What will be the future of this site? The lease to the Joseph Allnatt Centres ran out in 1997 and the site was sold by Dorset County Council in part to The Welfare Dwellings Trust. Part of the site was given to Swanage Town Council. The building is not listed, and the area is within the settlement boundary. Was the use of this Town Council land ever considered by the Town Community Partnership? The WDT is an equity release private family company who have made several unsuccessful attempts at getting planning permission. However the site remains undeveloped and must be a drain on the company resources. Lloyds bank as principal lender presumably holds the deeds.
Thanks to John Winterbottom for this research.
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6 comments:
I get the feeling we don't know - I hope it's not; don't care.
Living on this site as I do, working in a caretaking capacity for WDT, I have to agree it would be good to see the site being used in a productive way for the Swanage community.
I recall a short piece I wrote for the Swanage Gazette back in 2000, well before I came to reside in the attached cottage, which explored the questionable future of this site.
As I was writing the article, I briefly considered my own opinions on the site, how it could be used. Not that it meant much to me at that time, I still imagined that certainly the old sports field would make a really lovely area of natural beauty. Native trees and other indigenous plants could be set out, amongst perhaps some large stone rockery areas and perhaps a large pond/water feature area. [A very small scale Exbury Gardens with an emphasis on restoring local flora and fauna]
As for the main building I am relatively clueless about how this could be used. However, having been closely involved over the recent few years with the setting up of the Pad (youth outreach), and listening to peoples views from the Kings Church, (which until recently met weekly in the main building) I would agree that there is a very real need to combine youth activities with better facilities for everyone in the area of arts, drama, music, and charitable assistance to those less fortunate in this town.
It doesn't take too much imagination to see the Grammer School continuing as a place of learning, fun, beauty and reflection for our unique town of Swanage.
Then again maybe that's just me...!
Joe Roberts
Its hard to take the antics of the WDT seriously. Last time they do not get their own way over plans they said they would build a concentration camp! If they were really strapped for cash they would come up with something sensible. Given the rate of increase in the value of residential land and property they are making more by waiting than they would if the developed the site and then had to find some other investment.
It would make a very good business centre for businesses in the creative and cultural sector.
Sounds good to me if we could mix those last two posts.
The WDT must be there to make a profit. If so then, although I like the two suggestions, would WDT meet their targets?
I think that there may have to be a bit of give and take.
Could the Exbury garden idea be integrated with 'green' holiday homes?
Could the main building then be for local businesses?
At the Town Council meeting on Monday John Wootton wanted to know what was going on. The Town Clerk said they had decided that this should be part of a "green belt" to prevent Town development. It would become playing fields eventually.
*What right has STC to get involved in planning issues in this way?
*Why was the fact that STC has this lease hushed up so that it was not discussed by the community partnership?
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