Thursday, September 28, 2006

Cor! Strategy!

Read it here:
http://www.purbeck.gov.uk/pdf/06-09-25%20Core.Strategy.Preferred.Options.Consultation%20doc2.pdf
More details at PDC website:
http://www.purbeck.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=8705
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53 comments:

The Postman said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
29/9/06 10:54 am
The Postman said...

Really important for everyone to try to look at this. Hopefully there will be copies in the library too. This "Local Development Framework" will affect us all for the next TWENTY years. There will be a manned display on Thursday 12th October at the Corn Exchange, Town Hall, Wareham between 2 - 8.30 pm.

And then give your feedback. Consultation period ENDS Friday 10 November.

(previous comment deleted because location for display omitted)

29/9/06 11:01 am
Anonymous said...

So how do you get changes made? Say you wanted the Lower High street from Jenkins to the Pier pedestrianised, maybe with a weekly farmers market. Or a Town boundary change for example to bring part of Prince Albert Gardens into the built area so that the Sea Rowing Club could get a club house without policy objections from Purbeck District Council? What do exactly do you need to do?

29/9/06 1:42 pm
Anonymous said...

It will take a while to digest this document but a quick read of the section about Swanage reveals that the demographic projections are pretty alarming. We can expect a higher proportion of over 65s, a 23% lower proportion of age 30 to 44 and a 7% drop in children. The strategy is entirely reactive and only discusses how this change will be handled, it says "How should we respond to the changing demographic make up of the District, with an increasing proportion of elderly persons and falling school rolls?"

It does not raise the highly pertinent question of whether a strategy to attract more young people to live here is feasible and if so what this would entail.

Regarding tourism, the main point is that we need to attract more folk with a bit more brass in their pockets, as they say oop north.It says "Statistics show that by targeting short breaks and high income visitors, improving quality, and retaining hotels it is possible to sustain and enhance a more robust tourism industry which yields a greater level of benefits to the local economy."

For some reason several contributors to these postings took exception to this notion when it was raised here a few months ago.

29/9/06 2:29 pm
Anonymous said...

yes you do need more peopl;e with more money but as said before why not everyone, after all money is money..... also i bought a nice picture at an art gallery.
bit worrying about over 65's i suppose that means all in bed an horlicks by 9 pm, still its more tory voters to keep the mayor happy

29/9/06 11:43 pm
Anonymous said...

When you say "why not everyone", if you mean why not target marketing at everyone the quote from the document says why it is better for the economy of the town to target high income visitors. Do you think the statistics this is based on are incorrect and that a greater economic benefit would result from targeting people with less to spend?

30/9/06 9:36 am
Anonymous said...

I think we already do target the less well off.

If you do the maths:

10000 * £2 = £20000

10000 * £10 = £100000

Simple really.

1/10/06 9:29 am
Anonymous said...

so your saying theres an equal amount of well of to the not so well off explain how i would market/appeal to the more well off, how would i say word an advert and where shall i place it?

1/10/06 10:29 am
Anonymous said...

Bit more maths, 4% of the worlds population own 96% of it's wealth.

No of course I wasn't saying that.

I'm not a business man, but, specialist mags/papers, maybe any press coverage.

There's an idea circulating that we could have a sculpture trail to 'link' Swanage TC to the Country Park.

IF it were to happen and IF a reporter from the INSERT PAPER OF CHOICE came to report on it, and had a wonderful time in a good hotel, ate good food, and enjoyed the social aspects of her/his time in Swanage. And then wrote a favourable report on the area, might it not encourage others to visit?

I guess it could be called the Padstow effect.

1/10/06 6:35 pm
Anonymous said...

One thing we can be sure of is that the housing situation is not going to be improved. Here is a small comparism. Colchester, population slightly under four times Purbeck's acknowledges that it needs 551 social completions a year to keep up with ousing need. Even ignoring the fact that hpusing is a good deal more affordable there if we scale this down for Purbeck we would expect 140 annually which is in fact well in excess of the TOTAL number of housing completions allowed for here. No wonder our young people have to move away.

1/10/06 8:31 pm
Anonymous said...

If you kicked out all the people who could well afford a commercial rent or their own mortgage there would be ample social housing, for those few folk in genuine need.

2/10/06 9:28 am
Anonymous said...

Talk about putting your head in the sand. The lack of affordable housing is killing this community. Its not just a few marginal "poor" people who are effected. You need an income of £1000 a week to buy here.

2/10/06 10:17 am
Anonymous said...

So rent a flat, less than £100 per week. £50 each. Whats the problem?

2/10/06 11:01 am
Anonymous said...

theres a shortage of affordable rental accomadation and if you can get a 1 bed flat for 100 pw your lucky.

2/10/06 12:30 pm
Postman2 said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
2/10/06 12:54 pm
Anonymous said...

You can get a winter let but thats always been the case. A holiday flat is not a lot of use for a family. If there is no problem why do politicians of all parties regard providing more affordable housing as one of the major issues?

2/10/06 2:24 pm
Anonymous said...

because they want votes, instead of addressing the real issues which are hard to swallow

2/10/06 3:57 pm
Anonymous said...

All I know is loads of young local people in Swanage who have jobs and flats either on mortagae or rented. no problem. There are loads of needy cases who seem to get hardly nothing. Lets stop chucking mud at the wall.

2/10/06 4:06 pm
Anonymous said...

page 19 this weeks Advertiser long let £104 per week one bedroom with sea view

2/10/06 4:14 pm
Anonymous said...

a couple needs an income of £329 each to buy outright 100% mortgage (assume starter flat at £120 000, 5%, 3.5 x joint income) Hardly difficalt to earn just over £8 x 40 an hour is it?

2/10/06 4:42 pm
Anonymous said...

A check of the properties available through the web sites of the local estate agents reveals that there are only two flats at under £150,000 for sale in Swanage. Most start at £170-180,000. Taking the lower end of this range on your calculation a couple would both need to earn a shade over £11 a week, or more likely £12.60 for a 36 hour week to be able to afford this. If you think its so simple how do you account for the reports highlighting the fact that this is one of the least affordable towns in the country? Are they just a figment of the imagination?

Take a look at local wage rates. We have lots of jobs paying less than £8 an hour. I just looked at last weeks Advertiser. Not a single one of the jobs advertised there with a pay rate given starts at more than £8 much less £12.

Do you think the people who move away from Swanage because they can't afford to buy or find an affordable property to rent are making it up?

2/10/06 9:51 pm
Anonymous said...

I'm a 45 yr old Swanage boy.

I earn the national average.

I cannot afford to buy - in this country.

France, Spain etc, no problem.

Where's my moderately hard earned money going?

Where are my UK£ going to be spent?

Isn't there something just basically wrong?

2/10/06 10:19 pm
Anonymous said...

£104 per week not bad is that just a 6 month rental or longer, decent rented accomadation in swanage is rare very rare fact, and to say earn over £8 per hour which planet you from? i suspect average pay here is more like £5.50/ 6 per hour also 100% mortages dont really excist easily now, and when a ex local authority house is £230 k that makes you wonder.

3/10/06 8:04 am
Anonymous said...

25 Lyndon Hall, Flat 3 April House, 26 Newton Court, Malverns Flat 1, Tyrol Lodge no. 4, all sold for less than £120000 in the last twelve months. And I agree if you are only paying little more than the national minimum wage you may have to advertise to find staff.

3/10/06 8:39 am
Anonymous said...

Even assuming that these are the true prices paid and that there was not also a substantial amount paid for "fixtures" to keep the stamp duty down thats 5 flats sold a year in a town of 10,000 inhabitants. How many more "affordable" properties are needed to stem the haemmorrage of young people? Another 50 a year? 100? How many of the five became second homes?

If you look at the job ads you will see that most of the ones which mention a wage are placed by organisations with an equal opportunities policy which will specify that vacancies must be filled by open competition. If you imagine other employers pay more rather than go to the expense of an advert you are dreaming.

3/10/06 10:00 am
Anonymous said...

The ammount of new social housing proposed in the documents outlined at the beginning of this thread are huge. Surely this is unsustainable. If the area cannot provide jobs well paid enough that residents can afford to live there then something must break. I guess that will be house prices. We don't need young people to stay in the area, there are plenty of Poles etc ready to do low paid jobs.

3/10/06 10:36 am
Anonymous said...

Because of the high level of house prices most of the country has ceased to provide employment paying enough for substantial numbers to afford purchase. As we know it is particularly bad here, indeed we are in the top ten of the least affordable seaside towns.

Far from house prices falling the latest figures show even more rapid rises in London which will find there way down here before long.

There was a brief interlude in the 1970s and 1980s when most people could afford to buy. It is over now. You don't need to look further than the figures for the distribution of income to see that almost all the increase in real income has gone to the top third of earners in the last thirty odd years. There is no sign of this reversing. I am not saying its a good thing or a bad thing, just that it is something that needs to be taken into account when long term plans are drawn up.

Yes, we need more well paid jobs in Swanage, but we need to reconcile this with the environmental constraints. This is possible. The expanding knowledge based industries have a small footprint, and we need to make sure a proportion of new jobs in them are here, not just in Holton Heath and Winfrith as envisaged in the local development framework.

3/10/06 11:57 am
Anonymous said...

Did I read in the Plan that PDC now say that too many flats are being built in Swanage?
If they're going to clamp down on flats - which are generally cheaper - aren't things going to worsen?

3/10/06 8:58 pm
Anonymous said...

I started posting to this thread when I was alarmed to read in the Framework that the population of young people is set to decline by 23%. I was more alarmed by the way the document treats this with equanimity. So far nobody has shared my alarm. I know there are posters whose attitude is that the fewer young people the better but does no-one else think this is a threat to the community?

4/10/06 10:20 am
Anonymous said...

Perhaps younger people would stay if the old ones did not get their way all the time. Example Swanage has indoor and outdoor bowling, well kept public gardens, first class old peoples housing, but no five a side pitches, squash courts or swimming pool.

4/10/06 11:00 am
Anonymous said...

well said dh dont forget the old people hold the tory councillors to ransom do as we want or no votes, so the old uns squeeze out anything they dont like ie people enjoying themselves after 9 pm swanage needs a vibrant comunity you wont get that unless you get a good cross section of people, not all over 70 who want a very quite seaside life

4/10/06 4:48 pm
Anonymous said...

There are two swimming pools, one at each end of town. How many more do you want? Some years ago PDC employed someone to find out exactly what sports facilities were needed but nothing came of it. The exercise has been repeated and outline plans exist for a multiuse facility. These were on display at the tourist information early this year. The remaining question is over where it should be sited.

I am not persuaded that sports and entertainment come high in the list of things people consider when deciding whether to stay in Swanage or move here. They are lifestyle considerations that motivate people to want to live here but when it comes to making a decision jobs, homes and schools are what matter.

5/10/06 9:47 am
Anonymous said...

theres no lifestyle when a few old f&&ts make everyone life hell in swanage, by being able to "persuade" the elderly tory councillors that anyone with any life in them cant have a good time or enjoy themselves, due to their insistance that this is gods waiting room, im not having raves etc but a vibrant lively town centre especially in the summer is good, I heard that the local police had a complaint in carnival week about the steel band making to much noise, and ohhh this was at 6pm in the evening, just proves a point does it not.

5/10/06 6:31 pm
Anonymous said...

"A BOXING club which has helped reduce antisocial behaviour in Purbeck fears it could be out for the count unless it can find a new home". Echo 5/10. Again no money for youngsters.

5/10/06 7:21 pm
Anonymous said...

I have read in various postings that the council takes no notice of anyone's views and that it responds to the views of the elderly. You can't have it both ways. In my experience they respond to whoever writes or phones most. If you want more "vibrancy" in Swanage decide what would make the place vibrate and contact your councillors to ask for more of it. Get your friends to do the same. Its no use grumbling that they respond to complaints about noise if there are no complaints about the place being too quiet. What do you think the council should do, tell the folk complaining about noise to take a running jump?

7/10/06 12:09 pm
Anonymous said...

we/I have put forward various ideas to local council/ors as have many others about music festivals etc etc but im affraid dear friend its the FEW who moan get the most notice taken, casin point 3 people moan about music noise local tory rides in on white stead causing all sorts of trouble all tho over 20 other nieghbours say they are not disturbed by said nosie who do you think gets the most attention well dear friend it aint the 20 I can tell you that! As I said in previous post local police get complaint at 6pm of noise from carnival parade again explain that to me and others.

7/10/06 5:22 pm
Anonymous said...

Dear 5:22
12:09 answered your question befoe you asked it.

Those who make the most noise get the response - ho ho.

7/10/06 6:51 pm
Anonymous said...

ho ho bloody ho is it xmas? im affraid again you dont understand letters (6) telephones ( at least 40) calls numerous visits (4) and the request for meetings have fallen on deaf ears its not allways who makes the most noise that get noticed(pun) its not what you know its who you know, im sure 1 or 2 of these councilors forget others have votes, and yes they do get voted against at the local elections. If I were a local councillor and had complaints say of smell from a local busines would it not be prudent fair and practical to investigate said premises and call on the owner get their views before banging on about it (fictious example) well im affraid some councillors dont, I have no faith in many of them especially when 1 of them blames motor bike oil for the mess in the square on the other hand its good to see 2 new elected coucillors who have a least a pulse and can reflect the non retired and spitefull residents with fairnes.

8/10/06 8:56 am
Anonymous said...

I think I agree. But what can we do?

8/10/06 10:44 am
Anonymous said...

Why ask the town council to put on music festivals? The existing ones are organised by members of the public who are prepared to take an active role. Although I would like to see councillors take an entrepreneural view of the councils function its not very likely to happen so its best to get on and do it yourself

8/10/06 4:35 pm
Anonymous said...

A councillor, once said to me that the council won't support anything until it's popular.

8/10/06 7:00 pm
Anonymous said...

Thats why democracy used to be called popular government. It does not take much to get an outcry that the council is wasting money on things there is no support for so it is hardly surprising that they want to know there is support for something.

9/10/06 10:00 am
Anonymous said...

I think we have never been so much consulted or so little listened to.

10/10/06 3:39 pm
Anonymous said...

When were we listened to? My memory does not stretch that far.

11/10/06 12:05 pm
Postman2 said...

I am utterly amazed at the number of people I meet who have no idea about this consultation.

19/10/06 5:49 pm
Anonymous said...

like a lot of things in swanage nick all behind closed doors, thought you would have realised that with all the back stabbing over the quay area they pat you on the back with one hand and stab you with the other. thats swanage nowadays, least in the old days we all new the wicked old gossips and ignored them

21/10/06 7:17 pm
Anonymous said...

Dear 7:17
consultation is out there.
It's weakness is that we have to go and find it and then get involved.
If you want the councils to consult you, you're going to have to pay for it.
I propose we stick Poll Tax up by another 10% so that we can all have our say, without having to do anything.

21/10/06 8:12 pm
Anonymous said...

dear 812 is todays date 22/10/06 or 20 yrs ago i thought we had COUNCIL tax not poll tax unless your wat tyler? and thats not the point i was making

22/10/06 12:56 pm
Anonymous said...

I know, and you've missed the point I was making.

22/10/06 1:15 pm
Anonymous said...

what point were you making i just correct you about your statement on the poll tax or lack of it.

24/10/06 6:38 pm
Anonymous said...

Dear 6:38

consultation is out there.
It's weakness is that we have to go and find it and then get involved.

That was my point.

Did you forget to read it?

24/10/06 6:42 pm
Anonymous said...

Most interesting. Can we take it that everyone has now read the strategy document and commented on it. Would they like to post a summary of their comments here. I would not like to think that I am the only one who went to the trouble of reading it but no one else has posted anything which suggests that they have. Clearly there is very little real interest among Swanageview contributors in being consulted if it means having to read something rather than just sound off about nobody taking any notice of them.

25/10/06 4:32 pm
Anonymous said...

Dear 4:32
please beware of sweeping statements.

25/10/06 7:09 pm

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