South Molton Snippets

These snippets are of general interest and reflect changes going on in South Molton.

Somerfield out - Sainsbury's in!

The old Somerfield store is no more as work on the new Sainsbury's supermarket progresses. See the pics below for the latest....

The old Somerfield store. Below - the new store now open for business. However it seems as always we have to watch prices as a pack of "on offer" Braeburn apples 99p at Sainsbury's were priced at 68p at Tescos. Caveat Emptor!

The Factory Shop opens in South Molton

A Factory Shop has opened in South Street, South Molton. This is in the premises of the former MK Home Hardware shop. A wide range of goods is available - most at bargain prices. While customers may be pleased the impact upon other shops in the town remains to be seen.

A New Care Home for South Molton?

A new Care Home for South Molton is on the cards - the proposed site will be on vacant land adjoining the Kidney Unit between Widgery Drive and Raleigh Mead. Access for vehicles will be from Raleigh Mead and there will be a public footpath and cycle way between Widgery Drive and Raleigh Mead. The project is being designed by architects Burritt Holland Ltd of Waterrow, Taunton on behalf of Eastleigh Care Homes Ltd. We hope to be able to show an artist's impression of the proposed complex soon.

The photographs below show the proposed site at the top of Widgery Drive and work in progress.

Introducing the South Molton Group for the Visually Impaired.

We are a group of visually impaired people who meet on the first and third Mondays of the month at the George Hotel, South Molton at 10.30a.m. We share information and discuss experiences and treatments. We also act as a pressure group for people with visual impairment. We are a social group and are associated with the Devon County Association for the Blind and the See/Hear in Barnstaple. Most of our members suffer from Macular Degeneration. Our Chairman for 2009 is Miss Maureen Rees. Telephone number 01769-574571. New members are most welcome!

Is it a sheep, a ram, a pig or is it maybe.....a Gnu?

The refurbishment of the Town Hall is nearly complete. The Town's Coat of Arms on the front of the building however looks different. What started out as a ram and then became a sheep has now become a bit of a hybrid. See the Images below. Left to right: as it was in the wood carved courtroom version c1740 - On the front of the Town Hall before the renovation - and after the renovation. This is what English Heritage calls "renovation". Do they know what they are doing? Of course, as usual, we the taxpayers have to foot the bill for this amateurish representation of our Coat of Arms! Why was it necessary to disfigure the stone carving with red and blue paint? The lower photograph shows the Town Hall with the work completed.

Amory Centre Opens

The Amory Centre is now open for business - the open day was 31st October 2008. The new Library opens next week. First impressions are: lots of money spent on what may to be a white elephant as far as the rooms to let are concerned - woefully inadequate toilet facilities - a temperamental lift which stuck between floors when I was there - a super Library and a high standard of workmanship all round. Pictures below.

The Reception Desk	The Waiting Area
The Garden Room	The Conference Room
The Beech Room	The Library

Our Dishonest District Council

This is the Civic Centre in Barnstaple – home of the North Devon District Council. Inside you will find honest employees with your interests at heart led by a team of honest councilllors.

True? No – unfortunately not. This is where employees tell lies and others cover up the lies. Even councillors join in to protect the dishonest employees.

A few years ago these despicable people could close ranks and shut out any complaints – no one would know about it or could even get at the facts. Now, with the Freedom of Information Act and the Internet there is no hiding place for dishonest employees and councillors.

Click here to read all about the way the council lets us down – all the names are there.

Beech House

The photo above shows Beech House, a residential care home for the elderly of the town. There is a possibility that this facility will be lost if the Devon County Council have their way. The following letter tells all about this mad scheme to demolish a building only thirty or so years old.

A Youth Resource Centre for South Molton?

A report in this weeks Journal states that the Council has decided to use the Tennis Courts (photo above) for the new Youth Centre rather than take up yet more space in Central Park - good news as far as the park is concerned as it is the only green space we have left in the centre of the town. The park has over the years been built up to leave less than half the grassed area that existed when I was a lad. Any more encroachment should be resisted - the park belongs to the people of the town and should not be used by the Council as a convenient building site!

It is reported that the Centre will be used for IT training and further education - have the Council forgotten that we have a Community College that is well equipped and able to provide these services. Why go to the expense of duplicating what already exists? As far as the agencies mentioned in the report why could they not use not use the offices in the proposed Amory House, after all they would have to be available in the evening when the youth of the town was not at school?

One more suggestion - when the library and council offices move to Amory House there will be a empty building that, with a few minor alterations, could be used to house the proposed Youth Centre. No waiting for a new build, no loss of two tennis courts and a saving of £400, 0000 of taxpayers money!

Hello,
Just a quick note to say that Seize the Moment Ltd will be running a 12 week youth participation project at the Old Library in East Street on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons starting next week - subject to agreement with Town Council. We also plan to run a drop in session for young people aged 16+ who are out of work or education - this will be during the day each Wednesday.
We will aim to work with young people and youth advocates in South Molton to train and support young people to set up their own lasting projects. We will help them to identify further training and funding for community projects.
One of our first plans is to repaint the area around the skate park.
If you require further information I will be available in the Office Monday 22nd February.

Regards

Jane Elliott
Youth Arts Worker

SEIZE THE MOMENT LTD "empowering young people through the arts"

I see that Cllrs. Worden and Sewell are, according to a local newspaper, set to "regenerate" South Molton's "ugly park". May I remind our Town Council that the park has reached it's present state due to their neglect and continued encroachment, recently for instance by the Pip Centre and the Skate Park. The two councillors engaged in this enterprise may not wish to be told that the Wikipedia definition of the word "park" in this context is "A piece of land with few or no buildings within or adjoining a town, maintained for recreational and ornamental purposes". I wonder how much taxpayers money will be wasted on this project and what will be the benefits for Moltonians.

When I was a youngster in the late 1930s early 1940s the park extended from Mill Street to where the road enters from New Road. There were two see-saws at the Mill Street end and several mature trees with iron seats placed close to the trunks. There was a tennis court where the Skateboard Park is now. Since then, with the permission of our Town Council, the following encroachments have taken place reducing by about two thirds the open space that was once our park. The Cattle Market, the Scout Hut, the PIP centre, the Skateboard Park, the Swimming Pool, the Bowling Club and the Tennis Court which is soon to be used as a convenient building site for the proposed Youth "Resource" Centre, whatever that means!

The photograph below was taken in 1936 and shows what a pleasant open green space it used to be.

Is it worth the bother complaining?

Last year we published a photo of the Churchyard showing the dandelions and weeds on the paths. This year the weeds are just as bad - see the photo. A letter to the town clerk, Malcolm Gingell, two or three years ago elicited the usual response from the South Molton Town Council - "not our responsibility". However , correspondence with the District Council confirmed that the weeds on the cobbled areas were indeed the Councils responsibility and these were subsequently dealt with. So why are the paths still a disgrace? The recent appointment of a worker to market South Molton raises the question, how do you market a tip? Answers on a postcard....

Well now - it appears that the Council have done a spray job on the weeds seen today 5th October 2007. However the Churchyard still looks a mess - I wonder if the Council realises that due to their neglect all summer the weeds have dropped their seeds and a new crop is waiting to grow. We shall leave these images in place to remind the Council to deal with the weeds next year before they seed - will they take any notice?

The following image from a postcard dated around 1905 shows the same path weed free - if they could do it why can't we?

On the other hand - well done to the Council for keeping the Recreation Ground in good order!

A New Twinning?

There is the possibility of South Molton being twinned with the German town of Bad Bevensen in Lower Saxony. Bad Bevensen is a well known spa town - we hope to be able to include a few photos of the town in due course.
In the meantime here is the link to Bad Bevensen's website: www.bad-bevensen.de It is in German but there are photos to look at.

Another Twinning?

Well maybe not exactly a twinning - this is a report from the Town Council about establishing contacts between the South Molton area and a district in the African country of Ghana:

"Resolution for the establishment of Sister City relationship between South Molton and the Shama District of Ghana.

The South Molton Council at its meeting held on Tuesday 25th November 2008 considered the establishment of a Sister ‘City’ relationship between Shama District in the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana and the South Molton area in England.

There is an interesting report about the District of Shama by David Worden available here. Here are some photos:

Our New South Molton Newspaper

The South Molton & District News, a 'paid for' monthly newspaper launched in April 2007 is published on the first Thursday of each month. The paper is privately owned by husband and wife team Paul & Jakki Henderson. Paul, who originally comes from South Molton, spent 24 years working in the regional press across the UK before returning 'home' to launch a real grass roots newspaper for the corridor area between Barnstaple (N Devon Journal) and Tiverton (Tiverton Gazette) stretching from East Anstey to Brayford in the north, to Witheridge and Chulmleigh in the south.

The content of the paper is focused on news issues that directly affect the South Molton area. The paper itself is written in a style that is informative, impartial and not always 'politically correct'!

By the fourth issue, sales of the newspaper from local newsagents, supermarkets, post offices and petrol stations were running very close to the circulation of the North Devon Journal within the same area. Many local businesses have taken the opportunity to advertise cost effectively to their 'local' client base and readers comments on the topics covered have been extremely positive. As the paper says in its catch line, the South Molton & District News.......it's all about you!

The newspaper is available on a postal subscription basis at a cost of £1 per issue (£12 per annum). To subscribe to the paper, simply email news@southmoltonnews.co.uk (you will then receive an online invoice that can be paid via PayPal) or send a cheque made payable to the South Molton & District News at 3 South Street, South Molton, North Devon, EX36 3AA.

MA2K Ltd's Skateboard Park Project

The new Skateboard Park in South Molton's Central Park is now complete. Although not yet officially open it is already proving popular with skateboarders. Apparently MA2K Ltd. need to transfer the running of the Skateboard Park to a Management Committee to comply with the lease from the Town Council. Latest news is that a date for opening has been fixed for the 23rd Sept. 2006 but no details are available - watch this space! Yes there was an opening ceremony but there does not appear to be a Management Committee or any supervision of the Skateboard Park as was originally planned by MA2K Ltd. Users of the Park will do so at their own risk.

The South Molton Union Workhouse

Anyone with an interest in South Molton's past will find a great deal of information about Beech House, formerly the South Molton Union Workhouse, on a Website run by Peter Higgenbotton . It can be accessed at www.workhouses.org.uk

What shall we do with the Old Infant School?

The former Infant School, New Road, South Molton

The old Infant School in New Road has been empty now for over three years - no use has yet been found for the building. According to the Devon County Council their solicitor has been unable to discover who actually owns the property and intends to "pass the keys and responsibility for the buildings to the local vicar and churchwardens". Won't they be pleased! (See the Contributions page for a short history of the school.)

With regard to the ownership of the property the following extract from a book containing notes about the history of South Molton held by the Museum may help. The notes are believed to have been written in the latter half of the 19th century by the then Vicar of South Molton:

"In consequence of the National School being reorganized and placed under a Master no child was admitted under 6 years old. The Infant School was consequently started in St. Anne's Chapel, then removed to a house in the Church Yard, then in 1853 to the house occupied by Miss ?, and in 1859-60 to new school built by subscription as British Schools on a site given by Sir T. Acland "

The latest development is reported in a newsletter from the Molton Area 2000 people. This states that the police are negotiating with the landowners with a view to relocating the police station in the old Infant School building in order to be located in a "town centre site". Following this up we have discovered from Molton Area 2000 that the police are not actually negotiating but are trying to trace the owners. So the report in the MA2K newsletter was at the least misleading!

The South Molton Archive is at present in the process of gathering material and photographs with a view to getting this important building listed.

Subsequent to the above the police have put in a planning application for change of use to a police station. The application is available to view at the South Molton Council Office (1 East Street). There is not much information as to the intended use or alterations to the actual buildings but the road passing the site could be changed to a single carriageway with priority to traffic into the town centre. Given the amount of traffic in New Road this is about as mad-brained a proposal as is likely to be heard from any so-called authority! Why is this considered necessary? Answers on a postcard.....

Latest News - very interesting!

We have obtained a copy of the agreement between the Trustees and the Police - this document is rubber-stamped Michelmores, Solicitors of Exeter. The demise paid by the Police was £7,500, the annual rent is £1,000 and the document is dated 13th April 2006. The agreement refers to the letting of the "former site of the South Molton C of E Infant School". This is curious as the school was set up as non-denominational, was always referred to as the South Molton Infant School and continued thus when taken over by the Devon County Council in the 1930s. So have the Police taken over a site that does not exist?

One further point is that an advert was placed in the Journal on 26th January 2006 referring to an application to the Secretary of State for Education for an order to "allow the assets of the foundation to be used for the benefit of new and continuing schools of the same denomination within the Diocese". If the the former Infant School was non-denominational this application is meaningless as there is no Diocese. So where would the assets go?

We have received the following e-mail on behalf of the Trustees which we consider to be a totally satisfactory explanation of what is happening to the former Infant School. Thank you Mr. Spain!

Thank you for your recent e-mail, which I have discussed with Michelmores,Solicitors of Exeter and would address the points which you make as follows:

a. The premises included in the Lease are defined by reference to the Lease plan and not by reference to the address of the land on the front sheet of the Lease.The site taken over by the Police under the terms of the Lease is therefore the land edged in re on the Lease plan which is of course the site of the former South Molton Infants School.

b.The reference on the front sheet of the Lease to the school being Church of England is incorrect. The confusion arising from the fact that various parties had referred to the school as a Church of England school. However,trusts of the school are specifically non-denominational.

c.The purpose of the public notes published in The Times,Church Times and North Devon Journal was to invite potential reverter claimants to come forward before any scheme dealing with assets of the Foundation is made. No confirmed notice of any person claiming the benefit of the reverter has been received.

d.The scheme to be applied for by the Trustees will be a scheme which provides new charitable trusts for the property.New charitable trusts will be non-denominational in the same way as the original trusts.The new trusts is a matter for the Charities Commission and are likely to be similar in character to the original trusts

e. The school trustees were required as a matter of charity law and did indeed obtain independent valuation advice under the Charities Act in respect of the Lease to the Constabulary.The advice given by Richard Smith in his Charities Act Valuation Report dated 7th March 2006 was that the terms of the Lease were the best that were then available and his recommendation was that those terms should be accepted by the Trustees without reservation. The parties did of course enter into a separate agreement under which the Constabulary would undertake significant repairing as well as refurbishment obligations.

f. It is the Trustee's intention that any assets of the foundation should be used to the benefit of South Molton Infants School and South Molton United Cof E Junior School.

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New Homes planned

It appears that 200 new homes are planned for South Molton on land between the Hospital and Cook's Cross. With the current price of nearly a quarter of a million being asked for a smallish family sized home one wonders who will able to afford to buy them and where will all these people earn the kind of salary to be able to get a mortgage? Picture below shows work in progress.

More New Homes

The photo below, taken looking south from near the Gunswell Lane pedestrian entrance, shows more new homes at West Lea off West Street.

And yet more New Homes

This is an estate off West Street called The Meadows - the photo was taken from Livarot Walk looking North and shows the progress of the second phase.

The Town Council get it right!

A Town Council success story is the farmers market on Saturday mornings in the pannier market. On sale are olives, flowers, fish, veg., pictures, pine furniture, hardware, plants clothes etc. The market is well patronised and very popular with tourists.

Our Dishonest District Council!

When the family housing estate Moorland Rise was built there was an access to a building site rear of Underhill prepared and approved by the Council - this was subsequently ignored by the planners and the entrance was allowed through Hares Green. This decision changed Hares Green to one of mixed housing - seventeen years or so after the bungalows were sold on the basis of being a development of sheltered retirement bungalows with a minimum age limit of 55 and conditions to ensure the amenity of the residents. These conditions do not apply to the new property!

By allowing the entrance from Hares Green the Council breached one of their own planning conditions, told a series of lies to try to justify the decision to the public and to the Local Government Ombudsman and then tried to cover up the lies following a complaint about them. The money grabbing Council also demanded, and got, £25,000 for the right to cross the narrow strip of grass at the end of the parking area in Hares Green.

Read all about the lies, who told them and who tried to cover them up by clicking this link Council Lies. You can also read a letter from the former Leader of the Council, Cllr. Malcolm Prowse, in which he claims these allegations are "unjustified and unfairly discredit council staff". This is very strange as all the allegations are supported by proof taken from the Council's own documentation!

There also a link to a page we call THE WEDGE which drive deep into the Council to expose the dishonest employees and Councillors!

The photo below shows the intended entrance from Moorland Rise - this was approved under planning application 30527 although curiously the Council's planners told the Ombudsman that this entrance had been carefully considered but was not acceptable to the Council. So why was planning application 30527 approved as it clearly showed this to be the proposed entrance? So now residents of Moorland Rise have a permanent eyesore on their otherwise neat little site.

Well now, is the issue of dishonesty in the North Devon District Council snowballing - take a look at this website! The author suggests that a motto for the Council should be "Deny Delay Dissemble". I would add "Dishonest" but I agree totally with these three "Ds" having been unfortunate enough to experience these tactics. This website, in common with my own, seeks the resignation of Cllrs. Prowse and Harrison.

More and more people are using the Internet to expose dishonesty in public life. Here is another example of a new site, not yet completed, where it appears there is some council involvement on the planning side http://lawmemorialhouses.yolasite.com/

Please note that the North Devon Link has no connection with these websites (or any other) so comments regarding content should be made to the website's owner.

Mole Valley Farmers open new store.

Mole Valley Farmers store at Path Fields Business Park opened on Tuesday March 2nd 2004 - The North Devon Link wishes this go-ahead local enterprise good luck in its new premises. However, there is some concern over the direction this company is taking - you can read all about it on a website authored by John James MBE, one of the founding members of Mole Valley Farmers.

Smart new web site for East Street Surgery.

East Street Surgery now have their own smart new web site. The site provides useful information on how to register with the Practice, the medical staff, services offered and the out of hours cover. There is also a good section about caring for your health. You can access the web site here.

Postscript - has anybody got a surplus dictionary?

The Journal reports that there is a proposal in the pipeline from Bray Valley Wines to set up a shop within the new units in the Pathfields Industrial Estate. It appears that Cllr. Sewell has proposed and had, remarkably, the proposal seconded by the Council to write to the applicant to ask how they intend to use the site. I can reveal that the term "shop" implies that, as stated in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, the use will be: - "Building, room etc. for retail sale of some commodity". Just like Mole Valley Farmers (who sell wine) as pointed out by Cllr. John Mair who was apparently the only Councillor awake at the time.....

Woodlands Enterprise Centre

This is the new Woodlands Enterprise Centre at Pathfields. Not much of a take up to date - we will update as and when the rest of the units are let.

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