Your letters - October 31

Silver scallies

AT last the DLWP director deigns to write a letter to the Bexhill Observer from the fastness of his ivory tower! And when he does, what a strange way to break silence - with an indignant squawk of aggrieved protest about elderly rowdies. Funnily enough, I saw no problems when I attended, but maybe I I was one of the Silver Scallies without realising it! All in all, though, methinks he doth protest way too much.

On a more general front, though, you do have to question why he has reacted in this way.

You might think that exposure to our bracing sea air would have accustomed the Haydons of the world to a measure of saltiness in human discourse.

But when I do wonder if Mr Haydon and his kind have any real desire to be in Bexhill at all. None of them live or come from round here and they nearly all seem to be wannabe 'Tate' types who at some deep level harbour resentment about being in what they see as a cultural backwater.

I think that being stranded here in Bexhill probably represents to them a token of failure in their careers and that this is reflected in many of the decisions (and statements) that are made at DLWP.

You only have to look at the composition of the new board to check the prevailing climate: a few token locals at the technical fringes, a lawyer here, a councillor there, but otherwise the cultural hardcore is solid metropolitan based or minded (and CV wise, that word 'Tate' does seem to crop up all over the place.)

Should we thank the Arts Council of England for this, in my mind, unsatisfactory situation? And why does Rother DC just wave through all edicts from above?

L W Harris

Pear Tree Lane

Sufficient brief

ARRIVING at the De La Warr Pavilion, we were pleased to discover that Rother residents were eligible for free admission to the Ben Nicholson exhibition on confirmation of their postcodes.

The young lady on the information desk accepted our proof of residence, at which point she asked for two entrance fees and then asked whether we'd be paying separately or together!

We reminded her that we had just qualified for free admission.

"Oh yes, that's right" she said.

We walked along to the Ben Nicholson exhibition where the young man at the desk was unable to direct another visitor to the council display - surely all staff should be made aware of other events taking place? More so when a sensitive issue is on display!

On leaving the Ben Nicholson exhibition we asked the same young man if there was another exhibition on the first floor - he said he had no idea what was going on upstairs! We popped up there anyway, had a coffee and viewed the excellent photographic exhibition.

On our way out of the pavilion we noticed comment forms were available and duly completed one - we then discovered that there was nowhere to post it.

Cllr Ensor, who was directing people to the council display, suggested taking it to the information desk, which we did and handed it to the same girl referred to earlier.

Imagine our surprise when we turned around only to see her reading it! We suggested to Cllr Ensor that there should be a proper comments box, the content of which cannot be pre-judged by the staff.

Headlines in last week's Observer referring to the ill-mannered elderly Bexhill residents come as no surprise.

If staff appeared interested in their work and were sufficiently briefed so that no member of staff lacked knowledge of events at the DLWP visitors would have no grounds to complain.

J. Young and D. Pearson

Bexhill residents

Missed chance

Oh dear, what an opportunity DLWP Director Haydon has missed in all this storm-in-a-teacup argy-bargy about uppity geriatrics at his pavilion!

If only Mr Haydon had possessed an ounce of artistic creativity under that ton of bureaucratic indignation, he might have recognised a 'blue moon' moment of inspiration when it bumped into him.

What he should have done, of course, was to record these alleged incidents and then forthwith present them as a cutting edge video event of the kind so beloved (ironically) of the DLWP regime. All he would have had to have add would have been a suitably intriguing title - 'Zimmer-time Blues' perhaps, or 'Close Encounters of the Third Age'.

The public would have poured through his doors - his beloved 'footfall' statistics would have gone through the roof, perhaps followed by a few elderly bovver boots - and Mr Haydon might well have qualified as an outside bet for the Turner Prize.

Consider all this and weep, Mr Haydon!

Violet Gordon

Little Common Road

Those shelters

As a Bexhillian-in-exile, I visited the Next Wave exhibition last Friday. I went with an open, positive mind. Honestly.

I found many of the proposals hard to swallow but I want simply to mention just one of them as I believe it shows the whole project in its true light - a vehicle for grand plans but never mind the detail because it justifies the large fee.

One part of the document refers to ". a number of architecturally interesting buildings including .... a number of ornately-detailed Edwardian Promenade shelters."

So architecturally interesting that they want to get rid of them and erect new shelters that look like public lavatories (and that's another story) with the very obvious design fault that they would be "floating above the surface of the promenade on short columns".

They want us to sit there and freeze to death from the knees down while the wind whistles under the walls? Never mind.

It seems that the optical ambiguity of the reflections on the material, seen against the setting, will be celebrating the transitory effects of light. Well, that's alright then.

To its credit, I found that the document thankfully only mentioned the word 'icon' and its adjective 'iconic' once.

NAME SUPPLIED

Horley

Our annoyance

ALTHOUGH I do not condone unmannerly behaviour, the patronising and condescending attitude of the staff I spoke to when I visited the New Wave exhibition last Saturday made me feel stupid and inferior.

I am sure others must have felt the same and obviously expressed their annoyance more strongly than I did.

After all it is OUR town and if money is available then other more sensible ideas already suggested about the town itself could be implemented.

J. Welch

Ellerslie Lane

Bad example

having just read my Observer, as an oap suffering from chronic arthritis and in constant pain I have a reason for anger. However, pure bad manners in a public place is not on - I feel as we are not happy with the world today the frustrations come out in anger. No excuse really. Come on Bexhill oaps we must show the kids a good example.

Penny Eldridge

St James Avenue

Big question

WHILST not condoning the behaviour of visitors to the Next Wave proposals, perhaps Alan Haydon and Rother councillors should address the reason why responsible and law-abiding residents behaved in this way.

S.A. Boyd

Newlands Avenue

Toddler danger

I WENT to the De La Warr Pavilion, to see the plans for the Next Wave proposals.

I did find them informative, although not to my personal liking.

One of the things that did give me cause for concern, was the idea of removing the walls surrounding the putting green and the small grassed area next to it.

People with toddlers and small children do play on these areas, also young teenaged boys play football there (no problem).

The walls do protect them, and also keep dogs out. If these walls were removed, especially on the road side, there will be nothing to stop a child from running into the road, getting hit by a car, and maybe getting seriously injured or killed.

What is going to happen to the Wishing Well and the Human Sundial, both having been presented by the Rotarians?

Both of these items do promote considerable interest from people walking on the seafront.

The kiosk there also has plenty of visitors.

If we are to have new shelters, I hope someone will come up with some more acceptable designs. The ones put forward at the moment are ghastly.

Having bought a flat on the seafront, because I wanted to see the sea and the promenade, I don't relish the thought of having one of these awful shelters nearby. I don't think steel seats are a particularly good idea either as they will be hot in summer and cold in the winter (and wonderful for skateboarders too!)

The idea of improving the Rowing Club's facilities is an excellent scheme. I feel we should build on what we already have. They deserve it as they work very hard and with their skills they do bring Bexhill to notice nationally.

We do not need to compete with other seaside towns. The people who visit our town do so because they like it. The same applies to people who live here. Destroying the seafront by taking it "into the future" will not bring hordes of visitors.

It will most likely have the the opposite effect of driving the people away who like Bexhill the way it is.

I am not against regeneration, but only in the areas where it is necessary.

If there is money available there is a lot that wants doing to the town centre and I would have thought that in the present economic climate the money would have been better spent on that, or put on hold until the present financial situation eases and then look at it again.

Pat Clements (Mrs)

West Parade

Tory folly

COUNCILLOR Carl Maynard is talking tosh ("Closed doors' jibe as tourism row flares", Observer, October 24 ) It isn't the Lib Dems who play party politics.

It is, and has always been, the Tory Group: and since their previous leader stepped down councillor Maynard has shown himself to be an amateur at the game.

The only amusing bits are when some councillors fluff their lines.

Other Tory councillors are finding out the hard way that it doesn't pay to have a mind of one's own.

The cabinet has long since purged anyone of innovative thinking; docility is the order of the day. This explains the singular intent to push through the Next Wave project, a folly, and a monument to councillor Maynard's vanity.

Stephen jackson

Second Avenue

Turn confusion

MAY I through your paper ask if anyone else finds the traffic lights at the junction of Brett Drive confusing.

I seldom manage to turn into Brett Drive (coming from Little Common) without turning on a red light. Surely, there should be a green arrow showing, giving people a chance to turn.

You can be in a queue down the middle of the road and the lights can change a couple of times before you get a gap to cross on a green light.

I can see an accident happening before very long.

Joy Burton (Mrs)

Millham Close

Park funding

We were sorry to read on the Rother District Council website of the unsuccessful 3million pound Lottery bid for the much needed regeneration of Egerton Park, as a family through the years we have been regular users of the park since our grandmother moved to Bexhill in the 1920s so we wish good luck to the council in their quest for other funding in the hope that our small and potentially perfectly formed park can play its part within the developing regeneration of our seafront and surrounds.

the Liversedge Family

Amherst Road

Message of contempt

THAT CABE has confirmed an offer of 1m, or less than 20 per cent towards the council's 5.1m Next Wave proposals to modernise the seafront still doesn't mean we should go ahead.

If a bunch of architects offered me, say, 50,000 to modernise and re-landscape my old farmhouse. I'd say "Thanks but no thanks- I like it as it is, so why would I pay 200,000 to change it?"

When will the council stop spinning its proposals and face up to the reality of a largely hostile public? One board at the exhibition claimed that feedback following the Spirit of Place proposals showed the public "favoured a contemporary approach to the seafront complementing the modernist face of the De La Warr Pavilion rather than copying the historic Edwardian style".

Yet when Jackie Bialeska asked members of the public which they preferred, over 1000 favoured Edwardian and only nine wanted modernist structures.

And not all architects would agree with CABE. Piers Gough, a popular innovative architect, argued at the recent Wavelength conference on Hastings and Bexhill that towns like Bexhill are essentially Victorian and Edwardian and while one or two modernist buildings might contrast quite nicely with them '“he finds the De La Warr "enjoyably perverse" - no attempt should be made to "complement" them, but rather the towns should be well looked after "so that they look wonderful."

I agree.

I love the Pavilion and am really happy it has been restored, but I don't want my seafront to become "De La Warr Park." I just want a well cared-for seafront in a well cared-for town.

If it could be shown that these proposals would regenerate Bexhill I might waver a little, but this claim is yet more spin. How would they?

The council seem to believe in the discredited "build it and they will come" approach, perhaps encouraged by the DLWP's claim, repeated by Alan Haydon at Wavelength that its restoration has substantially regenerated Bexhill already. But you just have to wander round the town with its closed shops and buildings in disrepair to see that this just isn't so.

But the excavated Colonnade, with its shops and restaurants, will change all that, I suppose, creating an "evening culture". Yet at the same conference the travel journalist Simon Calder, shocked to hear that the Pavilion was not open evenings, asked Mr Hayden why not.

"Bexhill is a very quiet town after 6 pm" he replied. This is supposed to change, I suppose, after Next Wave.

Of course it won't.

We are who we are-Bexhill-on- Sea, not "DLWP- on- Sea" or Brighton and our traditional seafront is our very identity. It is what all residents cherish and where people come to escape the tourist meccas of the South Coast-and even more will come (to regenerate our town) if we will only look after our seafront more and not play around with it too much. More and better toilets and changing facilities, a tourist information office, facilities painted more regularly and more brightly, more plants and trees and so on. Consult us Bexhillians properly, Rother, and we will tell you - you won't need consultants and it won't cost half as much.

When a local authority looks after its town in such ways, said Piers Gough, it sends a love-letter to its residents. I believe there are such letters going around in Rother, for example, regarding the Station, the Museum and Egerton Park projects. But Next Wave is not one of them. It sends a message of contempt for our basic wishes and no wonder people are angry.

NICK HOLLINGTON

Whydown Farm

Upon deaf ears

ALTHOUGH I support the views expressed in R A Saunders' letter (October 10), I believe they will fall on the deaf ears of 'our' planning officers.

Take for example the former playing field where St Mary's Park now stands. It could be argued that 'alternative provision' was made at the new Bexhill College site in Penland Road... hardly in the 'locality' of Gunters Lane. Are the facilities 'at least equivalent in terms of size' to those now lost for ever?

Anyway, wasn't the 'alternative' already a playing field? So where's the 'alternative provision' for there? And were the developers made to replace Phillimore's Sports Hall?

There was an alternative site further along Turkey Road belonging to the people of Bexhill long before RDC even existed. It had even been earmarked for sporting use.

It could also have been used for the additional pitches needed in Bexhill as the assessment, that R A Saunders correctly cited, argues. But sadly, that land isn't available now for sports as somehow RDC have passed plans for housing!

PPG17 is 'policed' by Sport England.

Where they even consulted by planning officers for St Mary's Park? Since PPG17 was published in July 2002 and the plans for St Marys Park were submitted later that same year, I sincerely hope they were consulted as since 1996 (Statutory Instrument 1996 No. 1817) the law would be broken if not!

When RDC did consult Sport England for the proposed four-storey housing on Gullivers' bowls greens, Sport England objected. But the officers 'persuaded' them to remove their objection, not by showing the same assessment mentioned above, but by a biased one written by the developers! So Sport England asked for a 'condition' to be attached to any approval won on appeal as they worried that replacement sports would be forgotten over residential. However, the officers substituted the wording for some suggested by the developers thus ensuring Sport England's fears be ignored!

I would suggest, as demonstrated by the controversial Tesco's in Little Common and now the seafront, that despite what the councillors or residents want, if 'our' planning officers want a development, they will find a way to get it.

Was I naive to hope a new head of planning would change that sorry state of affairs?

Anne-Marie Loader

Knole Road

The Ranks are Reformed

The ranks of World War heroes grow thin

And those standing in the rows are frail,

Yet strong is the valour they nurse within

And in their hearts unconquerable spirits prevail;

But now in new formed ranks stand our stalwart youth

Who honour comrades fallen in conflicts round the world,

In far flung lands defending threatened truth

Where proud regiments their banners have unfurled;

Those who with honour have defended freedom's cause

And laid their lives upon terror's awesome altar

That the world may live at peace without pause

In the knowledge that their courage did not falter;

So lay your poppy wreath upon their hallowed ground

And bow low your head as loud the cannons sound.

Dr R.V. Whitlock

Bexhill

Inadequate signposting

WHILE firmly supporting your editorial on the need for courtesy and good manners towards council employees, I feel that the organisers of the Next Wave exhibition brought some of the manifested frustration upon themselves by not properly signposting the venue for that event. I arrived with a small group of friends at the entrance to the De La Warr Pavilion to discover a frenzied mass of people who were confused and angry at the total absence of any indication as to the exhibition or its whereabouts, although later on, hastily prepared A4 notices appeared on one of the flanking walls.

While in no way attempting to justify the behaviour of some of those people, I am of the opinion that more thought should have been given to signposting, especially as the officers are no strangers to this type of exhibition.

Clearly, there had been no anticipation of the enthusiastic response to the event, for the mass crowding and consequent inability of some of the attendees to observe, let alone find someone to answer questions, was indicative of the need for a larger venue. Why not the main hall of the Pavilion?

Surely there is enough anarchy and selfishness in present day society without thoughtless provocation? Organisers, take note!

A. BROWN

Ninfield Road

Pavilion battlecry

Staff at the DLWP have the right to be treated with respect.

On the many occasions when I have sought to obtain a press response in relation to Pavilion policy, I have always been careful to avoid criticism of front line workers who are often doing their best within the prevailing stucture (a bit like the First World War really!)

The Observer headline re rampant " Aggressive Pensioners" (September 24) would not have gone amiss during that conflict.

A shocked Alan Haydon led the charge with a fulsome defence of his employees.

The only thing missing was any indication of what actually took place or reports from those involved. Without the benefit of this, I can only suggest that, given the stonewalling attitude of the Rother Council regeneration cotere, trouble might have been expected (particularly as the DLWP itself often displays the same dismissive attitude towards any individuals having the temerity to question its own policies).

Over a very long period there have only ever been two responses in the Observer or elsewhere - ironically from the communications department - and the tone has been noticeably less than fragrant. Bexhill should come to expect more of this social disobedience, if that is what actually happened. Older people are not what they were anymore and increasingly so. Direct action from "Grey Power" groups may become a daily reality! As Mr Haydon implies, why should younger people have the monopoly in being difficult?

Sadly, I didn't attend the Rother Display in question as I had simply anticipated another predictable whitewash. Based on the Observer report it was a major news event!

Dave Walsh

Rotherfield Avenue

Theatrical delusion

What a shame that a great opportunity has been missed in appointing the new De La Warr Pavilion Trustees. From the information given in the Observer it would seem that not one of the Trustees has much experience in the running of a Theatre (Oops! Sorry an Auditorium!). I don't think embroidery or glass expertise qualify or even the legal profession! The Theatre (there I go again - Auditorium) could be a vital link to the local community and a profit making concern, however, it needs to be overseen by someone who has the necessary experience.

One only has to look around at other towns who have successful community theatres to see that this can be done!

Bernard Simon

Concorde Close

Dim view

I was amazed to be handed a copy of Rother Council's new newsletter produced, incidentally on their behalf by neighbouring Hastings borough.

Rother Views seems to be a collection of previously issued press releases bound in a volume at the council taxpayers' expense. Additionally I notice that the authority is recruiting a highly paid communications official, so we can probably look forward to more PR puff emanating from the Town Hall.

While local authorities doubtless want to be seen blowing their own trumpets, to do so with public money rather than from advertising revenue puts them at risk of criticism - especially when there are so many pressing calls on the public purse.

Trevor Butler

Sutherland Avenue

Unidentified voters

Your correspondent (So pointless, October 24) clearly has experience of the problems with unidentified voters on her many petitions. To my certain knowledge there were several duplicate signatories to her petition in 2004, maybe there were hundreds.

On several occasions when the pitch outside the HSBC Bank was unmanned I overheard people jovially saying there was no problem about signing it twice.

Many of the people who signed the petition on that occasion, were unaware that they were being taken in by the wildly distorted pictures accompanying it. How could we possibly ever trust that result. Perhaps she went through it striking out duplicate signatures before arriving at the final tally of 30,000.

We look to our council for leadership, we should not expect them to conduct a plebiscite on everything.

E Potts Lt Cdre (Retired)

South Cliff

Parking prettily

Re: Police warn over school parking (Observer, September 24).

Before the police start issuing fixed penalty notices to errant parents, could they ensure that officers and staff working at Bexhill police station refrain from parking their vehicles half on the pavement while they are at work all day?

Graham Martin-Royle

Dalehurst Road

Wish list

WHAT great news, Bexhill has 1,000,000 Government grant for the council to use well!

Let's hope there will not be steel benches along the sea front, in place of the much loved wooden benches donated by residents in loving memories of dear persons who have passes away.

But how about up-dated public toilets for residents, visitors and tourists' usage?

Also a sub post office, which the council could run, as a town does in Essex.

A paint and bush up of all buildings in Devonshire Road, Sackville Road, St Leonards Road, etc., for a better, brighter appearance for all.

Or, - Oh yes, a swimming pool (much queried about by visitors and tourists) possibly in an accessible location along the seafront.

Or, - The cinema / theatre, now closed in Western Road could be opened as an elegant dance room. Such as two nights for discos/young persons, two nights tea/snack dances for the twenty/thirty year olds. Dance exhibitions for all etc.

We are also being advised by council members they are there for us. Prove it! Listen as I do.

VALDA WARREN

Church Street

Unwanted clothes

Re Charity Clothes Collections possibly frauds (Observer, October 10).

BEST idea is to avoid any of these bags by simply adopting a policy to place unwanted clothes periodically in the Salvation Army bin adjacent to Waste recycle centres in the town.

In World War II it was always the Salvation Army who were on the spot after bombing in the UK. All the other charity shops since have more than enough to get rid of, e.g. Oxfam has railway yards of rags awaiting distribution. These charity shops are all legacies of the Blair-Brown New Labour Policy and with the 'down' on the middle classes causing a trend for criminal designs, these 'bags' are becoming a fraud in consequence. Send all the bags back and start a better trend

C. GREEN

Bexhill

Pendragon days

I AM anxious to contact anyone in Bexhill who may know anything about Pendragon School, based at 41 Cantelupe Road, Bexhill which closed in the late 60's. It was founded in 1951,

taken over from St Ive's School in Hastings Road in 1960. Headmaster 1956 was A.de M Everett;

1958 Paul D Baylis, 1960 Paul Baylis. Mr Baylis died February 12,1963 aged 33yrs in Basle, Switzerland

My son, Paul Smurthwaite, went to this school in 1963. I am keen to make contact with anyone who knew the school then or knew any of the teachers or headmasters or any of the boys. Indeed anyone who knows anything at all about the school

Please contact me: [email protected]

SHEILA SMITH

RNA thanks

Bexhill Branch of the Royal Naval Association wish to convey their sincere thanks to the customers of our local supermarkets who contributed so generously to our recent collections.

Our thanks go also to the management of Tesco, Little Common Co-op and Sainbury's who

permit us the use of their shop forecourts each year. Regrettably, due to the age, ill health

and the declining numbers of our veterans we may have to reduce our collections to just one

day at each store during 2009.

The following donations have been allocated to national and local Naval related charities:-

Help for Heroes 1,000; Royal Alfred 200; MVS 100; RNBT 1,000; TS Hastings 300; Seafarers UK 150; WRNS BT 200; SSAFA 50.

Don Newnham

RNA Publicity Officer

Bexhill Branch

Work experience

May I thank all the superb employers in Hastings, Bexhill and Battle who have been kind enough to take one or more of our year 11 students for their work experience placements.

You have done our young ladies proud providing them with a memorable time and firing them with enthusiasm in many cases to get the grades required to follow in your footsteps. We do appreciate all the extra effort taking a student puts on your daily routines but if you could hear some of the comments fed back to us from staff and girls alike you would certainly know how much we really do think that you are all great!

Nicky Cusack

Teacher in Charge of Careers

Helenswood

Motor outrage

IT is absolutely outrageous that us motorists, who are proud to be British, can be fined 60 for having a tiny Union Jack at the side of the number plate on our cars.

Under the European Union (EU) law that our poodle government has agreed to, the number plate would be deemed illegal and the vehicle could fail the MOT!

The only flag allowed on the number plate under EU law is the EU blue and ring of stars flag; even the St George's Cross, the Scottish saltier and the Welsh Dragon are illegal. If anyone wants more proof that Britain is now a mere state within another country called the EU then look no further than this.

We blame just one person for this atrocity, Tony Blair, head of the apology for a government in June 2001, who pushed it through Parliament despite opposition by the Tories, Lib-Dems and other nationalists MP's.

The annexation of Britishness by the EU doesn't stop there by any means; look at the Home Secretary's proposed identity cards where there is no mention of the word 'Britain' or 'British' and, yes, you guessed it, no sign of the Union Jack.

You start to wonder who's side this government is on; we defeated a continental power in the last two World Wars only to be dominated by them now!

As we come up to Remembrance Day I will personally be very, very sad that all those folk that died to keep our independence and British Freedoms have been cruelly slighted.

Yes, I will remember and honour those that died for our freedoms but be sick at heart viewing those hypocrites of the Government laying wreaths at the Cenotaph that gave those freedoms away.

Tony Smith

Brownbread Stud

Ashburnham

1066 gifts

A BIG thank you to everyone who donated tombola gifts and cakes and to all the people who came and supported the "1066 Specials" Autumn Craft Fair at St Martha's Church hall in Little Common last Saturday. A massive 700 was raised for the club. Thank you to my army of volunteers who gave up their time on the day to man stalls, collect money and make teas.

ALISON ELPHICK

Secretary

1066 Special Fund-raising Committee