I ought to mention that although I am a member of the COG committee, this blog is my own and I might not always be totally in step with COG's views!
On Tuesday the Vale Council disclosed its plans for the development of Abingdon's Old Gaol. Details can be seen on the Vale's website http://www.whitehorsedc.co.uk/, and there is a picture of a model of the proposed development on www.heraldseries.net/_images/misc//Gaol.jpg. Also the model is on display in the lobby of the Vale offices in Abingdon.
Well, I thought it was a really nice model. No-one wants to live with derelict buildings. And it's good that the selected developer is local, and that the access to the river garden is provided. So does this look like a happy outcome for the residents of Abingdon? I'm afraid not.
The sheme is for 61 homes and 5 or 6 shops and restaurants. Not too much problem there although there must be questions about how much more housing our already crowded town centre can take and the need for more restaurants.
The major problem lies in what is NOT there, which is any facility for community use (except the Bridge Project), such as a cinema/theatre, a display area or arts and music spaces. The Vale refers to a 2004 cost report on a fundamentally different scheme as justification for not considering such provision. It seems more than likely that had the Vale had any discussion with the local community before embarking on this project, some affordable provision could easily have been arrived at. Regrettably no such discussion took place.
However did this come about? Why was there a refusal to discuss any aspect of the Vale's plans for the Old Gaol even before bids were solicited? This refusal included COG (Community in the Old Gaol, a well supported community group) and Abingdon Town Council.
The Vale's claim that this extreme secrecy was required in the name of "commercial confidentiality" strains credibility. Their purposeful determination to avoid any community input appears more likely to arise from a desire to maximise cash return by excluding local opinion from the sell-off process. The cash will soon be gone but so unfortunately will the Old Gaol so far as Abingdon is concerned.
It need not have been like this. A great opportunity has been lost to provide something of lasting benefit to the community in a remarkable location which called for that spark of imagination which seems to be missing from what has emerged.
Will some of the cash be used to provide help provide some other community facility in the town centre. I'm not holding my breath!
On a more positive note, the latest COG press release says, "The need for such facilities remains and we shall be pressing the Vale to set aside funding from its capital receipt from the Old Gaol to develop them elsewhere in the town." .
The Herald Newpaper has been very involved in this issue and is running a poll on it. Please do respond to it if you would like to make your views known. It's on http://tinyurl.com/35t3jo - it is not easy to spot but is at the bottom of the "Editors Choice" column.
Also if you go to the Vale offices to see the model, there are comments forms available.
And of course you can post comments on this blog.
And visit COG website on www.oldgaol.org.uk
On Tuesday the Vale Council disclosed its plans for the development of Abingdon's Old Gaol. Details can be seen on the Vale's website http://www.whitehorsedc.co.uk/, and there is a picture of a model of the proposed development on www.heraldseries.net/_images/misc//Gaol.jpg. Also the model is on display in the lobby of the Vale offices in Abingdon.
Well, I thought it was a really nice model. No-one wants to live with derelict buildings. And it's good that the selected developer is local, and that the access to the river garden is provided. So does this look like a happy outcome for the residents of Abingdon? I'm afraid not.
The sheme is for 61 homes and 5 or 6 shops and restaurants. Not too much problem there although there must be questions about how much more housing our already crowded town centre can take and the need for more restaurants.
The major problem lies in what is NOT there, which is any facility for community use (except the Bridge Project), such as a cinema/theatre, a display area or arts and music spaces. The Vale refers to a 2004 cost report on a fundamentally different scheme as justification for not considering such provision. It seems more than likely that had the Vale had any discussion with the local community before embarking on this project, some affordable provision could easily have been arrived at. Regrettably no such discussion took place.
However did this come about? Why was there a refusal to discuss any aspect of the Vale's plans for the Old Gaol even before bids were solicited? This refusal included COG (Community in the Old Gaol, a well supported community group) and Abingdon Town Council.
The Vale's claim that this extreme secrecy was required in the name of "commercial confidentiality" strains credibility. Their purposeful determination to avoid any community input appears more likely to arise from a desire to maximise cash return by excluding local opinion from the sell-off process. The cash will soon be gone but so unfortunately will the Old Gaol so far as Abingdon is concerned.
It need not have been like this. A great opportunity has been lost to provide something of lasting benefit to the community in a remarkable location which called for that spark of imagination which seems to be missing from what has emerged.
Will some of the cash be used to provide help provide some other community facility in the town centre. I'm not holding my breath!
On a more positive note, the latest COG press release says, "The need for such facilities remains and we shall be pressing the Vale to set aside funding from its capital receipt from the Old Gaol to develop them elsewhere in the town." .
The Herald Newpaper has been very involved in this issue and is running a poll on it. Please do respond to it if you would like to make your views known. It's on http://tinyurl.com/35t3jo - it is not easy to spot but is at the bottom of the "Editors Choice" column.
Also if you go to the Vale offices to see the model, there are comments forms available.
And of course you can post comments on this blog.
And visit COG website on www.oldgaol.org.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment