DOZY'S RAMBLES: Developers should keep to council brief

I started to comment on the proposed use of the Shoreham Beach toilet block last week but ran out of time.
Mike MendozaMike Mendoza
Mike Mendoza

I find it amazing that the council would even entertain the proposals by the developers, who not only want to build far more than on offer by the council, but also want to take over the entire green.

The brief from the council was to develop the toilet block into a café with toilets.

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The developer told residents that they would offer healthy food – most people who go to a café want unhealthy food, don’t they?

Anyway the council has made it quite clear that ‘at this stage’ they have not granted permission to develop any other part of the site other than the toilet block.

Local residents are being given the opportunity to have their say on what they want on the site, hopefully the council will listen.

I understand that the ‘chosen one’ will... perhaps... maybe... submit a planning application, but they say that the scheme may not be viable without some ‘adjacent attractions’ – so why did they apply?

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Surely others applied as well without wanting to take over the entire valuable green, so why not give them a chance?

Perfectly good exercise equipment was installed, at great expense, a few years ago on the opposite side of the road, that surely is enough?

Give us a café and a loo please.

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While we are on the subject of council property, just what is happening to the civic centre – the old one, that is.

Last year, to the sound of great trumpets, we were told that a wonderful team had been put together to develop the site, then just a few months later we are told the deal was off because one of the architects or someone had pulled out.

It was the council that pulled it, not the developers.

Now I see a for sale board up on the property yet again.

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So the sorry saga begins again, just when the council needs the money it’s back to the drawing board.

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I watch daily the demise of the Harness block at Southlands Hospital. How sad to see this once loved building being knocked to the ground.

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Politically we have several exciting months ahead of us with the council elections in May, where 50 per cent of Adur councillors are up for re-election, or of course when new councillors will be voted in.

If you have not yet registered to vote, contact Adur District Council as soon as possible or you will miss out.

We also have ahead of us the referendum on Europe.

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This has sparked a lot of debate all over the place already, everywhere I go, people are talking in or out.

Our MP Tim Loughton has nailed his colours to the mast by saying he will vote ‘out’.

It won’t, of course, be down to the politicians to decide, but we the public.

Last time I had the chance to vote on Europe, I voted to go into the common market.

Never did I realize that we would get a federal Europe.

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I thought we were in for a great trade agreement, which at the time actually upset our commonwealth family.

An interesting fact I discovered is that we (the UK) put in 55 million Euros per day and receive approximately six million back from Europe.

Can you imagine what we could do with 49 million or the full 55 million? New hospitals and no need to close essential services.

Of course big business want us to stay in – they have the most to gain.

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I cannot imagine for a second that Mercedes, Volkswagen or BMW will suddenly stop exporting their cars to us if we leave; we are one of their biggest markets.

Between now and the vote, expect to hear a lot of scaremongering from both sides of the spectrum.

I am sure the majority of us have already decided which way we will go, do we need the politicians and ‘others’ to tell us?

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