Your letters - October 2

A circular argument

A FEW years ago East Sussex County Council put forward a scheme called the Bexhill bypass, which it wanted to put through the Combe Haven Valley.

After various public consultations it was deemed that a public inquiry should be held to decide the pros and cons of this road scheme.

ESCC spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money, provided experts and planners giving all the pros and various wildlife experts and bodies such as the Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace spoke regarding the down side of this road and why it should not be built.

Everyone had their say.

After weeks of deliberation, the inspector of the Bexhill bypass inquiry decided to reject the road scheme as the area was too environmentally sensitive for a road to be built through it and the fog would cause a danger to life.

How then has ESCC been allowed to spend taxpayers' money trying to build the same road under a different name?

The valley hasn't changed, the wildlife hasn't changed and the fog hasn't changed.

Only the name of the road has changed.

We have fought this fight before, it has all been discussed and dissected before '“ why are we having to do it all again?

How can ESCC justify spending our money again when this road has been rejected once before? This is not democracy. ESCC has again hired barristers and solicitors and experts to try and bully its road through. The objectors and protesters as before have to work in their spare time.

Democracy said no to this road before, and in a true democracy that would be final.

If there is a legal expert reading this I would be interested to know your view of this.

CD Kelly

Western Road

Bexhill

Independent museum

OH dear! I should have expected that the final paragraph of my previous letter on the marketing of Bexhill would bring about a response from one of the town's serial objectors.

However, the reason for this letter is to point out that the writer is totally wrong with their statement that "his group" '“ by that I presume she means The Society of Bexhill Museums Ltd '“ supports the Next Wave redevelopment project. As a director of the society I can state categorically that the subject has never been discussed at board level. And, that the society has most certainly no collective view on the matter.

The fact that the exhibition is taking place in the museum's education room is solely for commercial reasons.

As a charity, the society has a varied funding programme in addition to admission fees to the museum; this programme includes the letting out of the education room.

Finally, I would remind the writer that, as clearly stated in my previous letter, my views on the promenade seating were mine and mine alone for which I make no apology to anyone.

John Betts

Eden Drive

Bexhill

Go and see the plans

THE revised details of the Next Wave scheme for Bexhill's seafront are now close to being finalised.

There are many significant changes to the original designs that were shown to the public at an exhibition in the De La Warr Pavilion last October.

I am sure that all residents of Rother District will be interested to view, and comment on, the proposals on which 5.1m of their council and other taxes is being spent.

Tomorrow, Saturday October 3, from 10am to 4pm, in the museum in Egerton Road, Bexhill, (south side of the park), there will be an exhibition of the scheme's final proposals.

The designs affect the landscaping of the promenade along West Parade, the putting green lawn and the De La Warr Terrace, as well as the redevelopment of the Colonnade and the Bexhill Rowing Club.

This will be the only opportunity the public will have to view the proposals, and make their comments to both the architects and the project management team, who will be in attendance to explain the scheme and answer any questions.

Please don't miss it.

Ron Storkey

Chairman, Save Our Seafront

De la Warr Road

Bexhill

Damp is a myth

AFTER 50 years of neglected maintenance, the interior of the structure of the Colonnade exhibits many stains from old water leaks, both at ceiling level as indicated in the Rother Council photograph (September 11) and also at floor level.

As apparent from Mr Stevens' response to your article (25 September), despite unarguable evidence over the past two years that the cafe area is bone-dry, the council is still determined to perpetuate the myth of water penetration.

Readers should be aware that the council is trying to force out the cafe proprietor before the expiry of his lease in July, 2010, to give access to commence redevelopment work in February, 2010. This fact is just one reason why these unsubstantiated statements are consistently repeated.

The cabinet meeting on September 7 considered a report from the director of services that the Colonnade would require general maintenance work, currently estimated to cost 400,000, if the redevelopment work did not proceed.

Although many members of the committee were aware of my longstanding contentions that the building is dry, sadly not one questioned this wildly exaggerated figure. There is another reason for maintaining the fiction of water penetration!

JOHN HODSON

Cooden Sea Road

Have a say

CONTRARY to a statement in a recent letter that the council were always going to present a final public exhibition of the Next Wave plans for all to see, what the council were planning was a "web exhibition" on the internet.

We pointed out to them that the problem with this was that a large percentage of residents who do not use a computer (according to the Office of National Statistics 82 per cent of over 60s and 30 per cent of younger ones) would have no chance of viewing the plans. This would have been undemocratic and the council have now agreed.

Since May we have been pressuring the council to give a proper exhibition in a room with pictures, just as people want.

Although the council do not want to do another so-called consultation, at least having the chance to see the designs will give us all the power to express our opinions and maybe change some things we do not like by writing letters.

The exhibition of the Colonnade and landscaping and rowing club designs will, I am told by the project manager, be held on October 3 at the museum in Egerton Park.

The exhibition of the shelters will be held later.

JACKIE BIALESKA

Chairman, Vox Pop

Which is real Barker?

THIS week's Bexhill Observer offers us a most interesting contrast in the various faces of Mr Greg Barker MP and leaves this reader, at least, with the fascinating question of which one to trust.

On the one hand, the public face of "Greg": the happy, beaming face as frequently photographed for your pages. This week first decked out in builder's hat and safety vest, then clutching a collection tin for a local service organisation.

An hour here, an hour there '“ gathering a tidy few photos for the career portfolio along the way.

A pity, perhaps, that there were no babies to be kissed last week, but you cannot always drum up things like that at short notice.

Then, at the other extreme, the hidden face of Mr Barker '“ as referenced in the cogent letter from Stephen Jackson on Page 6. The "other" Barker of the many, still unanswered, questions about multiple second homes and the hundreds of thousands of parliamentary allowances and off-the-page capital gains. The darkside Barker, as it were, a million miles away from the Milky Bar Kid gurnings and the cynical political stunts mentioned in the previous paragraph.

This week, to make matters even worse, we learn that the scandal of parliamentary expenses (starring Mr G Barker MP) is directly linked to another major scandal, concerning inadequate provision of equipment for frontline troops. In order to buy necessary kit not provided by the cashstrapped MoD, some soldiers on their way to Afghanistan were forced to moonlight. By chance, this extra-curricular work involved the infamous "redaction" process by which our honourable MPs sought desperately to hide details of their expenses from us, the tax-paying public.

We can only guess at how much necessary military kit could have been bought with the millions paid in clandestine expenses to MPs and how many of our servicemen's lives could thereby have been saved.

I certainly know where I think this money (our money) should have been spent but, sadly, I have no expectation that our MPs will be at all ashamed for covertly diverting this cash for their own purposes. We will also never know how much money Mr Barker collected (from other people's pockets, of course) via his much photographed hour with a tin on the High Street, but it's hard not to wonder how this amount compares with the huge amounts pocketed by means of the battery of assorted expenses and gains.

At the end of the day, I guess each of us can accept whichever version of Greg Barker we chose to trust but I know which one I find most convincing and which way my vote will be going next time.

HUGH ASHWICK

Collington Lane West

Careering ahead

BEXHILL High is running a Careers Day for all Year 9 students on November 17. The aim of this day is to prepare students for the decision they need to make over the forthcoming years regarding their education and careers choices.

The focus will be on choosing KS4 option course, college courses, the world of Higher Education and employment opportunities. The Connexions Service will be working closely alongside us throughout the day. Follow-up activities will be available to all Year 9 students from this event.

To extend the work we have previously done on Careers Day, we are investigating the possibility of holding a Career's Fair for the students for a three hour period on this day.

I am writing to local employers and educational institutions in the first instance to ascertain interest in attending and having a small stand at the the fair.

If you or your organisation would be able to support our Career Fair, please contact me on 01424 730722 (ext 311) or email me at thillman @bexhillhigh.e-sussex.sch.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Mrs T Hillman

Student Support

Hoping for a ring

CONTINUING on from August 28 and September 11, I'm hoping against hope that I will join Ellie Tucker in finding my engagement ring.

In 1964 I took my class of Silverdale School children for their summer outing on the RH&D Railway and then ended up with a swim, (no such treat allowed now for health & safety reasons) and ball game and picnic on Littlestones Beach.

Having removed my ring on to my lap whilst drying, I stood up to finish off, forgetting to replace my ring '“ a diamond solitaire in a claw setting.

The discovery of my missing ring was made in the coach on the return trip to St Leonards. By this time the children had to be returned and the tide would have been in, making the search futile.

These days with metal detectors, someone may have found it. I know that 45 years on it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Margaret Chester

Albany Road

St Leonards