rother has submitted a 1m bid for the current seafront proposals under the Government's new Sea Change programme.

Mr Leonard said Rother was ahead of a competitive field with its proposals and warned that delay would lose this advantage.

Rother was already up against 28 other authority bids and more were in the offing.

He concluded: "To move forwards involves accepting change or 'do nothing' and go backwards."

The visitor going westwards was greeted by five private clubs to which they had no access before reaching the De La Warr Pavilion '“ and that was often closed, Cllr Martin Kenward said at the start of 30 minutes of debate.

The former Rother chairman said the authority had spoken many years ago of grouping the clubs in one location to give the town more tourist appeal.

A key element of the seafront scheme is shops and restaurants at the Colonnade.

Cllr Kenward said were too many shops in the town for the current economy to support and he suggested talks with the Chamber of Commerce to "shrink" their number by returning some on the periphery to private accommodation.

There was applauses from the gallery as he lashed out at the stainless steel shelters illustrated in the report.

"We have some wonderful shelters around the town. These look like something off the back of a container truck. I have never seen anything like it."

The meeting was told that the shelter ilustration was illustrative and not definitive.

Cllr Kenward asked where did hopes for a cycle route figure in the scheme?

Committee chairman Cllr Chris Starnes said that through the good offices of Rother members who were also county councillors a "firework had been lit at county hall" and county officers were again in regular contact over a scheme.

County and Rother member Cllr Michael Ensor, who later successfully proposed the public exhibition clause in the committee's recommendation to cabinet, said he welcomed opportunity for the public to contribute their views on the scheme.

Cllr Katharine Field said existing Edwardian shelters were typical of Edwardian seaside towns and "very lovely."

The Battle member could not understand why Bexhill with its broad expanse of Tarmac did not embrace the idea of a cycle route.

Cllr Paul Lendon said: "This town has had a lot of projects which haven't gone forward."

The Colonnade would not have been built if the proposed pier had gone ahead.

The abortive hotel scheme on the Metropole putting green had been in the wrong place. But Bexhill still needed a new hotel, he said.

Cllr Stuart Wood said the proposed shelters posed a safety risk. "They are going to be open to abuse. They are not going to be open to view from all sides."

Salehurst member Cllr Sue Prochak said: "I know it is invidious for a non-Bexhill member to make a comment but to me the charm of Bexhill is that it has NOT gone down the road of other towns."

There were cries of "Here!Here!" from the gallery as she added: "It is a charming place.

"I would like to understand how this project will regenerate Bexhill. I do understand how we need to upgrade and improve the street furniture. But I need to be convinced that our taxpayers will support 3.2m.

"It does say in the report that these are estimates. I have been on this council long enough to know that estimates never go down..."

She said the late Jackie Luck, who she likened to the "Boswell of Bexhill," had observed 'Bexhill is looking so uncared for...'" This was true.

The most effective Rother scheme in Bexhill had been the Edwardian-style shopfront '“ and the money had run out for that.

Proposing his public exhibition amendment, Cllr Michael Ensor said Bexhill was a delightful town. But it needed to be revitalised.