No mention was made

WHY does Rother District Council hide the truth from us? In the Observer two weeks ago, its chief executive, Derek Stevens, replied to my complaint about the monstrous two-storey building newly-abutting the historic Colonnade.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Jul 2011, 09:00 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 20:38 BST

He said that “English Heritage was consulted and raised no objections”.

Well, that’s not quite the truth. It appears to me that English Heritage was never shown this building on an elevation or as a three-dimensional model, and was not involved in this part of the scheme.

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I say this because I was at the planning committee when the rowing club/steps proposal was approved. (RR/2009/2834/3R)

No mention was made of the extraction tower or concrete wall. These were hidden in the conditions as “a scheme for the design and colour of any extractor/flue” and passed on to the planning department.

No mention of this large structure there, then.

English Heritage has written to me explaining it was not involved in those details and did not expect to be. So it appears it didn’t object because it didn’t know. Neither, it appears, did most of our councillors.

All the time the council has insisted it would “preserve the setting of the Pavilion”. Well, it hasn’t. It has almost totally hidden it from walkers on the prom. What a farce!

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This gargantuan extractor/flue is intended to suck unpleasant smells out of the new restaurant kitchen and toilets, and spray them over the heads of the unfortunate tourists fit enough to trip up and down the newly-built Odessa-type steps.

God help us if now, every restaurant in Bexhill has to install a flue like this. But I jest.

In obscuring one of the best views of our historic and famous building the council has made an egregious error. The officers responsible should be ashamed.

JACKIE BIALESKA

Vox Pop

Related topics:ObserverEnglish HeritageBexhill