By: paul

paul — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:39:38 +0000

Oh and in addittion I believe Nick Bye did not have a vision until after he was elected and had empoyed a firm of consultants to provide one for him.

By: paul

paul — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:30:20 +0000

If the Cary family had the attidude you suggest towards development it seems strange that they would impose a covenant on the Downs to prohibit any commercial development. They were indeed enlightened and realised they would need to protect the Downs for all to enjoy otherwise unscrupulous developers aided by devious councillors could eventually destroy the whole area.They also probably understood that some very gullible people might be taken in by talk of regeneration or whatever the latest buzzword being employed to try to pull the wool over some peoples eyes.
By the way the cottages in Babbacombe Downs Road were built before any other houses existed in Babbacombe Road.

By: David

David — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:26:27 +0000

To those that want everything to stay exactly the way it is and seem hell bent on preserving everything Victoriana:-
If the Victorians (including, the Carey Family, Singer, Brunel etc.etc.) had the same closed attitude as those who so vehemently object to the Babbacombe Downs Fish Restaurant plan, then there would be no Torquay, no Babbacombe, no development to preserve as it is today.
The Victorians, and indeed the Edwardians, were, famously, very open to development and would not expect everything to remain forever. They built very much for the moment, for enjoyment and for everyone, experimenting with new even outlandish ideas (the Victorian folly?) In short, they had a vision, they had imagination.
If you accept the spirit of the Victorian/Edwardian attitude and you then still object to this plan then you are no less than insulting the past intelligence of the same.
In that time, do you really think that objections were considered from people who lived on Babbacombe Road who were deprived of the views as hotels and cottages were built on the Downs Road? If they had been, you probably wouldn’t have had the Downs Road in the first place.
As to the point of “doing away” with the viewing platform so that there won’t be a view anymore, then what about the other quarter-of-a-mile’s worth of wheelchair/pram friendly tarmac path? Surely, a width of approximately 50 feet is not much of a sacrifice?
To those who object to the “commercialism” of the downs, then just ponder for one moment the number of cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels, holiday apartments and, low and behold, even a theatre, which already exist and are very much commercial concerns. Part of the Downs popularity owes itself to the very location of these commercial ventures. People would start moaning very loudly if these concerns were no longer patronised and fell into decline, demanding the Mayor do something. Maybe even have a vision?
The council say that to maintain the toilet facilities would cost £50k a year. An amount that no right-minded business person would consider a light burden. If the council cannot now, or in the future, maintain the funding, the closure of the toilets would surely have to be considered, regardless of politics.
As is the case with the Torquay Harbourside Area – to do nothing is not an option.
Nick Bye is a democratically elected mayor. The relatively low turnout for his election should not be reason to (sometimes maliciously) vilify him at every opportunity no matter what. He was elected on the basis that it was accepted that Torquay was in decline as a tourist destination and someone with a vision was needed. It is my understanding that people largely knew the extent of that vision before he was elected.
Do you think that Brunel ever let “it can’t be done” get in his way? So, let’s adopt the Victorian spirit and embrace these changes willingly and with an open mind. Let’s consider Nigel Bloxham’s plans seriously. Keep the good, change the not so good, compromise on both sides where necessary. But don’t just say “No” for “No’s” sake. Consider, adapt, go forward. I for one, am sick and tired of hearing “No” so often without a reasonable justification and I know many other residents of Torbay are too.
I write as a resident of Babbacombe, Torquay and Torbay . I also wish to emphasize that I have no affiliation with Nick Bye, the Tory party, any other councillor or wish to get in to party politics at all on this matter. Nor do I have any connection with Nigel Bloxham or the Carey Estate.

By: Jana Sebastian

Jana Sebastian — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:58:54 +0000

some photos from Babbacombe Downs meetings re; giving away of public land on Babbacombe downs

Comments on: Get your voice heard on Babbacombe Downs! Public meeting called (plus there’s a handy video to explain the issue)

By: paul

By: paul

By: David

By: Jana Sebastian