General Discussion
Has anyone else noticed the sudden influx of cheap & nasty, tacky advertising banners being strung up on all the roadside railings in town. The latest of which being hung across the newly painted viaduct by the Airshow committee. After years of putting pressure on Network Rail to paint the viaduct in an effort to improve its appearance we now find it adorned in this rubbish which could and should be classed as vandalism. My understanding of roadside advertising is that planning permission needs to be applied for. If this has not been granted then Teignbridge Council need to tell the Blitz Team to cut down these banners and destroy them. "Keep Britain Tidy" and that includes Dawlish.
This must be a wind-up! These banners cost in excess of £200 and are an effective way of advertising forthcoming events, usually put on by unpaid volunteers in their own time.
This attitude is why so many give up and not much happens in Dawlish.
Get a life! I'd much prefer to see what's on than stare at the bare rivets of the viaduct....still, each to their own!
I wonder if the public house had to pay for advertising on the bridge? Publicising community events is one thing, commercial advertising is something else.
I would sooner see advertising that adds a bit of colour to what should have been a focal feature within the beach area than the colour of the viaduct now (dreary). Perhaps the advertisers could negotiate with Network Rail to place their banners over the railway bridge covering up the peeling paint and rust that looks disgusting.
The first impression one gets especially if visiting Dawlish for the first time via the train is "what a tired, worn out town this looks to be!".
A nice broad colourful banner with "Welcome To Dawlish" covering the entirety of the eye-sore bridge would suffice until the bridge is replaced as promised several times over the past 18 month's.
According to the Gazette Network Rail only took them down after receiving a complaint from a member of the public relayed through Teignbridge. I wonder who that could have been then? Well done, another nail in Dawlish's coffin.....Bravo!
Why do you think that's another nail in the coffin? And what coffin is this you refer to? Out of interest. Oh, and it wasn't me who snitched - my money's on Dave.
I find it hard to believe that Network Rail responded to a single complaint from a member of the public. In fact, I don't believe it at all. I and others have been complaining to them about things for years and they do nothing. If it is true, then it must be a first for Network Rail.
"what a tired, worn out town this looks to be!". "another nail in Dawlish's coffin."
Ok, so I'm a newcomer. When I first saw the town, my thoughts were along the line of this article (first posted by Lyyne I believe)
Since I've lived here, the following businesses, in additon to all the existing ones, seem to disagree that Dawlish is "dying"
LA Barbers, Queen St
The Auction House, High St
C&J Fashions, High St
Discount Store, The Strand
Jack Spratts, The Strand
Ten Green Bottles, The Strand
The Gurkha Restaurant, Park Rd
Bikes4all, Dawlish Business Park
B-Beautiful, Lawn Hill
Snooky Trust, Queen St, moves to bigger premeises
Awesome, Queen St
Childrens Society, The Strand (ok, another charity shop, but gotta be be better than the eyesore it was)
Lots of people believing in Dawlish.
Improvements can, and are (I believe) be made ie. the strand/lawn.
But I believe we have a crackin' little town.
Didn't say it was you Nelson. Another nail in the coffin because to advertise and reach a similar number of people will cost hundreds of pounds. Considering even PITP made (not yet got final figures) around say £1500 why are organisations going to bother? Margins squeezed even more because one person objects to banners being on the viaduct.
Philip, a town isn't just about businesses (which are of course vital) but also about how the community comes together to make it what it is. Petty, small-minded, NIMBYism isn't going to help that now is it?
Huw
"but also about how the community comes together to make it what it is."
I've just seen an amazing week that shows me that you don't have too much of a problem with that.
Surely you don't expect everyone to have the same opinion? Too loud, too quite, too busy, not enough happening.
Of course your'e gonna have set backs, do you think Dawlish is any different than any other small town?
Put my name down for anyway I can contribute.