Royal Victoria Hall Theatre, Southborough: Closure

For many years Christmas and New Year celebrations were celebrated, in part, by a visit to the pantomime performed at the Royal Victoria Hall Theatre.  The family enjoyed the performances and the charm and intimacy of the venue.  Now the theatre is closed and should Southborough Town Council have its way it will never re-open.  The Council plans a 'community hub'.  The hub will house the library (the library building is to be demolished to make way for housing) and a new theatre.  However there is some doubt as to the size of the new theatre and some believe it will simply be a large hall with a stage at one end. Whatever does get built (if it ever does) will not have the ambiance of the existing theatre.

Many people are working hard to save the theatre, not simply by asking the taxpayer to subsidise the repair and running costs, but by seeking to turn the theatre into a community asset managed, funded  and leased/owned by the community through a community interest company. I wish them luck.

Next Christmas all we may be able to reflect on is the continuing pantomime that is Southborough Town Council

New website for SEAM

Southborough Environmental Action Movement has a new website:

http://www.seam.org.uk/

You may access the old site via the new one.

Final curtain for Pantomime Productions

No, not the local Conservatives, rather the Pembury based organisation which for many years produced the excellent pantomime at Royal Victoria Hall, Southborough.

The reasons given for this sad development are age, rising costs and health & safety impositions.

Not only a sad loss from the Christmas and New Year programme, but also a additional nail in the coffin of the hall. The hall has to generate income to survive and the threat of closure hangs over it.

No Tesco for Southborough

The decision of Southborough Town Coucil is to be applauded.  However, still work to be done.
From the SEAM website: http://www.seam.org.uk/


Council says NO to TESCO!

A Big Thank You to everyone who has written letters and e-mails to our Councillors saying NO to Tesco. Today (20th March 2012) Southborough Town Council issued a statement rejecting Tesco plans for building on the Ridgewaye Fields (see Southborough Town Council)
SEAM says well done to all Southborough Town Councillors for listening to the Community and saying NO. It’s the right decision as the store would have resulted in :- building on the green Ridgewaye Fields, damage to local trading and total gridlock from all the extra cars and lorries - plus the associated deterioration to air quality.
(There would not have been increased employment opportunities as some believe, as there is well documented evidence that supermarkets shut shops within a 10 mile radius with the loss of jobs.)
BUT the fight goes on – Please continue to register on the Borough Council Planning Consultation Portal. SAY – make the Ridgewaye Fields our VILLAGE GREEN and stop designating them for Primary Shopping & Retail / Mixed Development. Only then will this Green Space and Southborough asset be protected forever.


From the Town Council website:  http://www.southboroughcouncil.co.uk/

Southborough Redevelopment – The Hub

Following an Extra Ordinary Full Council meeting held in the evening of the 15 March 2012, Southborough Town Councillors unanimously decided to withdraw the Council's support for the potential sale of land owned by Southborough Town Council to Tesco.

Councillors had long waited for draft plans, a retail issues summary and traffic impact assessment to be submitted and upon which to base their decision. Whilst there had been support for the concept of some form of development as a whole, which would have included the Southborough Town Council offices and the Royal Victoria Hall, careful and detailed consideration of the draft plans, as well as other confidential documents, revealed that the scale of the plans, albeit in draft form, would very likely have a negative impact on an already established community and shops.

As well as the potential to hurt local traders, Councillors were of the view that a store of the proposed size would, without doubt, create more traffic on a network of local roads that were already at full capacity, and particularly at peak times.

Councillors further concluded, that their vision to regenerate our Town could still be achieved, even if on a much smaller scale, and that they would work with the local community to produce a strategy that outlines our ambition's for the future and that will include an overview of what needs to happen over the next few months / years and what needs to be carried out to achieve this overall.
We recognise that there were people for and against the Council potentially selling a small piece of land to enable Tesco to build a larger supermarket in Southborough, and that such a scheme would have had brought some benefits, including providing employment opportunities and investment locally. However, now that we have had sight of the draft proposals, and therefore, were able to start to measure the impact of these, our conclusion was that our local roads would not be able to support the increased capacity that a store of the proposed size would bring and that the loss of any green open space in our Town was too higher price to pay for generations to come.

Councillors also unanimously agreed that the desire to enhance our Town centre must not be used as an excuse to back a supermarket development that would otherwise be highly likely to be ruled out for its unacceptable negative impact, and neither did we feel, that without Tesco, that we would not be able to regenerate our town to a smaller degree.

Cllr Jedrzejewski. Chairman

See also:  http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/town-took-Tesco-ndash-won/story-15600661-detail/story.html

Tescoborough: the battle continues

From the Southborough Environmental Action Movement website:

YOUR TURN TO TELL ‘EM WHAT YOU THINK - YOUR TURN TO PLAY YOUR PART

You’d never know if it was left to our elected representatives to tell you, but from tomorrow (Monday 5th March) until 27th April 2012, you are being consulted about the future of our Town and the use of the Ridgewaye Fields.
The Town Centres Area Action Plan (TCAAP) [just trips off the tongue, doesn’t it?] is the process by which you can feedback to the planners and councillors your views on their latest vision for the Town.
We know it is a pain to logon to the Councils website and write emails/letters, but if you don’t you cannot affect their decisions, you cannot say on the day the bulldozers roll in that you didn’t want this to happen and you cannot say when you are stuck in endless traffic jams that no one asked for your views or when your kids are breathing in even higher levels of toxins that no one asked you what you thought it the prospect.
It is human nature to put things off and convince yourself it will never happen, we ask that you think for a moment about your true feelings about losing the fields and having a whopping great supermarket in the town.
Now is the time to do something. We will update this notice with links to the Borough Web Site as soon as they post the Consultation.
In the meantime – just write to direct with your views to Councillor Mike Rusbridge (58 Yew Tree Road – Tel:- 01892 537784) - michael.rusbridge@tunbridgewells.gov.uk

Click on the link for the SEAM website:  http://www.seam.org.uk/

UPDATE:

From the SEAM website:

ALERT - CONSULTATION IN DELAY!!

The Tunbridge Wells Borough Council public consultation on its plans for the Ridgewaye Fields is in delay. It was due to start today (5th March 2012). A new date will now be set by Council Leaders on 19th April. We will then post new timetable. In the meantime KEEP THOSE LETTER ROLLING. Keep writing to Mike Rusbridge (Chair of Planning Committee) 58 Yew Tree Road - michael.rusbridge@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
REMEMBER - The Council has declared that all of the Ridgewaye Fields be designated for Retail / Mixed Development. Only you can stop this by making your views known.

Southborough Tesco

The Southborough Environmental Action Movement  (SEAM) has been leading the charge against development on the Ridgewaye site in Southborough and in particular plans to build a supermarket.  Concerns about loss of recreational space, traffic congestion and damage to existing retailers have been to the fore.

See:  http://www.seam.org.uk/

There have been expressions of concern that the vibrant High Street in Rusthall will suffer should the supermarket development be approved, although I have my doubts.

SEAM is attacking on two fronts.  Southborough Town Council owns part of the land it is proposed should be developed and SEAM is promoting the opinion that the land should not be sold.  Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is the planning authority.

In May there is an election for one Borough Council seat in the Southborough & High Brooms ward.  The seat is marginal between Labour and Conservative.  The parties (along with the Liberal Democrats) give the impression of having to varying degrees reservations concerning the development of the Ridgewaye without translating that into meaningful action.

At a recent by-election in the ward for a Town Council seat the Conservatives had a famous victory over Labour.  The Liberal Democrats had an exceptionally dire vote whilst an Independent standing on an anti-development platform secured double the vote of the Liberal Democrats, but was way behind the Labour and Conservative candidates.

The question to be resolved is the extent to which SEAM and the Town Council represent the views of a significant section of the people of Southborough.  Poor turnout at local elections is endemic, and people who vote usually do so on party lines irrespective or local issues.  One way forward may be for a candidate (or a party) to promise to press for a referendum on the future of the Ridgewaye site.

Tescoborough

Further news on the SEAM site:

http://www.seam.org.uk/

SEAM steams

The Southborough Environmental Action Group (SEAM) at the forefront of opposition to Tesco building a supermarket in Southbrough. In recent weeks it has ratcheted up its campaign and is focusing its fire on Southborough TownCouncil.



Town councillors and councillors who are members of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council are under close scrutiny.

SEAM has an excellent informative website well worth returning to for updates.

http://www.seam.org.uk/

Tescoborough

Southborough straddles the A26, the main feeder road to Royal Tunbridge Wells from the north.  It is a very busy road and subject to severe congestion.  The town's shops face onto the A26.  Tesco plans to come to town.  The store would be located just off the A26 and there can be little doubt that most customers would use cars and not public transport.   It will put further pressure on roads notorious already for congestion and delays. 

Unsurprisingly, there is strong opposition to the proposed store (and it has to be said, some support).  The three major grounds of objection are: the increase in congestion, damage to the trade local shops and the loss of open space used by the community.

The campaign against Tesco's proposals (any any other supermarket) is led by the Southborough Environmental Action Movement (SEAM).  Website: http://www.seam.org.uk/

At a recent by-election the Conservative candidate won the seat from Labour.  The Liberal Democrats, UKIP and an Independents also contested the seat.  The Conservative candidate opposed approval being given for the building of a big supermarket and has since stated that this is the policy of the Conservative group on the Council.  The composition of the Council is:

Conservative         8
Labour                  8
Liberal Democrat  2

The chairman is a Labour councillor.

For the supermarket to go ahead land owned by the Council will have to be purchased by the developer.  SEAM is pressing for the Council to vote not to sell the land.  I shall follow this with interest to see if the idea of a vote gains any traction and if so, who puts the motion forward.  More than a few residents will be interested to note how far the votes of councillors accord with election promises made by all three political parties.

It will an interesting test of the spirit of localism, which we are informed by Mr Pickles will now pervade local government. 

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/localgovernment/2011/11/in-pursuit-of-localism-restoring-a-100-year-democratic-deficit.html

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/localgovernment/2011/11/its-the-greatest-decentralisation-of-power-in-a-generation-claim-ericpickles-and-gregclarkmp-as-loca.html

Southborough is on Greg Clark's patch which adds to the interest.

The Battle of Southborough (Tesco) 2

The newly-elected Conservative councillor to Southborough Town Council has declared his opposition to the need for a big supermarket in Southborpugh and is quoted in the local press as stating: As a Conservative group, we all feel the same.  Are the Labour and Liberal Democrat Groups willing to issue a similar statement? 

However, there is the word 'big' in the statement.  So, how does the newly-elected councillor and his colleagues define 'big', and would they be willing to accept a 'smaller' supermarket, and if so what size is 'smaller'?

The problem is that in a sense it doesn't matter what the Southborough Town Council members think, they do not make the planning decision, that is a matter for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.  What does matter is what is the statutory documents and planning guidance pertinent to the land  upon which it is proposed to build the supermarket.   Therefore the real issue for the Conservative councillors in Southborough is the extent to which it is possible for them to persuade their counterparts in Tunbridge Wells to change the documentation insofar as it is possible to make changes.  Planning committees are quasi-judicial bodies.  An aggrieved planning applicant can appeal against a refusal of planning permission and is likely to succeed if it can be shown that the planning authority has reached its decision contrary to  the Local Plan without giving a legitimate  reason(s) for making an exception.

However, the key point is land ownership.  Some of the land is owned by Southborough Town Council.  Pressure should be brought to bear to stop the council selling the land.  In light of the foregoing comment by the new councillor it will be interesting to see if a motion is put to the council which seeks to stop the sale of this land for retail development.

The Battle of Southborough (Tesco)

The debate is warming quite nicely. Interesting website to follow as it testimony to localism, civic engagement and community activism.

http://www.seam.org.uk/

Conservatives win Southborough Town Council seat from Labour

An excellent and unexpected result for the Conservatives to take this seat from Labour.   The Liberal Democrat vote collapsed, whilst UKIP did well.  The Independent came fourth, putting the Lib Dems a very poor last.

Glenn Lester Conservative 238   (39.2%)   +1.8%

Labour 187  (30.8%)   -12%

Lib Dem 25 (4.1%)   -15.5%

UKIP 108 (17.8%)   +17.8

Ind 49 (8.1%)  +8.1%

See also: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/localgovernment/2011/11/will-ukip-get-council-elections-bounce.html

Southborough Town Council by-election: Vote for Figgett?

This week there is a by-election for a seat on Southborough Town Council. Not a major event in the overall scheme of things but of vital importance for the future of Southborough.

Currently the big issue in Southborough is whether Tesco (or any other supermarket chain) should be permitted to build a store on the Ridgewaye, an important open space.  Local environmentalists are opposed to the scheme, as are local retail businesses.  Without doubt any supermarket will have a serious adverse effect on existing shops and will add to congestion on roads already chronically over-crowded.

The political parties (UKIP, Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats) are contesting the seat. 

An Independent is standing who has the splendid name of Spike Figgett.  His platform is one of opposition to the development of the Ridgewaye site and also greater local accountability and participation in decision making.  Localism.  He asks for the support of the voters of Southborough (although whether he will get it is quite a different matter) to send a clear message to the political parties, as they all have seats on the planning authority, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. All are complicit in varying degrees for the disaster that will befall Southborough should planning consent be granted for development of the Ridgewaye.

Southborough Town Council by-election; Independent standing

Southborough Town Council has the same powers as a parish council, yet it is fought over by the political parties and as a consequence politics rather than common sense  feature in its deliberations and decisions.  Fortunately parish councils are rarely contested along party lines.

The Labour Party, Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats and United Kingdom Independence Party have nominated candidates for the forthcoming by-election.

I am delighted to report that an Independent has entered the fray and I hope he performs well,  particularly if his campaign is to register a protest vote against the imposition of a Tesco store on Southborough, or any other inappropriate development for that matter.

Southborough Tesco battle invective

It is reported on the Facebook page Say No to Tesco in Southborough  that a councillor (unnamed and not revealed if  he/she is on Southborough Town Council or Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) believes there will not be an increase in traffic should a new Tesco supermarket be opened as people will walk to it several times a week to get their shopping.

I doubt if the councillor is correct as far as the roads leading to the proposed Tesco are concerned.  However in one sense he/she is correct.  People using their car to shop at a supermarket now may divert to Southborough so, no increase in total traffic, merely change of destination.

However the roads through Southborough are heavily congested and a new Tesco can only add to the problem.

What I find dispiriting are the posts claiming that the councillor is corrupt or potentially corrupt. Not a shred of evidence to support the assertion: not fair comment and probably defamatory.  No wonder there is a refusal to name the councillor.  It is a smear and I lose empathy with  organisations which resort to such tactics.

Tesco for Southborough? A threat to Rusthall High Street?

In May I commented on the proposal for  a Tesco supermarket in Southborough.  Undoubtedly such a store will have an adverse effect on local shops and will add to traffic congestion.  However, people living in Southborough and High Brooms who wish to use a supermarket will not need to drive through the middle of Tunbridge Wells to Sainsbury's  or visit supermarkets in Tonbridge.

My opinion, if I may inter-meddle in Southborough affairs, is that development should enhance and not threaten current provision.

But what of the effect on Rusthall High Street?  Tesco has two stores in Rusthall, part of the One Stop Group.  An article in The Times last year stated that it costs 14% more to shop at a One Stop than at a Tesco badged store. That is a lot of  extra money to pay, particularly for pensioners and people on benefit or low earnings.

Undoubtedly a Tesco supermarket in Southborough will attract some people from Rusthall, but I expect it will draw people with cars who currently use Sainsbury's in Tunbridge Wells.  There is a bus every 12 minutes from Rusthall to  Sainsbury's, Tunbridge Wells and you would have to be barmy to change buses in Tunbridge Wells (outside Tesco) and journey on to Southborough.

One of the key features of the campaign by candidates for Rusthall Parish Council was  a commitment to enhance the High Street and one expects the Council to oppose the proposals for a Tesco in Southborough, if for no other reason than that it will put additional pressure on the road from Rusthall to Southborough. The catchment area for the proposed Tesco will reach to the west beyond the boundary of Tunbridge Wells. Speldhurst Parish Council may wish to oppose the proposal for the same reason, increased traffic through Speldhurst. People from the west may well be tempted to travel to Southborough rather than to Tunbridge Wells.

Rusthall Village Association will, I hope, oppose the Tesco proposal.  The chair of the Association is Tom Snook, the landlord of the Toad Rock Retreat and the defeated Liberal Democrat candidate at last May's borough council elections.