General Discussion
Note this agenda item scheduled for next week’s town council meeting.
17. GWR Playpark Funding – to note that due to the Playpark on The Lawn not being completed by 31 March 2019, the funding is to be reallocated to other projects by GWR
Town council meeting agenda here: https://www.dawlish.gov.uk/edit/uploads/2526_145600155.pdf
Some may remember that back in August there was a public consultation concerning the future of the lawn (including playpark).
A report was given to the 5/9/18 town council meeting with regard to this consultation.
Click on the link below and scroll down to agenda item 82 to read more.
From item 82;
Disappointingly only 21 of those aged between 12 and 30 years old
completed a survey.
We started presenting in the Manor House, then went to the Strand Centre, St Agatha’s
(Elm Grove Rd) Holcombe, Cockwood, Dawlish Warren and ended up in the Manor House
again.
We set up static displays at the Library, Strand Centre, TIC, Open DAW and the Manor
House. I’d like to thank all of the members of the working group and other councillors
who turned up at each of the venues.
When on earth is a 12 - 30 year old going to go out of their way when they have everything they need in their world in the palm of their hands?
Did not anyone consider going to where they might be?
Like a school? a sports centre? a supermarket lobby? the train station lobby? or I KNOW! the doctors surgury?
The arrogance that people must come to these out of the way places to be able to give consideration to council plans and ideas is archaic. An ethos of 18th/19th century attitudes.
If the council want more voices to listen to they have to go where the voices are, and they are listed above. It's not rocket science.
If you want more than 3.61% response know your electorate and your town's demographic.
Reading the council minutes for the lawn working group is an embarrassing read illustrating this working group has no concept of the real world nor the real people who could give invalueable feedback on their towns future and outlook. Unless attitudes change Dawlish will continue to be more and more a satalite dormitory town for Exeter workers. The council will end up a cabal of useless, to an electorate of people who if in a new build and if asked where any of the above places that the group went to were, wouldn't have a clue.
They would rather look at their phone 'in the palm of their hands' ALL day!
They should probably not get the vote until 30...might just know something by then!
The playpark and money
I believe the GWR funding (which has now been lost) was just shy of £20,000. I believe the project for which it was intended (the playpark) had to be completed by April 2019.
The town council, earlier this year, agreed to pay a sum of £4,000 to consultants in order to try and find more funding for the proposed playpark.
There is still some money from the £200,000 Sainsbury S106 contribution to be spent in Dawlish town centre. I don't know how much of the £200,000 is still left but however much it is I am pretty certain that it has to be spent by October 2020.
Questions
How much will the play park cost? It will need capital funding in the first instance. How much will this be? Where will the capital funding come from? Then it will need funding for maintenance, repairs and replacement. How much might this might be? And where would the monies for this come from?
I don't think there is any money left from the Sainsbury contribution, after all £200,000 wasn't very much given what took place in the Strand and how long it took to complete.
But like all things in this town, we will wait and C.How many years ago was the Strand underdevelopment? And would they keep the money that long waiting for another project.
Perhaps a S106 enquiry with TDC will give the answer.
I seem to remember the Strand cost 1.2 million another waste of money was it not to be the saviour for the town.
I recall someone suggesting the Lawn should be a store like Waitrose with parking on the roof ..that would bring people to the town and could be a saviour to the small shops...as parking would be free!. Having said that I guess you cant build on the lawn becasue of sea level issues.
The playpark - costs
To state the obvious this will depend on how big and what equipment it would have but to give an idea;
Play equipment lasts about 10 years. It also has to be maintained, repaired etc.
The previous large playpark design was costed at £250,000.
So to use that £250,000 figure:
Approx cost for annual maintenance: £5,000 (=£50,000 over ten year period)
Annual amount for replacement after 10 years: £25,000 (= £250,000 over ten year period)
from https://www.dawlish.gov.uk/edit/uploads/2427_1150986442.pdf
There is now a thread running on Eyes of Dawlish discussion fb about this matter and the town council meeting last night. If you can access the thread you might want to take a look.
We hear a lot about town centres, across the country, becoming run down/having empty shops and the like. Why this is may be due to various factors but no doubt online shopping and out of town shopping malls with free and lots of car parking spaces are contributory factors.
Various thoughts get put forward as to how to revitalise town/city shopping centres but only in Dawlish do I hear that having a playpark in the town centre will provide the magic formula.
Why? Am I missing something?
Here's another idea. This time from James Brokenshire, the government's Communities Secretary. He is (the government is) suggesting that empty shops could be turned into houses for the homeless, youth clubs, drop-in centres, gyms and so on. According to the newspaper report "Mr Brokenshire argued that higher numbers of residents on high streets could boost demand for shops and services."
Alterations to the Strand a magic formula, the cycle path a magic formula, you havent missed anything Lynne i dont believe there are any answer to revitalising town centres. Amazon are building a new warehouse system just of the motorway at Bristol and a new motorway junction to service it there are no High Streets that can compete with that amount of investment.
So if the play park is approved, how and by what method will it be funded. Are councillors asking that question now, if not why not?
As far as I am aware (and remember I am not a councillor so I only know what is in the public arena) funding will come from:
1. Whatever is left of the Sainsbury £200,000 S106 money (and this has to be spent by October 2020)
2. Whatever can be sourced from anywhere else eg GWR
3. The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions that those building the new houses have to give to TDC. There is an amount per dwelling (can't remember how much it is off hand). However, whatever the amount is it will come in over time and only as and when the new houses get built. So.......if for any reason the economy stalls with a knock-on slowing down in the housing market then the amount of money going to TDC will also be stalled. Another thing is that Dawlish does not have a Neighbourhood Plan and this lack of an NP also has a negative effect on the amount of money Dawlish will be entitled to via CIL.
Councillor Wrigley ..............”We have re-started the meetings of the Lawn Working Group and are moving towards getting all the permissions that we need to proceed. It is with regret that we have not been able to meet the timescale for the GWR funding, but I would like to remind the council that this is approximately 10% of the required total, and there is still funding allocated from section 106 and/ or CIL money. I personally think that the Lawn is vital to the Town and it is better that we get this right rather than rushed”.
And
GWR PLAYPARK FUNDING Members were advised that due to the Playpark on The Lawn not likely to be completed by 31 March 2019, the funding was to be reallocated to other projects by GWR in accordance with their funding rules. Resolved that the update be noted.
From minutes of Dawlish town council meeting held 7.11.18 https://www.dawlish.gov.uk/edit/uploads/2530_1397734933.pdf
With reference to my post dated 8th November concerning how the playpark will be funded. See below extract from the minutes of the town council meeting held earlier this month (7th November). Dawlish does not currently have a Neighbourhood Plan.
NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Members considered a report which requested the appointment of a consultant to work alongside the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to deliver a Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Dawlish. Currently Towns and Parishes without a Neighbourhood Plan receive 15% of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) from eligible developments; with a Neighbourhood Plan, Parishes would receive an additional 10% in conjunction with the Plan forming part of the statutory planning framework which developers would have to have regard to when submitting planning applications. That said, given the timescales involved, increased CIL monies would only be eligible after the Plan had been made and could not be applied to developments retrospectively. The consultant had estimated there was approximately 18-24 months work left to do prior to completion and adoption of a Plan; much of the work achieved to date would now be considered by a Government Inspector to be out of date, therefore certain areas of evidence would need to be revisited. Councillor Prowse proposed that the Clerk make enquiries of the community to see if there was an appetite for pursuing a Neighbourhood Plan prior to committing the Council to any funding implications. Councillor Tamlyn seconded the proposal.
Councillor Clemens suggested the way forward would be to have a public meeting, inviting the Neighbourhood Planning Officer from Teignbridge District Council to attend and explain the benefits of a Parish having a Neighbourhood Plan. From there, expressions of interest could be sought for individuals wishing to join the Steering Group to go forward and produce. At this juncture, Councillor Prowse withdrew her proposal in favour of Councillor Clemens’. In considering timescales, Members felt the proximity of Christmas, potential inclement weather and the forthcoming Council elections in May and subsequent purdah period from late March would prevent such a meeting being called before the elections. The Mayor proposed that the item be deferred until after the May 2019 elections. Resolved that the appointment of a consultant to aid in the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Dawlish be deferred until after the May 2019 council elections.
Spend any money available on a tasteful bandstand, which can and will attract all age groups and be an asset to the lawn area.
Please provide evidence or thoughts on how, '...a tasteful bandstand, which can and will attract all age groups...'
Otherwise your statement is just wishful hyperbole.
Maybe a tasteful bandstand would revitalise the town like the Strand alterations the Cycle Path and the new golf at Tucks Plot i could imagine thousands flocking to see such a wonderful thing.
Earlier this week I emailed TDC asking them about the Sainsbury £200,000 S106 money. I have just received this in response.
"Thank you for your e-mail about the Sainsbury’s Town Centre money. I can confirm that we received £202,751.89 on 4 March 2011 and the “spend by” date is 4 March 2021. The agreement says “Towards cost of projects aimed at sustaining the vitality and viability of Dawlish Town Centre including works to meet objectives contained in the Dawlish Town Centre Masterplan”
£134,556.48 has been spent on masterplanning, signage, shopping maps, development of mobile app/website, bridge over Dawlish Water, and employment of town centre manager.
I am waiting for information from Finance about what the remaining £68,195.41 is to be spent on and will come back to you when I have that.
If Teignbridge do not spend the money by the 'spend by' date it would have to go back to the developer."