Salcombe Second Home Issues are Small Fry Compared to Some!

I came across this article on the "thisisdevon" web site. It makes the squabbling about second home owners in Salcombe seem trivial. Lets just hope we never get to the levels that the residents of Worth Matravers have sunk to, although you can understand their ire. To be honest I don't really think there is much of a problem in Salcombe. It's swings and roundabouts, the second home owners obviously bring a great deal of money into the town from which the locals benefit in many respects, but the down side is ridiculously high house prices and a plethora of expensive shops.

Hopefully some of the affordable housing will help the original community to survive and the school to stay open. Salcombe without it's long term residents would be a soulless place. For me it's the mix of people that makes Salcombe great; you only have to sit outside the KA on an August evening and watch the people go by to see the multitude of different people who all have on thing in common...they love Salcombe!

Salcombe Planners Open to Persuasion?

Is it just me or does Salcombe seem to have some very "dubious" planning applications approved? If you take a drive around Salcombe you see a plethora of flats where once beautiful houses stood...you will see houses that have doubled in size with ultra modern extensions not in keeping with the surrounding areas and various new dwellings that just make you think; "how?".

The latest 2 arrivals will be the affordable housing in East Portlemouth on Isobel Waterhouse's land overlooking the estuary and the redevelopment of Tony Soper's old house up at Gerston in an area of area of natural outstanding beauty. Both are strange planning decisions that don't fit within the usual guidelines but have somehow got through. You can understand the bending of the rules to some extent for the affordable housing, but surely rules are rules?? However, there can no reason that I can see that would make increasing the footprint of the house at Gerston by 5 times a suitable thing to do. Situated slap bang on the shoreline the new house is sure to change the waterfront and that is what should not be happening.

The other historically subtle but increasingly garish waterfront development in that area is Curlew Drive in West Charleton. Increasingly inhabited by second home owners or wealthy retirees the waterfront houses are doubling in size and changing the entire waterfront. The latest monstrosity is "Creekside" an already over developed house that is being increased in size by a third again. I know that many Curlew Drive residents were less than pleased and also somewhat surprised that this application got through...

There are plenty of examples of great developments that have worked but also many that make you wonder how the planning was granted in the first place...although I clearly would not want to suggest that something untoward was going on...

Salcombe Rugby Club Annual Easter 7's - Unmissable!

Easter is almost upon us and that means exciting times in Salcombe; not only is it the start of the holiday season in Salcombe which will see an influx of c10000 people on Good Friday but its the Salcombe rugby club Easter 7's!!! This is an unmissable day out at Two Meads. The standard of rugby is actually pretty good, with some great 7's teams travelling to Salcombe form all over the country.

There is usually a BBQ and of course plenty of beer to go around. The evening is usually a pretty rowdy affair ending up in the KA.

Make sure you pop up, support the club and enjoy a great day out.

AND...lets hope Kingsbridge don't win!!!!!