What sort of Town do you want Bovey to be?

No one can be in any doubt about the strong feelings of affection that the vast majority of people in this country have for our Queen. The very recent Jubilee celebrations gave the nation the chance to show it, and brought together communities all over the country.
It was a delight to see the togetherness of our own community here in Bovey Tracey, with young and old sharing the chance to celebrate the 60 years reign of our monarch.

I’d like to express thanks to the organisers and participants who made the street party such a success. These things don’t just happen by chance, and a lot of people put in much time and effort to bring the event together. I particularly enjoyed the primary school choir performance and the Bovey Players re-enacting radio shows of 50/60 years ago. The Archers (still here) and the Goons (long gone) were terrific, and Esme Gedge’s “Listen with Mother” story about a pretty village, a green field, and the Mayor’s new office and toilets was brilliant, and enabled us all to laugh at ourselves and not to take ourselves too seriously.

“COMMUNITY LAND”.........

I hope you are all now in no doubt that the Town Council will not be entertaining any approaches from Sainsbury’s, their agents, or any other supermarket chain, about the possible purchase of the now infamous field along the Le Molay-Littry Way. In my view this was a sad affair which caused much bad feeling and uncertainty in the town, on both sides, but hopefully the matter is now closed.

I know the Town Council accepts it played a part in the uncertainty, the main lesson learned being the need to improve its communication. This is why a new Communications Group comprising a small number of councillors has been formed. I hope changes are beginning to show. Residents have been invited to put forward ideas on the future use of the “community land”, and the council is expected to make a statement about the input received later in the summer. Achievable and affordable ideas will then be categorised and put forward for residents to select what they would prefer. Don’t expect this to be resolved quickly as there are bound to be many views. But that is how the democratic process works.

PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS.............

Talking of public consultations, there have been a number of them going on in Bovey over recent months, and all of them are about what sort of town you want Bovey Tracey to be. I thought it might be useful to remind you of what these various consultations were/are about.

BOVEY TRACEY COMMUNITY MASTER PLAN.............

This was developed during 2011/12 after workshops and several public consultations and a draft was input to the Teignbridge Core Strategy which covers the next 20 years. The final drafts of both are currently being reviewed by Teignbridge District Council, and updated versions should be presented by early autumn for further consultation, before being reviewed by an independent Public Inspector with a view to final publication in March 2013.

The Bovey Master Plan is an important part of the Core Strategy, and can be viewed on the internet at www.teignbridge.gov.uk under the heading “Plan Teignbridge – the draft Core Strategy”. Scroll down and you will find the draft for Bovey Tracey, and even an audio version in “Chapter 10 – Bovey Tracey”. The Master Plan is a vision for all of us, and an important document about the future Bovey Tracey. No one can make you read it, but I recommend that you do.

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT & TOWN CENTRE DESIGN.........

This (at no charge to the Town Council) study has just closed, after a workshop and public consultation during May. The aim has been to receive input on what residents would like to see to improve the appearance of and approach to the town centre, and how traffic and parking could be better managed in the town. The consultants plan to produce costed findings from the study during the summer, and no doubt these will be the subject of further debate and evaluation. Decisions on which aspects to implement will depend on accessibility to sources of funds. But I suspect many of you will have a keen interest in the outcomes.

TOWN HALL REDEVELOPMENT.............

You may remember that a study was made in 2010/11 of the possible redevelopment of the Town Hall, because of its sad state of disrepair and its unfitness for purpose. In reality, it could fail a detailed health & safety check today. The wiring and plumbing are substandard, there are leaks and dampness, the building is crumbling and falling apart in places, some parts cannot be used at all, and there is no disabled access. And, a major criticism, there’s no parking!

The redesign and rebuilding looked at had to take account of the fact that it is a listed building. The draft plans were shown to the public, alongside tours of the existing building. Initial public scepticism became conviction that redevelopment was necessary. An outline budget of at least £700,000 to £800,000 was calculated. The review of possible uses for the building has been suspended for the moment, but I expect it to be revisited later in the year (see below).

THE OLD THATCHED INN.........

There are some differences of opinion in the town on this. The timeline of events that led up to the Town Council buying the site has been published on the council’s website and in the “Quality Update” newsletter sent to all parishioners. However, the eventual moving of the council offices to a new building on the site (which will also incorporate public rooms and the Information Centre, with new public toilets outside) should allow scope for more serious consideration to be given to the future of the Town Hall. Many of you will have views on that, and, like me, should welcome a re-opening of that review.

FINALLY.........

I’m sure we all prefer to see the togetherness of a community, and that was clearly demonstrated to me at the Jubilee celebrations. So please let’s all try to work together to help make Bovey Tracey a happy and pleasant place to live, work and play in, the sort of town we want it to be! We’ve all got a part to play in this.

Tony Allen is a Bovey Tracey Town Councillor & Leader of the Bovey NHW Forum. This column is written in a personal capacity and not on behalf of any particular group or organisation.

Other columns by Tony Allen