Save Our Sidmouth

Category Archives: Knowle Watch


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As schedule for relocation slips, Cabinet asked “Is this project still ‘cost neutral’? “

The three month delay in starting work on the proposed new offices in Honiton, announced by Head of Relocation, Richard Cohen, adds to concerns about the financial uncertainties of the project.

These were the QUESTIONS TO CABINET 6TH APRIL 2016, by Jeremy Woodward, They confirm that the move from Knowle could prove a burden for the whole District. It is not just a matter for Sidmouth.

‘Referring to the latest Relocation Report, I would be grateful if Members could consider the following questions:

At the meeting of the full Council on 25th March last year, specific figures were given:

Is it still anticipated that the full cost for relocation will be £10m?

Do the conditions for the 20-year loan repayment still stand?

Will the refurbishment needed at Exmouth Town Hall cost the council around £1m and around £7m to build the offices at Honiton?

Has the Council undersold the Knowle site?

In other words:

Is this project still ‘cost neutral’?

Is this value for money as far as the taxpayers of East Devon are concerned?

And:

Why haven’t we come out of this deal much better off rather than desperately trying to finance a vanity project?’


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‘Major changes’ to Knowle proposals

After public feedback on the unsuitability of its original plans, Pegasus Life has told the Sidmouth Herald that “the design of the development has been altered to include pitched roofs and an architectural style more in keeping with Sidmouth”. But the tall 4-storey building pictured on the Herald’s front page (Friday 1st April 2016) shows no apparent trace of “the architectural style” which embellishes Sidmouth’s uniqueness.

The justification for more than doubling the number of 50 homes allocated for Knowle in the Local Plan, is not made clear. The developer, Pegasus Life, now proposes 115 homes, slightly less than the 126 they had initially proposed.

If the now formally submitted plans are approved, a proposed private retirement complex will replace what have been publicly-owned buildings at Knowle. The footprint of the new buildings will exceed that of the current buildings, extending into the upper terraces, arguably the best part of the historic parkland.

For reference, the ‘architectural style’ of the present Knowle building (a former hotel), is pictured below, showing how it blends into the landscape, and the south-facing facade and upper terraces.

Knowle over Bickwell

Knowle former hotel and terrace

 

The new building may be considerably higher than the present one, as the Futures Forum blogspot illustrates: http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/knowle-relocation-project-far-more.html