We seem to live in a time of master plans.

My column in the Herald Express 16th April 2014

The 2008 Mayor's Vision - a master plan

That feeling of déjà vu sent a shiver through my body the other morning when I pitched up at the Torbay Business Forum AGM in the Riviera Centre. One part of the event was a presentation from two consultants tasked with producing town master plans for Torquay and Paignton. Why the feeling of déjà vu? Well sitting in front of me at the gathering was Nick Bye, a former mayor of Torbay. You may remember Nick Bye’s Mayor’s Vision and because I’m that sort of bloke I had recently taken the trouble to look through the large colour book that had been produced at the time. This of course was also a sort of master plan and so here we are a few years later going through a similar costly consultancy process once again.

We seem to live in a time of master plans having recently had sight of the Torbay Port Master Plan looking at the future of our three harbours and the surrounding area. Doubtless you can probably list many other master plans, focus groups, forum meetings, partnerships et cetera. Anyway the little gathering of local business people, councillors and other folk at the Riviera Centre listened attentively to the consultants as they told us many things that we already knew but also humbly pointed out that they were still getting to know the area.  It also seemed that there is a process of public engagement going on and yet many of the people attending this meeting had not been aware of that, which worried me. Hmm. I’ve just looked through the Torbay Council website and have failed to find the dates for consultation. You might have better luck.

So my next question might be as to why people that should know about consultation meetings don’t. Well one reason might simply be the almost continuous deluge of local consultative meetings. I tend to keep my eye on local events but actually attending them all seems an impossible task. I once produced a simple model in an attempt to explain why certain folk pop up at all the meetings. It seemed to me that you might draw three circles and write the word retired in one, rich in another and restless in the other. To be a regular attender you must be retired with ample time available, rich enough to have the financial latitude not to be in the work place or simply restless and therefore on a bit of a mission!  

My point is that to attended many gatherings you need time and understanding. The time to actually sit through often lengthy meeting and that therefore becomes the bailiwick of those not having to work. Add to that the ability to differentiate between the meetings that matter and the meetings that don’t matter. Sitting through hours of pointless rhetoric is mind-numbing and probably psychologically damaging!

Curiously this was the second Torbay Business Forum event that I attended that week. The first one was a breakfast event, once again in the Riviera Centre, at which the selected developer for the Torquay Pavilion and surrounding area explained what was planned.  You couldn’t fail to be impressed by the stunning architectural design but of course there were a few raised eyebrows at the potential transformation of Carry Gardens into a car park. Admittedly the car park had the facility to be used for other purposes, such as a farmers market, from time to time.  All very complicated and emotionally charged of course faced with the loss of that lovely green space.

One thing is certain and that is the fact that we cannot object to every development whilst still watching the fabric of our towns deteriorate on a downward economic slide. Any objection and indeed vote of support must be balanced. But to do that we must all engage. It is therefore absolutely essential that local councils find a more efficient way to ensure that information is easily available. Perhaps ultimately that may be by simply banging on doors and talking to people!

Now here is something to think about when we think about the future of our towns. Two speakers at the end of one of the events I attended spoke about a technological master plan. South Devon College’s Simon Friend offered a view of such a town and Grant Grafton of Sub10 Systems gave it strategic balance.  In post-Nortel Paignton many of the highly skilled staff set up dynamic technology businesses in South Devon and perhaps this is the time to drive forward the ‘Silicon Valley’ concept.

One thing is certain and that is repeating previous experience in the hope of a better outcome is dangerous.  Albert Einstein was a clever chap and once wisely said that if you do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result then you must be insane. Food for thought when it comes to the future of our community.

Keep the smile.

Anyone For Tennis? Unlikely At Paignton's Oldway Mansion!

My words in the Herald Express on 3rd April 2014

Hmmmm. The closed tennis courts at Oldway Mansion

As I started to write I felt a shiver run through me and I am sure that you have experienced similar feelings. They are, mostly, inexplicable but often seem to herald events. Perhaps that is how the prophets of old felt when they were in the business of foretelling and foreseeing. You have to wonder where the prophets of today exist; certainly not amongst our political elite and probably not amongst the broad spectrum of religious leaders.  In truth you might argue that the business of foretelling is not prophetic at all. Too often it is simply stating the obvious to people who refuse to listen. For example saying that parking charges, parking meters and enthusiastic enforcement officers will drive people away from the town centre is really stating the obvious. That sort of foretelling quite often makes prophets of us all!

It amused me, or at least I think that it was amusement, the other day when Torbay Council decided to remove a number of yellow lines to encourage folk to use the urban area. That news came shortly after I paid 70p at a parking meter to pick up my £1.10 Herald Express. Hmm. I’ve had my say on local traffic management over the years but too often felt like the proverbial lonely voice. That doesn’t worry me but the lack of joined up thinking by the decision makers does. Understanding the difference between traffic control and a parking tax (for that is what a parking meter does) is important. It is one thing ensuring that the flow of traffic is efficient but continually taxing visitors to a town centre to raise revenue is another. Bleating on about the death of town centres and then hammering another nail in the coffin by taxing all motorists attempting to visit is, it seems to me, ridiculous!

So here we are in April already with longer daylight hours and the promise of a sunny summer ahead. In a couple of months we will all be cheering on the annual tennis adventure that is Wimbledon. Last year we had the joy of Andy Murray’s stunning victory that had us all cheering. Tennis took on a life of its own as the joy of Andy’s win spread far and wide. Aspirant Wimbledon champions attempted to find court space and even the least athletic of us felt the urge to knock around uncontrollable tennis balls.

Of course locally we watched Torbay Council close the twelve lovely courts at Oldway Mansion because of the anticipated redevelopment there. So for the summer of 2013 those expensively built floodlit courts were ‘de-netted’ and locked. But as far as I know the lease has still not be signed and so the courts will again be empty for the summer of 2014. If and when the lease is signed I am told that there is a plan to build six new hard courts that will be open to the public. Hopefully the charges will not be prohibitive. To me keeping the courts closed for another summer is madness but there you go. I did write about my disappointment last year and was saddened by the comparative lack of interest.

Talking about madness do pay attention to the increasing volume of political rhetoric as we get caught up in the period of headline catching promises whilst rocketing toward the 2015 elections in little over a year. Of course the European elections happen before then and so being ever vigilant is hugely important. Listen to the words and balance the possible outcome. Too often the promise is given with the right hand and then taken with the left. The trick is not to take the headline at face value. There are many changes happening on a daily basis and as usual the people already taking the financial pain take the hit first. That has been evidenced by the recent hurtful local government funding cuts. That worrying socio-economic gap is getting wider on a daily basis. I used to worry whether we were lemmings or hamsters when it came to the economic landscape. Being a hamster might be a worry at times but lemmings have a bit of a reputation for self-harm and that my friends might be a bigger worry for us all!

I’ve said before and I make no apology for repeating myself that we all need to keep in contact with our local councillors and our elected mayor. You have a voice and a responsibility to make your views clear. Without your input too often decisions will be made that might make you feel uncomfortable. If that is the case you have to ask how that happened without you having your say. These are challenging times with it seems to me many opportunities if we keep an open mind.

Seek the positive rather than the negative and of course keep the smile!

Swiss Students Take On The Fearsome Devon Chilli!

Philipp, Gilles and the fearsome chilli!

One of the nice things about living in South Devon at this time of year is the arrival of foreign students heading this way to improve their already high standard of English. They herald a fresh energy sweeping through our local towns with their youthful enthusiasm for life.

So many host families, in these hard economic times, find the additional income from providing accommodation for our new young friends is more than welcome.  The laughter and shared story telling about home during meal times make the word a lighter place and that has to be a good thing for all. Many become lifelong friends and their families often boost tourism with family holidays here in Devon.

Gilles Nikles (18) and Philipp Mumenthaler (17) from Switzerland are spending two weeks in Paignton on an advanced English course at the Devon School of English. They bring a special vibrancy to meal times and have already to grips with a spicy meat dish made with home grown chilli. Our local climate favours chilli plant growing and despite saying how they like spicy food this naughty little chilli brought tears to Philipp’s eyes!