Dawlish Discussion

Having a walk around Dawlish yesterday one item for the comfort of young and old alike, visitor and local is the number of benches that have disappeared over the years.

The Lawn - the seating is far less due to the concrete shelters being demolished and the wall being taken down parallel to the highstreet.

Under the railway bridge on the front. There is a sheltered area that used to have seating. I am aware that this is the property of the railway company and not Dawlish and that, as in the case of the concrete shelters by the bowling green, were the haunts of the Dawlish drinking club.

On the green area above Coryton cove I counted, at least 11 hard standings that use to have benches. Of those 11 only 2 have benches and one of those has no view of the sea due to vegetation,

On the walk down the lane from the section above to Coryton Cove there are numerous unkept area's where there where benches, but no more. Even sadder is those benches just above the burger van at Coryton Cove sitting on broken concrete and surrouned by a jungle of weeds and grass.

Shame on those authorities who have allowed Dawlish to sink into this state. We are a holiday destination that visitors come to for a bit of a breather. What impression do they go a way with - piss heads on The Lawn, unkept walkways, lack of seating, etc, etc.

I have been hear for over 12 years and the town, in my opinion, has been run in to the ground, whilst those areas around us have seen millions in improvements. All we seem to be getting is thousands of new homes built over the next decade or so with no additional infrastructure and no benefits.

P.S. Anyone raises the point that we had over a million pounds spent of the high street paving will be cursed and sent to hell.

Well said BEE9. The council seem happy to support ripping up a third of the lawn area for a playpark but do nothing about the areas you mention above. They need to get those areas up to a high standard and buy more benches before they do anything else.

why can't businesses supply benches with a brass plack with their name, or relatives in memory of a past loved one

and what if they need maintaining or are vandalised ? they will go the same way as the others. Metal benches may be the only way forward

We also have the highest council tax in the whole of Teignbridge. So where does the money go, 13 million on a shopping centre for one. Dawlish is the dumping ground for Teignbridges housing requirements and the backhanders they recieve from the developers and land owners are spent in Newton Abbot. This is down to weak councillors at local and district level who only think about themselves and nothing about their town.

Just for interest what have any of the afore mentioned councillors done about Redrow's breach of section 106 planning law at their Warren Grove development. NOTHING and to add insult to injury it appears the borough solicitor at Teignbridge hasnt done anything either. Cant even answer a simple email.

And did you know that the Big Weekend has cost us another £50,000 on top of the £100,000 already wasted because not enough people used the park and ride.?