Will Lyme join the row over new council offices?
THE row continues to rage throughout West Dorset over the district council’s intention to build new £10.7 million offices, a decision supported by both of Lyme’s district councillors, Daryl Turner and Pat Hicks.
Public meetings in Dorchester and Bridport, co-ordinated by Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Sue Farrant, have both come down unanimously against the move from High West Street in Dorchester.
There’s been no public debate in Lyme Regis, other than a brief discussion at the March annual town meeting.
Such is the feeling in Dorchester that the town council spent £6,000 last week on a parish poll to get the view of the electorate. In a turnout of only 15.4 per cent, 2,004 people from the county town voted against the plan with just 156 being in favour.
The district concil has dismissed the result as not being representative of the views of the people of West Dorset as a whole.
I’m not sure spending £6,000 of public money was value for money for Dorchester Town Council, but they were duty bound to carry out the wishes of their council taxpayers.
This is an issue that affects the whole district an not just one town. Anyone who has visited the district council’s Stratton House complex in High West Street will be aware they are far from ideal and the district officers claim moving to the new town centre site will bring about big benefits over the years, saving taxpayers £145,000 a year from day one.
The campaign against the new offices has also been dismissed as a political one and council leader Robert Gould and chief executive David Clarke refused to attend the two public meetings.
They have produced a leaflet explaining in detail why it makes sense to build new offices, in the form of a question and answer format, and say there has been sufficient public consultation.
Understandably, there is concern in Dorchester about what will happen to the Old Crown Court, built in the 1790s, which forms part of the council complex.
Other issues raised include the possible ultimate abolishing of the district council if Dorset ends up with a unitary authority.
The council say they have worked carefully with their colleagues at Dorset County Council to ensure that should change happen the new offices will fit into a long term strategy for public sector offices in Dorchester.
So will Lyme have the chance to debate this issue in similar fashion to the meetings in Dorchester and Bridport?
Sue Farrant has her hands full at the moment with the general election looming, but I understand she would be prepared to co-ordinate a meeting in Lyme should there be a call for one.
I’m sure that Daryl would put up a good case for the new offices.
Remember, it’s your money too they are spending.
EVENT OF THE WEEK
FOR me this was defintely the invitation I received from Dorset County Football Association to attend their awards night to receive a plaque recognising the contribution I have made to football in Lyme over the years.
Whilst I was delighted and proud to receive the award, especially in the 125th anniversary year of Lyme Regis FC, it did make me feel that my useful days are well and truly over.
The ten years I spent as chairman at the Davey Fort were among the most exhilarating of my life but we all have to be put out to grass sometime.
Arts and crafts idea for neglected seafront site?
A COUPLE of weeks ago in Lyme Matters I had a right old drip about the continuing state of the piece of land at the eastern end of the Marine Parade, fenced off by West Dorset District Council, and expressed the hope that it could be put to some more attractive use before the season gets underway.
I wrote that if the district council did not know what to do about it then perhaps the View from Lyme Regis readers could come up with some ideas. I even offered a bottle of champagne for the best suggestion.
The site in question was strengthened as part of the stabilisation of the gardens following the demolishing of two private properties which were in a dangerous state.
Town councillor and manager of LymeNet Lucy Campbell, who is also a very talented jewellery maker, immediatly got in touch to tell me that with the help of stone balancer Adrian Gray she had been trying to get permission from WDDC to use the land for quite some time.
She told me: “We’d like to run an arts and craft market over the summer period, maybe one or two times a week, selling local, handmade quality goods.”
She went on to explain that they had received “very little response” (surprise, surprise) and they now need to “up the ante”.
Lucy has spoken to district councillor Daryl Turner to see if he could take the matter past the officers straight to his fellow councillors in the hope of getting permission. I think it’s an excellent idea and a bottle of bubbly is on its way to Lucy.
Local photohrapher Peter Wiles also responded to my article. Whilst stressing that he had not consulted with anyone on his idea, he suggested that it could well be used as an “exciting space” for exhibiting sculpture, perhaps during ArtsFest or in collaboration with the Woodroffe School as a project.
I had one other response from someone who wanted to remain anonymous who suggested that the stark concrete mass at the back of the site could be made into a wall garden (very popular in cities) with the rest of the site turned into a peaceful seating area.
Lyme in the news
IT’S amazing just how many times you see Lyme Regis mentioned in the national headlines, sometimes in the most strangest of circumstances. Two classic examples last week.
Google News revealed that among the ten most important things that the sheik who owns Manchester City Football Club wanted was to sign Fernando Torres from Liverpool - and spend a long weekend in Lyme Regis.
The Guardian website also revealed later in the week that the Turkish town in which our patron saint St George slew the dragon, Urgup, has chosen Lyme as a possible twin town because our town seal, dating back to 1284, contains a ship with the flag of St George on it.
How bizarre.
... and lo and behold, a new signs appears
IN last week’s column I wrote about the state of the street sign at the top of Sherborne Lane and how it’s unrusty state had been reported to West Dorset District Council by the town council and the police.
I decided to do so after an irate resident called into our office to say she, too, had reported the sign, which had been ripped out of the tarmac and propped up againt the wall, but “nothing had been done”.
I telephoned the town council and the ever-helpful administration officer Victoria Strictler told me it was the responsiblility of West Dorset District Council. That evening I had an email from district council Daryl Turner saying it was not a district responsibility but a county one and he would contact county councillor Colonel Geoffery Brierley. He added: “A simple mistake to make.”
Lo and behold on Friday morning a workman turned up and cemented in a brand new sign. I replied to Councillor Turner asking him to confirm that it was indeed a county responsibility so that I could correct this sutuation in this week’s column.
He did not reply. So I double checked with Victoria and she said she would phone the district. They confirmed that it was their job and presumably they replaced the sign.
It matters not. The important thing is that a new sign has replaced the rusty old one - although it took several weeks and numerous complaints - and a little nudge from the View - to get the job done.
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