The ongoing and costly saga of the English Riviera name

On 26 July 2007 it was reported in the HE that Mr Bye, after a brainstorming session with the consultants responsible for his Mayoral Vision, said he believed ‘Riviera’ was a strong image to portray, but that it was ‘English’ ‘which gave out the wrong messages’.

On 19 May 2009, nearly two years later (and with a new tourism consultant hired), it was reported that one of the first findings of the Torbay tourism survey was that the English Riviera brand should stay, with Alan Denby of the TDA saying: “the English Riviera as a brand is still incredibly well received. The brand still has legs.”

So two years, two different consultants, and we’re back at square one. How many thousands of pounds of council taxpayers money has been wasted on this project? Councillor Chris Lewis was completely unrepentant about this profligate spending, saying: "We don't have the resources like big organisations like Devon County Council have. Sometimes we need to bring in extra expertise.” If this is the way the mayor, his cabinet and the consultants operate, I think I would prefer to have a little less expensive ‘expertise’, and a bit more free local common sense.

Dear fellow depressed residents

Well people, it certainly is a funny old world isn't it? A year ago, sick of seeing empty shops and a devastated seafront while only hearing crazy talk of visions and parking meters, and with time on my hands over Easter, I started a petition to try and make the powers that be see the error of their ways. The response was heartwarming - people knocked at my door, people telephoned, people wrote and people emailed. And such was the depth of feeling that a hardcore went out collecting signatures. In signing the petition a lot of people vented their frustration, but a great deal left comments which were constructive. Predictably though, the mayor and his posse took no notice. Then a local economist echoed what I (and many others) had said about the town dying, but the mayor still refused to acknowledge the problem. What would it take to make him see sense? The petition was running out of steam, and I was feeling as though we'd never save our town. Even talking to a few journalists seemed pretty pointless - after all, who reads the Daily Telegraph or watches Sky News?

But then ... at the eleventh hour Marcus Wood came to the rescue. Apparently he was very angry about me being at the centre of a 'media feeding frenzy' (for those of you who have never been at the centre of a media feeding frenzy I should explain that it's the same as a bloke ringing you up for a chat - no-one camped outside my door, no-one in the bushes with a telephoto lens, no-one inviting me onto a chat show, just a bloke on the phone). So upset was he about this media feeding frenzy that he decided to, ...er, contact the local, er, ... media. Yes, you did read that right - a bit bizarre, I would have thought that if you want to calm down a media feeding frenzy the best way to do it would be to NOT CONTACT THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER. Anyway, that one-man local media feeding frenzy known as Jim Parker phones me up to tell me that Marcus says what I was doing was sickening, and shamefully hypocritical behaviour, and is calling me a political activist. Hello, I thought, this all sounds a bit like the McCarthyism of America in the fifities. He's accusing me of Un-Torquinian activity, just because I've had the temerity to suggest that renaming Torre station, moving the war memorial to build a casino and installing parking meters everywhere are not the best ideas for regenerating the town. The weird thing is that I've spoken to many people now from the Conservative Party (one dyed-in-the-wool Tory wanted to go collecting signatures at her local Con Club, bless her), from UKIP, from Labour and the Lib Dems, but mostly I've just spoken to local people who couldn't care less about each other's politics, but DO care about the state of Torbay. It seems that while we're trying to point out some fundamental errors in the course of action the mayor is pursuing, Marcus is out looking for the Yellow Peril or Reds under the bed. It seems that one of the things that really got him all bent out of shape was the fact that I sent that last email to you guys with the links to the Sunday Times and Sky News, or 'crowing to his mates' as he put it. I think him and Nick Bye have lost the plot now, I really do. They must be the only two people left in the Bay who can't see what's happening here. It all seems to be a bit sinister, because when the mayor or Marcus Wood want to have a go at me (and, by extension, you, I suppose) they just have to email Jim Parker and up pops the usual 'balanced' story, complete with the very lame 'why don't you take him on at the next general election' line. What a cutting riposte. Laugh? I nearly started. Anyway, now Marcus has managed to get the issue back in the news much more effectively than I ever could have, I thought it would be a good idea to run a quick poll to see how many people agree with him and Nick Bye, and how many agree with me, you, the shopkeepers, the local economist and the tourists. To this end I have put the question on the Save Torbay website, and would ask you all to visit www.torbaypetition.blogspot.com and cast your vote, and encourage other locals to do so, and maybe even sign the petition as well - it's worth visiting the site just to see the picture of how beautiful Rock Walk used to look.

Well, I suppose it just remains for me to thank Marcus Wood and the mayor for getting the issue back in the paper - since the story broke we've had shopkeepers telling the mayor what they think, and shoppers at the Willows telling the Herald Express what they think, and, of course, the steady stream of correspondence to the letters' page.

As I've already alluded to the Committee on Un-American Activities it would be fitting to paraphrase someone who wasn't afraid to speak his mind at the time, Adlai Stevenson, and say that maybe Mssrs Wood Bye and myself could come to an agreement: I'll stop telling the truth about them if they stop telling lies about me.'

Thanks once again to all those who email me, write to the paper, talk to their friends and generally take an interest in what's happening locally. I've lived in a fair few places around the country and around the world, and I came back home because this place takes a hell of a lot of beating, and I won't have anybody telling me I'm rubbishing the place.

Now be good citizens and cast your vote above!

Best wishes

Mark

A POSTING FROM MICK WARNER, CHAIR OF FRIENDS OF BARTON DOWNS

To the Editor, Herald Express
Re - Parkers Pen Jan. 5th
Dear Sir,
Firstly let me correct Jim Parker, the petition contained 812 signatures not 500, a subsequent petition of over 200 signatures was "lost in the system".
Regardless of the petition echoing the opinions of the people, the council insists a public consultation will follow the feasibility study - contemptuous smokescreens.
To remove 3 blocks of flats in order to build between 50 or 60 dwellings, rehouse the displaced persons (some will require compensation) and to put in all the services, how can the means justify the ends?- it can`t.
Once access to the Downs has been achieved then the demise of Barton Downs will have begun.
Kevin Carroll accuses Steve Darling of "playing with words" and that he and Nick Bye agree that proceeds from the sale of part of the Downs are to go to the Acorn Centre.
Mr.Carroll cannot agree with himself, -9th. Dec.2008, when talking about Paignton Woolworths he said "We hope Woolies will survive" and seconds later in the same discussion says "in a way we hope it closes" and that the closure (no reference to job losses) will actually breathe life into Paignton!!! playing with words , or what?
Nick Bye - Herald Express -2nd Jan 2009 "certainly sad to see Woolworths close".
So are we to be heartened by the fact that Messers. Bye and Carroll agree over Barton Downs ?
In March 2008 Steve Parrock addressed 50/60 residents at the Acorn Centre of the dire necessity to sell off part of Barton Downs to rebuild the crumbling Acorn Centre and assured the attendees that the money was positively ring fenced for that purpose.
I attended a meeting in Dec. 2008 when it was confirmed by Steve Parrock that no money was ring fenced for the Acorn Centre!!! and the architect doubted that there would be any money over anyway,(playing with words- or what?)
The leaders of the Tory Cabinet and their appointed executives are in total disarray with each other and at opposites with themselves.
A Happy New Year from them all?- they`re not sure!!!

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Dear residents of Torbay ...

(RE-POSTED FROM MARCH SO NEW VISITORS DON'T HAVE TO GO SEARCHING FOR IT)

I have grave concerns about what is happening in Torbay under the leadership of Nick Bye and the manner in which it is happening, and from the letters I read in the Herald Express and the people I talk to it seems that many others share these concerns. It appears that those elected to represent the people of Torbay are no longer listening to us. I have therefore set up this site so that collectively we may be heard. Please read my views below, and if you broadly agree with them, please click on link to gopetition.com on the left and leave your name, location and a comment if you wish. It is possible to sign the petition as 'anonymous', but obviously real names from Torquay, Paignton or Brixham will give it more weight.

Why a petition?
Well, it might not change a thing, but with thing going so badly in Torbay I can't just sit back, keep quiet and do nothing. It's a way of finding out just how many people feel the way I do. If very few people sign it I will stop writing to the Herald Express to air my views on the subject, and the Mayor can carry on with his plans - that's democracy, and at least I will have had my say. However, if thousands of people sign and we get close to the figure of 5283 (the number of votes polled by the Mayor in the election) we might just be able to have some positive effect on how local government operates. Remember that the Mayor backed down over charging the blind for audio books from the library, and on parking meters on Babbacombe Downs when a public outcry resulted in negative publicity.

A NIGHT MAYOR VISION

It must have now become apparent to even the most diehard supporter of the idea of an elected mayor what a disaster the whole 'experiment' has been. The flurry of letters from across the political spectrum and the strength of the views expressed therein suggest that people do not simply disagree with the finer details of the Mayoral Vision, but firmly believe that this is a strategy which will do nothing to solve the underlying problems that the area faces.

The Mayoral Vision
I am not against change at all; having lived in Manchester and Wolverhampton I've seen how development of former industrial sites can regenerate an area, and I agree that part of the problem is that Torbay has not moved with the times. However, what has been outlined in the Mayoral Vision is something put forward by a team of consultants, and has absolutely no substance as far as I can see. The consultants themselves have been quick to point this out, but many people seem to think that this 'vision' should be beyond scrutiny or criticism. I have included the video presentation below, so scroll down and judge for yourself.

Rock Walk
The damage is done now, and it will remain something of an eyesore for years to come, but regardless of what the council's 'experts' say, I am convinced that the safety issues could have been addressed without the wholesale destruction of the area. I think the lack of adequate diversion signs and the lack of warning given to traders around the harbour should have been a resignation issue for those responsible.

Torquay Town Centre and Parking Charges
As I see it the town is dying for three main reasons: out-of-town shopping with free parking at the Willows, competition from vastly superior shopping centres in nearby Plymouth and Exeter, and the Internet. The Rock Walk fiasco can now be added to that list, but I would argue that its effect is relatively small compared to the other reasons. Any talk of 'high-spending visitors' and 'niche retail' as a solution to the problem is complete and utter nonsense. A thriving retail environment can only be based on footfall (i.e. potential customers walking past your shop). The recent closures of BarMed and the Hogshead are evidence of this. Once footfall starts to decline in an area retailers look at their figures, and when they don't add up, they pull out. In turn this has a negative effect on footfall, and a vicious circle is created as footfall spirals downwards. Put simply, businesses fail because there aren't enough people in town spending money, and the number of people in town decreases because there are fewer and fewer businesses there to attract them. It's a very serious situation, and one which is fundamental to the overall sucess and attractiveness of the town. Drastic measures are required to halt the decline, and free parking for shoppers clearly has to be part of any strategy. The argument that the council cannot afford the loss in revenue does not hold water. This is a crisis, and the cash must be found to fund a revival. Money has to be moved from one budget to another if needs be; that's what would happen if the town was a private business, and that's what mayors and councillors are elected to do. Unfortunately the Mayor's view on parking is diametrically opposed to this argument. He refuses to make any reductions to parking charges, proposes to sell town centre car parks for high-rise development, and plans to introduce parking meters. The disastrous NCP contract should have taught us all a valuable lesson, and that is that imposing charges (in this case parking fines) leads to a change in behaviour, so you can't just assume that motorists who park on the road while it is free will automatically park there when they have to pay. The result is more likely to be more motorists parking in free residential areas and walking further.

Selling Land for Redevelopment
The Mayoral Vision makes much of large scale residential building development in prime locations around the harbour. This will produce revenue from the sale of land, but will surely create more problems for retailers if car parks are included in the sale. Such developments are unlikely to be affordable housing, so I fail to see any real benefits at all, except of course for the developers who can sell luxury apartments either as first or second homes.

The Balloon and Covenants on Land
Personally I am not against the idea of a balloon per se, but the siting of it at Torre Abbey seems crazy. The Mayor's attempt to bribe the Cary Estate with a £1,000 donation to charity was shameful, the Deputy Mayor's comments regarding covenants on land just beggar belief, and the way work has begun before all these things have been properly addressed seem to be indicative of the way the Mayor and his councillors are prepared to ignore the law and the will of the people.

The Casino
I'm very sceptical about the benefits this will bring, and very uneasy when the seafront or the Pavilion are mentioned as possible sites. I can't see how it will differ very much from the existing casino.

The Babbacombe Beach Development
The area of land involved in this sell-off seems to be steadily increasing, and the whole thing looks like privatisation in all but name.

Mayoral Vision

What's the alternative? When criticism of the Mayoral Vision is printed in the Herald Express a common retort is 'Well, I don't hear you coming up with any ideas'. Well, to my mind it's not really the place of the residents of Torbay to do the Mayor's job for him, but these are some of the things I would like form the basis of an alternative agenda:

1. Make the regeneration of Torquay as a retail and commercial centre a priority. Fundamental to this, I believe, is reduced or free parking for potential shoppers, and the cancellation of any plans for parking meters anywhere in the Bay.

2. End the spending on consultants. From the letters I have read in the Herald Express over the last thirteen years there are many local residents out there with a wealth of expertise and ideas who would, I'm sure, be glad to give their services for free. Torbay has a high percentage of retired people with all sorts of skills - we should be making use of this fantastic resource.

3. Stop making ridiculous promises about the future. The town's problems will not be solved by a series of unconnected developments like a hotel here and a casino there, and it is foolish to imply that this kind of thing, together with a positive attitude from the locals is the answer - it isn't.

4. If we must have a second casino in a prominent waterside position put it on the Living Coasts site. I believe Living Coasts has been attracting a great deal fewer visitors than was originally predicted, and will continue to lose money. The result will either be closure and another prime site empty again, or subsiding by the taxpayer.

5. Stop making ridiculous comparisons. In the 'city idea' in the Mayoral Vision Torbay is compared with Oxford because of its population. This is crazy: Torbay is not a year-round tourist attraction with the oldest university in the English-speaking world. On parking charges the Mayor compared Torbay with Brighton, a thriving university city just an hour from London.

6. Stop talking about how wonderful things will be in 10 or 20 years' time if we all think positively. The problems of today need to be solved sooner rather than later.

7. Consult local people and listen to them - hoteliers, shopkeepers, bar owners, etc.

8. Instead of trying to trying to attract mythical high-spending visitors, think about all-weather attractions which will be popular with locals and visitors alike. I think we should be focusing on children, because children are always accompanied by their parents, and when the kids are happy the parents are happy, so they come back.

9. Stop trying to earmark green areas around the Bay for sale and development. This is just a desperation tactic which will yield some cash in the short term, but will have disastrous consequences in the long-term.

I'm sure other people can think of many other things to add to my list, which is only meant to show that there are others ways to move the Bay forward.

JULIAN HEAD - my reply

I must apologize to Julian Head for missing the point of his last letter (HE letters 20/09/08). When he said that he was impressed by Jim Parker's comment 'where he tells the dissenters to stand up and be counted and stand in the local/mayoral elections' I foolishly assumed that he agreed with Mr Parker's sentiments.On the subject of commenting on the situation in Torbay while not being a resident, I agree he has every right - the point I was making was that it's strange that he takes such an interest when it's not actually his hard-earned cash that the council is wasting, but mine and that of my fellow residents. I would also point out that the percentage of people from outside Torbay who have signed my petition is (a) miniscule, (b) to be expected as we are still a holiday resort and (c) out of my control anyway. Most shocking however, is his assertion 'I have more right to my say than some of the contributors on Mr Hellyer's list'. Well I'm sorry, but the 'good citizens of Kingskerswell and Marldon' (as he calls them) who have signed the petition may, like him, have connections with Torbay, feel strongly enough to air their opinion, and have an equal right to do so. Mr Head says he has 'no clue as to what I stand for other than to get Nick Bye and his entourage out'. Well, this is the statement at the top of the petition, which I think makes things pretty clear: We, the undersigned, call on Nick Bye to reassess both his Mayoral Vision for Torbay and his way of doing things, as we feel strategies currently being put in place are likely to do more harm than good both in the short and long term. I think your readers will agree that this is fairly temperate and measured language, and is not calling for a Bolshevik-style revolution. Mr Head criticizes the petition for not coming out with anything positive, when in actual fact there are many positive suggestions from myself and other signees. Towards the end of his letter Mr Head tries to connect the petition to the Lib Dems - another load of nonsense - the petition is completely apolitical. The long and short of the situation is this: I, as an independent local resident have voiced my concerns about many of the 'ideas' in the Mayoral Vision and the way Nick Bye and his henchmen are going about things. In doing so I gathered rather a lot of support, and this seems to irritate people like Mr Head, who (I assume) are all for building on green spaces, installing parking meters, ignoring covenants and signing up for extra house-building projects in return for government cash to fund expensive consultant-led projects.

APOLOGY DUE

In his recent letter to the HE Nick Bye accuses me of making 'an unfortunate and inaccurate stereotype of older people' when I pointed out that my Save Torbay petition is 'an online petition with no funding for publicity in an area with a very high percentage of elderly residents, many of whom have never been near a computer'. If he re-reads the statement I think he will find that it is neither unfortunate nor inaccurate. I didn't say 'all elderly residents' - there is no generalisation here, and therefore no stereotyping. Torbay has a high percentage of elderly residents - that's a fact, which I doubt even Mr Bye would dispute. Many of those people have never been near a computer - that's another fact. How do I know? Well, a mixture of common sense, and, er, many elderly residents phoning me to say things like 'I'm eighty-six and I want to sign the petition but haven't got a computer.' Unless Mr Bye can come up with statistics which contradict my experience I think he owes me an apology. If he wants an example of a real stereotyping of elderly people he should contact Cllr Parrott, who famously thinks that anyone who disagrees with the Mayoral Vision is a NIMBY, and that most of these so-called NIMBYs are retired people whose opinions are less important than those of younger people. I look forward to an apology in the next installment of 'Bye the Bye', if not sooner.

THE USUAL OLD GRIPES

Here's a quick letter I fired off to the HE in reply to Julian Head's letter which appeared yesterday.

I am amazed at some of the logic that Julian Head seems to apply to what I will loosely call his political thinking (HE letters 06/09/08). Like me and many others, he often likes to voice his opinion. However, whenever he hears an opinion he disagrees with, his answer seems to be to call for the person who uttered it to stand in an election. I, of course, am quite happy for him to express his opinions, and don't feel the need to ask him to start drafting an election manifesto, printing flyers, knocking on doors or kissing babies. He rightly states that 2,086 names on a petition is a small proportion of the electorate in Torbay, but fails to take into account that this is an on-line petition with no funding for publicity in an area with a very high percentage of elderly residents, many of whom have never been near a computer. If he thinks about this for a minute and then compares it with the numbers of votes cast for Nick Bye in the mayoral election (5,283) he would probably realise that the number of petition signers is significant. I am sorry that he thinks my concerns over the imminent demise of Torquay and Paignton town centres and many other issues are the 'usual old gripes'. Perhaps he thinks I should focus on the much more pressing issue of 'new branding for the English Riviera' which we are told 'is to become a top priority' (HE 05/09/08 'Mayor's bid to get Bay's name in lights').
Lastly, I am, as ever, greatly perplexed that a resident of Teignbridge should spend so much time commenting on issues in Torbay. Do I care if he signs the petition or visits www.torbaypetition.blogspot.com again? I think you all know the answer to that.

In addition I would also like to reply to Bev Wright, who also wrote to the HE about me. She said: "he has a website and is running a campaign to oppose the mayoral vision so has clearly stopped being an ordinary member of the public." Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you Ms Wright, but I can assure you that I have not acquired X-ray vision, the ability to fly or any other superhero qualities, nor have I joined a political party or started claiming money from the Council. In short, I am still very much an ordinary member of the public.

Lastly, it has come to my attention someone calling themselves 'Anonymous' left the following comment on Marcus Wood's blog: 'anyone else received one of Hellyer's around-10,000-word-long-tending-towards-the-unpleasant-emails?!! This would be funny if he didn't waste so much public time and money.'
Of course, the only way you can receive one of my so-called 'tending-towards-the-unpleasant' emails is to sign the petition and leave your email address, so, duh ..., whoever you are must have changed your mind about these issues (and me) pretty recently. Doh! And by the way, I'm wasting plenty of my own time, but no public time or money - maybe you're confusing me with the Mayor? Anyway, it's not a problem - just let me know who you are, and I'll take you off the mailing list, and you'll never have to read another word I've written. Of course, a much more likely explanation is that you are a Tory close to Mr Wood who signed the petition just to try and get my emailed updates thinking they might contain evidence of some Lib-Dem plot. Well sorry to disappoint again - it's just me and a few thousand other people expressing our disgust at what's happening in Torbay under the Mayor's leadership.