Heritage denied ?

Here in Seaton it is easy to forget that we live on top of important ancient remains - and the Regeneration Area is no exception.

Devon Archeology wrote to East Devon District Council in December last year warning that the Tesco ziggurat might damage some early post-medieval salt panning remains and suggesting that the land be surveyed before any work is done.  We are urgently seeking confirmation of the position, but we understand that EDDC have refused to listen to this advice.

If their refusal is confirmed, this is but the first nail in the coffin of Seaton's heritage.  We recognise that the needs of tomorrow must, in the end, take precedence over the remains of our ancestors, but that is no excuse for gross vandalism.  The archeologists would not stop the work, only delay it until a record is taken.  The TV programme Time Team has shown how popular archeology has become, so this could represent an important increase in Seaton's tourist offering.

PPG16 Archeology and Planning advises : "No development shall take place within the area indicated (this would be the area of archaeological interest) until the applicant has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work in accordance with a written scheme of investigation which has been submitted by the applicant and approved by the Planning Authority."  

Unfortunately, PPG16 can only advise, not direct; so local authorities can choose to ignore it.  How EDDC makes this choice will tell us a great deal about how much they value the traditions and heritage of the Axe Valley, and how much they value a lickspittle compliance with Tesco hurry-up tactics.   If they are rushing this minor operation, how will they respond when something really serious comes along - such as designing the wall around their great lake of seawater and silt.

This infill project is fast becoming one of the most radical, most expensive and most ridiculous operations of recent planning history. 

Pyramid approval - and the dominance of the Net

Tesco's plan to build a test pyramid on the Regeneration Area has been approved - subject to a number of conditions, some of them important.  The Decision Notice setting out these conditions is dated 7 February, which is a Sunday; so it seems the busy little elves of East Devon's Planning Department are working right through the weekend to see Tesco right.

By the magic of the World Wide Web this document is available for all to see - as long as they have a computer with internet access . . . but what happens if they do not ?  One of the Environment Team is in this position, so I tried to order a paper copy of the PPS25 Practice Guide (see previous post) at a cost of £22.  Three different people representing the Department of Communities and Local Government told me it was not available in print, in spite of the promise given on their website.  It seems we have to download it and then print it out for ourselves.

This seems a step too far.

New Flooding Regulations - and a call to Tesco shareholders

Building on a flood plain - which Tesco are trying to do in Seaton - is governed by Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS 25 to its friends) entitled "Development and Flood Risk". 

PPS25 was published in December 2006 and came as a terrible shock to Liatris, who owned the site before Tesco.  It takes account of sea-level rise and requires the site to be able to resist floods for 75 years in the future.  Liatris planned to do this by dumping a million tons of rubble on the site, so raising the level by 8 feet - totally ignoring other, greener ways of developing the site.  Tesco seem to have adopted the same intransigent attitude.

PPS25 is not a straightforward document and its interpretation has been a point of controversy. A Practice Guide was published to assist this, but still East Devon District Council and the Environment Agency supported the view favoured by the Developer, ignoring that presented by Seaton Development Trust and the community. 

Now, the overall planning decision has been made and Tescowatch is not trying to rewrite history . . . but the Government has decided to rewrite the Practice Guide.  Dating from December 2009, the Guide now includes several important changes which make the infill process even more ridiculous and expensive.  Tescowatch will see that these changes are fully honoured - in the observance rather than the breach - in the coming infill planning proposal.

A small sub-committee of the Environment Team is considering the changes and will report back in due course.  In the meantime, we invite all Tesco shareholders to ask the Directors at the next AGM in June why their management is spending so much of investors' money building the most expensive Tesco supermarket in the world on a floodplain in a little seaside town served only by narrow country roads.