THE SWANAGE INDEPENDENT

Issue No. 39 • November 2001

Thanks to Dr Tommy Thomas for establishing this and also for paying the registration fees out of his own pocket. Thanks also to Keith Roker, who has hosted our newsletters on his site for the past two years.

Last Quarterly Meeting

Following the last quarterly meeting, I wrote to our guest speaker Mr Paul Croft, Purbeck DC Chief Executive, to thank him and also to confirm some of the points raised at the meeting. Abbreviated version of the points in my letter follows with Mr Croft's replies at "PC". My comments follow Mr Croft's replies:

Litter: It was apparent that not a single person in the hall was satisfied with the standard of street cleanliness in the centre of town and along the coastal section.
PC: Despite the dissatisfaction in the room that night, we do not get a large number of complaints and those complaints are addressed. Contractors do have problems maintaining standards at the moment and we are taking up their poor performance with them.
Comment: There was no mention in Mr Croft's reply of improved street furniture (litter bins), which is fundamental, unless there are to be extremely frequent collections. Regrettably, since the meeting, when I requested "evidence", only Dr Tommy Thomas has supplied photographs of the problem. I have some photos myself, but it's very hard to give evidence of the scale of the problem with such a lack of support.

Communication: Swanage people feel out of touch with events and decisions made at Westport House. It was suggested that:

Public meetings be advertised in the Purbeck Gazette Diary column.
That Purbeck DC install a noticeboard in Swanage, preferably beside the Town Council board at the station, and that this board be kept up to date.
Also we asked if some Purbeck DC meetings could be held at Swanage Town Hall and at venues in the district other than Westport House.

PC: We are now using the diary in the Purbeck Gazette…agendas are published on the Town Hall Noticeboard…it may well be that one of those (Local Plan) meetings be held at Swanage. A report will be taken to the Council on this suggestion (meetings in Swanage).
Comment: Five months later and no announcements in the Gazette November Issue that I can see, a single PDC meeting is published on the Town Hall noticeboard and no PDC meetings have yet been announced in Swanage (that I have heard of).

Recreational Facilities: To some extent, we know that Swanage Town council have made themselves responsible for play areas, sports fields and the like. Could you please clarify to exactly what extent PDC are obliged to be involved in supplying these facilities. At present they are certainly not receiving the funding, upkeep or provision that they require.
PC: The Council (Purbeck DC) is not legally obliged to be involved in supplying recreational facilities. ….These are specifically the responsibility of the Town Council to be funded as appropriate from the local tax base.
Comment: This is Purbeck DC assertion and confirmation that the increasingly dilapidated and often non-existent state of recreational facilities in Swanage is the responsibility of our Town Council.

Purbeck Plan: Comment, principally from myself, was very negative about this document….
PC: …the draft was the subject of a very wide range in consultation…
Comment: Such documents are the subject of legislation by central government and have been very unwillingly adopted by most authorities. It is therefore little surprise that they are so uninformative and ambiguous, and often have exactly the reverse of their reason for being: that is, that they cloud and mask issues as opposed to making authorities accountable.

Website: Dr Tommy Thomas pointed out that your (PDC) website was in serious need of attention. Could you please give us your comments.
PC: This is not a website in serious need of attention &endash; there is no website! …we are well aware of the need to improve our electronic communication…..
No comment!

Transport: …principal objection is that subsidies are spent and services provided to meander hugely inefficient double decker buses around remote locations, where, in reality, the inhabitants should expect to use cars as a fact of life, given their choice of living in such places. Furthermore, the organisers of these bus services seem to think that people in Swanage have some requirement to travel principally to Wareham, a town less than half the size of Swanage. As a consequence, efficient, frequent, direct, fast and cheap services via the Shell Bay ferry between Swanage and Poole/Bournemouth, which is where people really need a link with, take a distant second place.
PC: ….if local operators were to come forward with constructive ideas, these will be treated very seriously by the County Council……
Comment: Possibly the Town Partnership (more later) will be able to help to improve public transport for Swanage.

Education: Distance learning in Swanage has received very poor funding and lack of help, despite the obvious need, as evidenced by, for instance, recent IT courses held at the Youth Club being over-subscribed 5 times over. These courses were set up on an almost do-it-yourself basis and have had nothing like the support given to the Wareham IT centre, which has paid workers and considerably more funding. Please give the Swanage project your full support and please give me any comments.
PC: ……I'm not sure if PDC has had any direct requests to support the project that you describe….I will pass a copy of your letter to Partnerships Officer, Richard Wilson….
Comment: "Surfer" computer "lessons for all" now available in Swanage High Street &endash; for details, telephone 556809. This project was set up (notwithstanding considerable adversity) by Swanage Ahead who deserve thanks.

Swanage Town Council owe £1 million

The substance of many of the complaints against our elected authorities is of course down to money. We taxpayers keep erroneously thinking that we've paid for a certain standard of service, and when this standard is not met, we're repeatedly told that the service providers don't have any money. Why not, particularly for us in the case of Swanage Town Council? At a recent Council meeting, I asked again about the continuously degenerating condition of play and sport facilities, and as part of the answer I was told by Mayor Gary Suttle that he'd inherited a £1million debt when he became mayor. Since that time, to his credit, he has refused to preside over further borrowing and the Council has actually reduced the debt slightly. Ignoramus that I am, I had never heard of this debt, and after asking around couldn't find anyone else who knew where it had come from or that it existed, so I wrote to Gary and asked for an explanation. The reply does indeed make me feel ignorant, as the debt is detailed every month at the Council meeting in the "Statement of Cash Balance". Gary explained that the debt was incurred over many years, paying for projects such as the Vista Complex swimming pool, the former miniature golf course by the Pier (now Prince Albert Gardens) and also Forres Field. Making my apology here in public for my lack of knowledge, I still have to ask whether such purchases were in the interests of Swanage, which now faces a bill of £100,000 per annum servicing the interest on this debt alone. Is it enough to accept that little can now be done other than to ask whether these purchases were altogether wise and also were they in the public interest? I for one would not lose too much sleep if, for instance, some beach huts or the Vista were bought privately &endash; providing the excuse of "no money for basic services and amenities" stopped and the money gained was used to settle the debt and any remainder was allocated to provide some useful and much needed facilities &endash; particularly for the youth of the town. As a taxpayer, I am fed up of the "no money" answer every time I ask for a basic service to be met. This is also true of Westminster, which takes our money and then can't fund a viable health service or quality education, and continually pleads poverty. However, to keep things local, details of some such services &endash; or lack of them &endash; follow………..

Burlington Toilets

Once again this essential toilet block is under threat and this time the Council want local residents to pay for its' upkeep! This is a novel idea, as I consider it my duty to inform the Council that these residents already thought that they did pay for such services by way of their council tax: tax which cannot be withheld, is never refunded and has yet to be seen decreasing. This time apparently the blocks need £30,000 for new pumps. I'm sure that the Council have looked fully into the possibility of repair or cheaper pumps, and having come up with this figure have found it easiest to wash their hands of the problem (please excuse the pun) and pass it over to the residents with the usual excuse of &endash; no money (surprise, surprise). If the blocks are to close as a result, I ask that the council refund Swanage taxpayers for the amount they were previously paying to maintain the block, as surely, with the expense negated, they will be providing a lesser service and we are entitled to our money back. Some chance! To be fair to STC, they are reviewing the situation. I trust that the result will be to provide the very necessary services that we all thought we were paying for, and that includes a reasonable provision of seafront toilet blocks.

The Skate Park

Two months after asking at the Council meeting that the skate park be lit, it is still in darkness. This means that despite the addition of two small new ramps, the skate park is virtually out of use except for Saturday and Sunday, as, by the time the kids are home and changed, it's too dark to use it. I wonder if the Council have considered that they may be sued by parents of children who injure themselves skating in the dark. This suggestion will probably prompt total closure of the park. Instead, I suggest that those who take our taxes for such amenities take a look at (locally) Weymouth and Baiter skate parks and try to give Swanage similar facilities &endash; even if they have to be on a smaller scale. At least give what we've got some lighting. Promises of excellent play facilities at some time in the future are hard to believe, when the facilities that are present are treated with such neglect.

King George's Park

……..has now lost the pavilion, go kart track, playground and bike track. It still has no 5-a-side goals, promised 3 years ago, and is a model of how not to treat, youth, recreation and play facilities. There are reasons for all of these &endash; the pavilion was condemned and the council about to be fined if it was not dismantled, the go kart track was a private concern, the playground failed the ROSPA inspection, the bike track was not a bike track but a council tip. But why allow these facilities to disappear totally for whatever reason? The usual answer &endash; no money. The Councils' current response to criticism is that King Georges' has been identified as a charity and Swanage can apply for grants for equipment and improvement. When will we see results? In 12 to 18 months time…..Please read this column again in May 2003, when I hope to be heaping praise on the council for the wonderful facilities King George's field enjoys at that time &endash; it certainly doesn't deserve any praise for the current state of affairs.

Beach Hut Damage

Following a storm in July, our beach huts took a pounding resulting in £20,000 worth of damage and cost to the Council taxpayer. As these seem to keep costing the town money as opposed to earning as they're supposed to, perhaps it's time to sell them off and improve the towns' balance of payments. Again to be fair to the Council, I think I'm right in saying that some sales are being considered.

Crime

After a serious violent incident in town when Police response time was 45 minutes, during which time residents and passers by were put on a "local militia" basis to attempt to stop the violence, I wrote and complained to the Chief Constable, and stated that a town like Swanage should not be left with an empty Police Station &endash; particularly during the high season, and more particularly still during high season weekend nights. The incident happened on August Bank Holiday Saturday night. A very comprehensive reply was sent, but Chief Inspector Habgood stated that "…..keeping Swanage Police Station open 24 hours a day….is not a viable option or solution available…." So despite the genuine concern expressed in his 3 page letter, no real change. I do not think this is good enough and will appeal again. For a vibrant town with a seasonal population of up to 30,000 people, and numerous pubs, clubs and restaurants, to be left with an empty police station is not acceptable, particularly given Swanage's location at the "end of the line". That is, unlike inland locations, Swanage can't call on a circle of support, and can only rely on support coming down the A 351. If that support happens to be too far away, then by the time it arrives, it'll be too late. I don't think it too much to ask that at least one officer be on night duty at Swanage on Friday and Saturday nights during the season. At least this would be a start &endash; if not an ideal. It seems that things are going backwards. If we look back at the community policing of the 50s & 60s, it seems that progress would be a very unusual description to use when comparing this with the service of 2001.

Sports Centre

My lead article in the last Independent was on Sports Centre progress. Like so many things, particularly related to such projects, it was out of date as soon as it was published, in that the site published as being the only one viable &endash; namely Day's Park Football Club, had been changed to the Grammar School field by the time the Independent went into print. The road improvement to Washpond Lane has now been withdrawn, with a new road now proposed which will cut the field in two. The reason being given for this is that to bridge the Washpond Lane proposal would be too costly, although quite how, I couldn't see. This proposal also results in dividing the field, which I also see as far from ideal. On the positive side, £20,000 has been raised for the Sports Centre feasibility study, which is very promising. Large amounts of money have also been pledged by a number of organisations for the project proper, if it gets underway, which is also extremely good news. Not so good news was the information that due to reassessment of the area's status by Sport England, our bid would only qualify for 65% lottery funding should it succeed and not the 90% we had expected. This announcement was out of the blue and allowed insufficient time to stay within the deadline to qualify for the 90%. I protested to Sport England for their unfair conduct and was waiting for a reply, when Pat Bailey, Purbeck Sports Coordinator, told us that we had managed to avoid this particular axe by a technicality, as we had submitted certain documents in April allowing us to retain status for the 90% grant. Pat then announced that she would be leaving for a new job elsewhere…who would take her palace? No-one yet appointed…..and so it goes on. However, overall, more good news than bad. This is the best chance of a sports/community centre in decades, so please give it your support when and if you have the chance.

Town Partnership

I've missed the last couple of town partnership meetings and I'm not sure what stage this group has now reached. At the last two meetings I attended, in September, the group was tasked with defining its' "mission statement" and identifying problems in Swanage. The mission statement has been defined! The problems have been identified! I trust we will be able to make some real improvements in due course, but with the disappointments suffered by Swanage Ahead and others over the past years, those left in the group &endash; particularly myself &endash; remain sceptical.

Purbeck Plan 2001/2002, A Sustainable Future for Purbeck, Draft Corporate Strategy, Best Value Performance Plan, Town Centre Health Check etc. etc.

In Independents past, I've commented at length on these documents, which keep coming. They are full of statistics, vague intentions and pledges, platitudes and half promises and are not worth the paper they're written on by and large. They don't actually solve problems and often fail to even acknowledge them. Pick any page…Here for instance is page 6 (picked at random) from "A Sustainable Future…….":
"To meet targets of waste reclamation……estimated timescale: 2001-2006 Target: 33% of waste recycled or composted by 2003/4 and 36% by 2005/6."
What does this tell us? Nothing. It doesn't explain how these targets will be met, how fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly such recycling will be or indeed what "recycling" actually is, as defined by PDC. To most environmentalists, it's something more than collecting broken bottles or turning plastic containers into traffic cones….

Telephone Masts

The mast at Harrow House has raised this issue again locally. Many are concerned with radiation as a health hazard. When cellular phone systems were introduced to this country, the powerful transmitter masts were far apart and as a consequence the handsets had to also be powerful transmitters, both constituting a possible health threat. I was informed lately on BBC Countryfile that, due to their proximity to the user, mobile phone handsets actually emit more harmful doses than presentday masts, which are now much closer together than in the past and so are lower power. As a consequence, unless you stand virtually against a mast, the emission levels are very low. Also, the closer the handset is to the mast, the lesser the emissions from the handset. The articles' conclusion was that, from a health perspective, it was better to have a greater number of smaller masts, thus reducing the emissions from both masts and handsets. Although I'm not a radio engineer, I'm prepared to accept this conclusion, as it seems reasonable. If the masts are safe, then my complaint would be against the unsightliness of their construction and their apparent immunity from planning restrictions. Surely it's about time that phone companies were told to blend in with their surroundings and disguise these monstrosities, in the same way that power supply companies should now be directed to put any new cables underground and avoid pylons even if the cost is higher. We all understood when the first grid was laid out and also when the first radio phone network was established, but now it's time to improve these systems in every way, and their unsightliness is paramount. This is of course, if the experts are to be believed and mobile phones actually constitute an insignificant health risk. As a final note, it seems that certain other industries are virtually exempt from planning permission. Take for instance petrol stations. Everyone else has to submit plans that blend in with the surroundings in every way, and yet the petrol companies seem to be able to stick up glowing edifices wherever it suits, decorated in bright illuminated signs 24 hours a day. Yet when Mr & Mrs Jones request permission to add an unobtrusive porch to their front doorway, they're flatly refused on the grounds that it's "not in keeping with the area". Across the road another red, yellow, orangey-green 24hour filling station is being constructed and on a hill in the background a Martian-like radio mast keeps watch …..planning permission - no problem.

Swanage Grammar School

Welfare Dwellings Trust have put forward plans for "change of use to self catering holiday accommodation" for the Purbeck Centre, Northbrook Road. I've not yet been able to get to see the plans, but anyone with concerns should be advised. Many of us regret that the old Grammar School cannot be used to benefit the community, as a leisure centre or similar. Sadly it seems that this won't happen, or at least there is no public money available for such a scheme. So this building will become holiday accommodation, while across the field a new building may go up if the Sports Centre goes ahead, as a new build is the only way to achieve lottery funding. If only that money could go instead into refurbishing the Grammar School, I think Swanage would be much better off and the buck would certainly go much further than having to start from scratch. But who am I to understand these things…………

Holton Heath

I was informed on October 29^th that the developers have withdrawn their plans for the 1300 new homes to be built at Holton Heath. How this will affect the bypass proposals remains to be seen and the Inquiry has been resumed on 20^th November at Westport House, to "cover the allocation of housing, road improvements and associated works". If you have an interest, please call Mr Rob Roriston at PDC on 557278.

Hope to see you at the meeting on December 7^th &endash; raffle contributions appreciated!

Rowland Hughes, Chairman SRA
Tel: 423222
Fax: 427232
email: rowland@showcad.com

Zig-zag path: update

It seems that the Zig-zag path (the path running from Pinecliff Walk to Durlston Bay) should be open again in the New Year.

At a recent meeting, plans for re-opening the path were discussed by representatives from various interested parties. These included Durlston Country Park, Dorset County Council,Swanage Town Council, the Belle Vue Action Group and a number of path users.

Naturally, there are concerns that the public should not in any way be endangered, either by the landslip of last year or by any movement associated more directly with the path. It was noted that the path lies between 30 and 100 metres from the landslip, and that the potential danger of the one should not adversely affect usage of the other. However, while the area will continue to be monitored for movement, it is considered feasible to allow access to Zig-zag path &endash; as long as necessary precautions are taken.

A gate will be placed at the top of the steps leading from Belle Vue Road. This will carry a sign advising that there is no access to Durlston Castle or the Country Park, and will not specifically encourage access to Zig-zag path. It is envisaged that the path will be used by those who already know of its existence and, in due course, those who see it marked on maps (for it seems most likely that the path will indeed shortly be recognised as a public footpath). If in the future any danger to the public is perceived, the gate can readily be closed.

A protective barrier will be erected to stop people going on to the landslip itself, which will probably take the form of a wire-linked fence of chestnut stakes. This will be placed as near to the landslip as possible (allowing a further safety buffer zone) and should also preserve access to the large Macrocarpa trees.

Durlston Country Park is now putting in hand the necessary planning to implement these measures. Once the Dorset County Council has agreed the safety implications of the specific proposals, the practical construction work can begin.
So, many thanks to all those who have made their voices heard - and to those who are doingthe work to enable access again.

Mike Hadley

Swanage Hospital

The League of Friends AGM was held on Mon-day evening 12 November 2001, and praises given for funds raised and work done at the hospital. In particular, the entrance hall is being refurbished, with a new desk. If you have not seen this work yet, please view it, mostly paid for by 'Friends' monies.

Also on 8th December, the Christmas Fayre will be held at the hospital - 10-12 noon. Once again I must mention the Hospital Stall, which has taken over £5000 during the past five years. Anyone interested in continuing this, at Fetes and with Sea-front Stall, please phone 425779, as Pearl and Dick Fuller are looking for help here, otherwise it may not continue. The Hospital, now, is setting up plans to possibly rebuild 'Everest', as the building has problems and a more modern unit is needed. If this hap-pens it would complete the updating.

R M Fuller

Swanage Pier

The Friends of Swanage Pier now have their own committee, and the shop team has managed well with takings well up on last year, with an increased range of goods for sale. Again help is always sought, in the shop and on the gate.

Contact Hon. Pier Master at Gatehouse. The shop closes for winter at end of November, but we are looking for books to sell for next year.

Plaques can still be purchased, to place on the pier decking, for £30 per plaque.

More work on panels and railings on both decks is in hand and new main gates have arrived to be fitted. Underwater survey work is also in hand.

R M Fuller

Membership

The annual phone-around to remind people who have not paid their subs has now been completed. A number of members have either moved out of the area, sadly passed away or no longer wish to be members of the Association. There are however, still 70 members who have not paid their subscription and we would urge those that haven't paid to do so as soon as possible, otherwise their names will be eliminated from our database on 31st December.

As of going to press we have 655 paid upmembers.

Stewart Borrett

Distribution

As you will have noticed you have received this newsletter by post. The committee decided recently that this would be a far more effective method for the future.

The volunteer distributors that we have had, have been wonderful and we would like to thankthem for their help in the past. There are always many willing volunteers that come forward when a distributor decides to retire, however the distributor method does have its problems, notably, the distributors naturally go away on holiday, sometimes for several weeks, sometimes for months. Another problem is illness, recently one of our distributors became seriously ill and was in hospital for several months and I was not aware of this situation until sometime after.

Using a postal method can guarantee delivery though of course it will cost the Associationmore.

Stewart Borrett

Town Council meetings are almost always held on the last Monday of the month at the Town Hall. Please note that the exceptions are Bank Holidays, Christmas etc. when the meetings are still usually held on a Monday, but a week earlier. To confirm, please ring the Town Hall on 423636. Meetings are now always preceded by a 15 minute Open Forum, beginning at 7.00. These meetings are your opportunity to have your questions answered in public.

Computer lessons for all: You may have seen the leaflet &endash; if not, please call 556809 for information on the range of computing classes available in Swanage at Surfer, 17 High Street. Also thanks due to all at Swanage Ahead who have made this a reality.

Children with special needs: If you are a parent, please call Jenny Shaw on 424395 for details of meetings - or just to have a chat.

Crimestoppers: 0800 555111

To stop Junk Mail ring 0845 0700707 or write to:
The Mail Preference Service, FREEPOST 22, W1E 7EZ.
If your sight is impaired, you can apply for a free copy of the Bournemouth Talking Newspaper, a tape recording of local events. Contact Mr JP Thompson on 01202 399614.

Unswept or fouled streets: ring Purbeck DC on 556561 Ext. 280.

If problems are reported, then they may get fixed.

Some contact details:
Swanage Town Council, Town Hall, High Street, BH19 2NZ 423636
Purbeck DC, Westport House, Wareham, BH20 4PP 556561
Dorset CC, County Hall, Colliton Park, DT1 1XJ 01305 251000
Jim Knight MP, House of Commons, London SW1 0AA

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