Secrecy of Salcombe Strategic Housing Plan

How did this so called "Strategic Housing Plan" for Saclombe creep up on us unawares? Surely this major change that is being thrust upon us is significant enough that we should all have been informed via a leaflet drop or letters and then kept up to date with every step!?!

50 new homes for Salcombe is a significant addition, especially on top of the Ember Court development. Surely there aren't enough residents to take up this allocation of social housing? Especially at the prices they are likely to be.

Could we end up with people being allocated these homes from as far a field as Plymouth on joint ownership schemes? Will we see an influx of undesirable residents, immigrants or will these houses just end up as more second homes as no-one else can afford them??

With mortgages so scarce how will anyone from Salcombe be able to get a large enough mortgage to be able to consider buying one of these houses. If we are back to mortgage applications being granted a 3 x salary then how can anyone afford a house over £80k? And you can guarantee they won't be that cheap...

Presumably Beadon Farm will be bulldozed, as according to the map one of the proposed sites covers the land occupied by the Farmhouse; building on that land and the surrounding fields is an absolute disgrace. I watched that Farmhouse renovated from a scary old farmhouse, that we used to play in as kids, into a lovely family home. What next, the tarmacking of Beadon lane to ebnable access????

These developments could significantly change Saclombe as we know it and very likely for the worse.

Read more...

Salcombe Binge Drinking Capital...of errr Salcombe?

I probably shouldn't but I had to laugh at this letter penned to The Telegraph:

Published: 12:01AM BST 04 Jul 2009

SIR – I have just returned utterly exhausted from a much-needed family holiday in Salcombe. The apartment was beautiful, the view idyllic and, during daylight hours, our neighbours were pleasant and friendly – everything a quintessential Devonshire holiday town is renowned for.

However, each night not one of us was able to get to sleep before 2am owing to anti-social and drunken behaviour by people in the town. I am well aware that binge drinking is a problem in Britain. However, I always felt this was an unfair generalisation and associated it with busy towns and cities, where clubs and pubs are prevalent – not a family-oriented holiday destination with a fairly expensive price tag.

Fortunately, we had only booked a long weekend otherwise we would have had to curtail our holiday after an extraordinarily awful final night which involved shouting, swearing, fighting and the setting off of bangers into the early hours.

My narrow-minded view on anti-social behaviour has sadly been broadened; it cuts across all levels of society.

Anna Taylor
Martin, Hampshire

OK Salcombe can get a bit rowdy at times during the warmer months or around Christmas but it is generally good natured and raucous as opposed to aggressive and anti-social.

Maybe this lady was unlucky and she caught Salcombe when the rugby club were out on a social or there were old Salcombe summer chaps having a reunion?? There are pubs in town and people drink so the noise is bound to be quite loud come chucking out time at the weekend, if you want complete peace stay in East P or up the hill and not in the centre of town, surely that's obvious?

Good job she didn't know Salcombe back in the late 80's early 90's when it was a real party town during the summer months! She would have been scurrying back to Hants quick smart with her pearl necklace and Burberry luggage thrown in the back of the Range Rover. Whatever next? People having fun! How awful...

Salcombe Institution up for Sale

You may think I am going to tell you that Salcombe Yacht Club or The Marine Hotel are up for sale...NO...this is far more important! Captain Morgans is on the market and could be yours for a very reasonable £130k...

I wish I was in a position to buy this place as it could be a real gold mine. I hate to think how much I have spent on bacon sandwiches there over the years!!! At £130k I would say it's a steal, surely if you get it right you could turnover at least £200k a year?

If I was the Salcombe Coffee Company chap I would be snapping this place up to cater for the over-flow form his Fore St cafe and the plentiful punters getting off their boats in the summer.

Also for sale is what I presume is the Oyster Shack which I hadn't heard was for sale. This you can get for £125k, £5k less than Captain Morgans. I must admit I have never felt the need to go to Island Street and pay a fortune to look out a mud whilst eating an over priced seafood meal...maybe I am not the only one and this is the reason for the sale and the cheap price??

Read the prospectus for both businesses....

Salcombe's Waterski Conundrum

So the water skiing in the estuary scenario seems to have raised its head again. This debate has been going on for years. I can remember when I was about 15 and we nearly had agreement to be able to water-ski up at Widegates but at the last minute the decision went against. We still did in but made sure that we weren't being towed when people were around. No-one ever reported us or made an issue of it...plus we weren't going anywhere near as fast as we did on our windsurfers!

It's reminiscent of the ongoing debate up in the Lake District. The main arguments against are the disturbance of the natural habitat in an AONB. Despite my escapades of youth I tend to side with the "NO" stance as the Kingsbridge/Salcombe Estuary is one of the most amazing places in the UK. Do we really need the scream of outboard engines shattering the peace & quiet and scaring the wildlife or the wash from the outboards gradually eroding the shorelines and the habitats of the creatures that dwell on these shores??

The again...the prevailing winds send a large chop onto the shores of Widegates and some places in South Pool so that seems to negate the outboard wash argument to a certain extent, and up at Widegates most people open up their outboards to in excess of 20 knots anyway and it's generally excepted to be ok.

I can see the water skiers point of view as South Pool Creek or Widegates would be awesome places to water ski in safety. However, bar one horrific incident in Starehole Bay about 18 years ago I have never seen any safety issues out there. I think the safety issue is more of a cloak for the less than ideal conditions usually found in Starehole Bay.

Perhaps just perhaps there could be a compromise and water skiing could be allowed for certain periods of high water between 9 and 5, the harbour office could charge and plough the money back into the up-keep of the estuary...it has to be Widegates as South Pool Creek is just too small.

Who knows one day it just may happen...