Independent councillors blast Next Wave “success”
BEXHILL’S independent councillors have hit back at Rother District Council’s claim that the Next Wave project is being hailed “a success”.
They criticise “many glitches” in the build and say while these are being put right they “call into question the management of this project.”
Councillors Stuart Earl, John Lee, Tony Mansi, and Deirdre Williams joined forces to express dissatisfaction as RDC basks in congratulation and news that visitor numbers are up because of Next Wave regeneration. They believe the project has not been worth £6 million and that spending “virtually all our capital” on one half of the seafront was a mistake.
They commented: “We are fortunate to have a very active and business-led Town Centre Team in place now but there is no decent money available to support them. We initiated reviews of the project at two seperate meetings off the council’s Scrutiny Committee last year because of growing concerns regarding aspects of the work. With colleagues we arranged for a small number of professionally qualified residents to advise who identified additional remedial tasks required. Our chief executive occasionally refers to the need to avoid “bayonetting the dead” - in other words, wasting time and energy on matters which are decided and in place. On that basis, following the two detailed Scrutiny meetings, we were content to cease “bayonetting the dead” and to let the system take over. We have therefore been content to work behind the scenes from then on to express our views and bring about change and it would not have been our wish now to resurrect all the previously stated concerns about this project or to fight the Next Wave war all over again.”
The councillors described new seafront shelters as “monstrous buildings” which remain “universally loathed, are totally useless and cost £300,000 of taxpayers money” and reminded the council that its vision for the Colonnade as home to an upmarket destination restaurant had yet to be realised with defects needing attention. They will raise their concerns at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on March 25.
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Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
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Temperature: 7 C to 16 C
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