Salcombe
Town Plan
1. Introduction
2. Housing
3. Transport,
Travel & Parking
4. Business,
Employment & Tourism
5. Community
Services and Facilities
6. Community
Spirit
7. Next
Steps
Acknowledgements
1. INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Salcombe Town Plan. This plan has been developed
from your responses to a questionnaire survey undertaken in July 2004.
We hope that you will find the report of interest, and that it will lead
to improvements to the Town which will have your support.
1.1 Salcombe
Town
Salcombe
is a seafaring town idyllically situated at the mouth of the Kingsbridge-Salcombe
Estuary, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty and
in the most remote area of rural South Devon.
As
traditional industries have declined, Salcombe has become a haven for yachtsmen
and tourists. The resident population has declined slowly
over the last
half-century as shown in the diagram below, but this has been compensated
by the growth of holiday and second homes.
Source:
The
attraction of Salcombe as a retirement area is shown in the following chart.
The proportion of retired people is twice the average for
England as a
whole.
Source: Census 2001
Life
for young people in such a remote area as Salcombe can be difficult, particularly
access to social activities and further education.
1.2 How
the Plan Came About
In
October 2003 Salcombe Town Council hosted an open evening to which everyone
was invited. They were asked if they would like to put forward their
concerns
and issues and to decide if they would like to take part in the formation
of a Salcombe Town Plan. The response to the meeting was encouraging,
and
the information collected formed the basis of the questionnaire.
A
steering group made up of Town Council representatives and all sections
of the community was formed from this meeting to put the questionnaire
together
and to decide how the concerns raised can be addressed.
The
questionnaire survey was undertaken in July 2004. It was completed by 542
households, of which 120 were holiday/second homes and 12 were businesses.
This represented an overall response rate of 31% (40% for permanent residents
and 16% for second home owners).
1.3 The
Key Issues and How they are Addressed
The
survey elicited much written comment in addition to the responses to each
question. The key issues have been distilled from both these sources,
which
also contain a wide range of other issues which are a cause for concern.
The
focus of this plan is on action to address the key issues, because issues
must be prioritised in order to make progress. However the Town Council
and others will no doubt wish to review the full range of issues raised.
An aggregation of the full questionnaire responses and written comments
will be
available to the public in Cliff House library for
this purpose.
Throughout
the document actions and potential partners have been identified. The plan
will be presented to Salcombe Town Council who will be invited
to adopt
it, and take responsibility for making things happen.
2. HOUSING
2.1 Facts & Figures
/ Survey Findings
·
Average price of
the 86 houses sold in 2004 in postcode area TQ8: £383,523 (www.landreg.gov.uk)
·
Number of members
of existing households who have moved from Salcombe in the last 5 years due
to lack of suitable affordable housing: 46
· Number of households in need of alternative accommodation: 23 now and 24 in the next 3 years;
· Number of ‘second’ homes: 735 (43% of the total of 1721 residential properties) (SHDC council tax data for 10% discount cases, November 2004)
·
Registered Social
Landlord (RSL) stock: 122 properties with over 50% of those being one bed
or bed-sit properties and only 16% 3 or
more bed properties (Salcombe Housing
Needs Survey, 2004)
· There have been no RSL new build properties in the last five years
·
809 survey respondents
(78%) were in favour of restricting the building of new properties in Salcombe
and ensuring that any such properties
built would be for long-term local
residents.
Footnote: Respondents
may have indicated a need in more than one category
2.2 The
Key Issues
·
Housing need and
the lack of affordable housing to rent or buy
o
Young locals who
work in the Town cannot afford the house prices
o
More local families
want to buy and live in the Town where they were born
o
The shortage of family-sized
accommodation within the social housing stock
o
The need to ensure
that affordable housing remains affordable
·
The changing character
of Salcombe
o
A concern that Salcombe
is being over-developed
o
Many properties are
being converted into apartments and sold for holiday homes - former
hotels, large Victorian/Edwardian houses, churches, etc
o
A concern that the
planning controls in relation to conversions and change of use have been
too lax
·
Other issues
o
Sheltered housing
is also needed
2.3 Recommendations
on the Way Forward
·
Establish an affordable
housing action group for Salcombe involving the key partners
·
Undertake detailed
housing needs analysis [completed 2004]
·
Identify site options
to address the needs for affordable housing and sheltered housing
·
Lobby for additional
council tax from second homes to be spent on local affordable housing
·
Enter dialogue with
SHDC regarding local development control
2.4 Partners
Salcombe Town Council
Devon County Council
South Hams District Council
Kingsbridge & Salcombe Area Partnership
Local Housing Associations
County Rural Housing Enabler
Developers
‘I won’t be able to live and work in Salcombe
when I leave school’
‘We earn £20,000
between us which means that anything above £80,000 is out of our
reach’
3 TRANSPORT,
TRAVEL & PARKING
3.1 Survey
Findings
·
585 respondents (58%)
would like additional parking facilities within the town
·
619 respondents (60%)
thought that Fore Street should be considered for pedestrianisation with
limited vehicular access, and 90%
thought that access to Cliff Road should
be restricted for heavy vehicles
·
There is no clear
majority view from the survey on the future of Whitestrand
·
383 respondents (68%)
said that they would use a local town bus service on a daily or weekly basis
·
582 respondents (57%)
would like to see the 20mph speed limit extended to other areas than Fore
Street
·
607 respondents (58%)
thought that Island Street and Church Street should be made one-way
3.2 The
Key Issues
·
There is not enough
parking in Salcombe during the peak holiday season
o
Parking is more of
a concern to residents than to non-residents
o
Extension and targeting
of the parking permit scheme
to other residential areas of the Town
o
Who should be eligible
for parking permits
o
Improved policing
of car parking
o
Incentives for greater
use of the Park & Ride
·
Fore Street is
too narrow for both pedestrians and vehicles at busy times
o
Restriction of access
through Fore Street and Cliff Road in the summer
o
Provision for deliveries
and essential services
o
Access to Whitestrand
and its future use as a car park
·
Other Issues
o
The re-instatement
of the ferry pier and its use by more ferries to relieve pressure on the
Whitestrand pontoon
3.3 Recommendations
on the Way Forward
·
Establish a transport
action group for Salcombe
·
Review the parking
permit scheme and its policing
·
Identify additional
sites for car parking
·
Develop proposals
for restricted access to Fore Street and Whitestrand
3.4 Partners
Salcombe Town Council
Devon County Council
South Hams District Council
South Devon Rural Transport Forum
Devon & Cornwall Constabulary
Lack of parking is driving people
out of the town
Since the residents parking scheme came
into force we have seen less of the traffic warden. Lets pay more – say £50 – and have a full-time
traffic warden
4. BUSINESS,
EMPLOYMENT & TOURISM
4.1 Facts & Figures/Survey
Results
·
Average gross weekly
pay in 2003 for full-time workers
in the Kingsbridge travel to work area (which includes Salcombe):
£345
(£17,918 pa) or 29% below national average (www.nomisweb.co.uk) NB This
data should be treated with caution due to the small sample size
·
970 respondents (93%)
thought that the connections with marine services should be retained in Island
Street
·
624 respondents (60%)
agreed that the Tourist Information Centre should be relocated
·
755 respondents (78%)
would like internet broadband to be available
4.2 The
Key Issues
·
An increased level
of small business enterprise is needed to generate employment opportunities
o
The development of
Salcombe’s traditional marine businesses should be encouraged
o
Small high-tech businesses
could provide more quality employment
o
A need for some additional
small business units
·
Island Street
should be retained as an employment and trading zone, particularly for marine
businesses
o
The Island Street
commercial area is part of the distinctive character of Salcombe
o
It provides an essential
service to boat-owners and a source of employment
o
Island Street is
threatened by development for residential area, but there is a strong consensus
that this should be resisted
·
The facilities
for yachtsmen and boating are perceived to be poor compared with other UK
locations
o
There is a strong
unmet demand for moorings
o
There is a demand
for more fully-serviced pontoons and on-shore facilities
·
Other Issues
o
The Tourist Information
Centre needs to be more centrally located
o
There is support
for adult education courses to be held in Salcombe
o
The possibility of
a farmers’ market.
4.3 Recommendations
on the Way Forward
·
Work with SHDC Economy & Europe
Office to establish an action plan for promoting business development in
the Town
·
Lobby for Salcombe
telephone exchange to be broadband enabled [scheduled for April 2005]
·
Draw up a town development
plan which identifies those areas of the town to be designated for employment
use, and lobby for this
to be adopted in the SHDC Local Development Framework
·
Initiate a public
debate on yachting and boating facilities, and how Salcombe should position
itself relative to other providers
4.4 Partners
Salcombe Town Council
Devon County Council
South Hams District Council
Salcombe Harbour Authority
Local Sailing and Boating clubs
Salcombe Tourist Information Centre
Salcombe Town Association
Kingsbridge District Chamber of Commerce
‘We have been waiting for a mooring for seven years’
If there were more variety of shops people would spend more time in
the town.
5. COMMUNITY
SERVICES & FACILITIES
5.1 Survey
Findings
·
608 respondents (59%)
would like to see a community composting facility
·
683 respondents (66%) would
like to see a town newsletter
·
679 respondents (65%)
would support the concept of a boat store for the rowing club convenient
to the public slipway
·
762 respondents (73%)
would use an NHS dentist and 629 (61%) an established Optician in Salcombe.
·
755 respondents (72%)
would like to see an increased Police presence in the town
·
679 respondents (65%)
support the concept of a boat store for the rowing club convenient to a public
slipway
5.2 The
Key Issues
·
Salcombe lacks
enough stores which sell everyday goods at reasonable prices
o
The predominance
of sailing clothes shops and estate agents
o
A supermarket/grocery
in the Town centre would be welcomed
·
There are significant
levels of dissatisfaction with litter and waste collection
o
More frequent collections
of rubbish are needed from food outlets in the town centre
o
Better liaison is
needed with holiday letting companies and second home owners on the disposal
of rubbish
o
There is a shortage
of public bins for rubbish litter and dog mess
o
Seagulls are a nuisance
and create a health risk
·
There are concerns
about the maintenance of parks and public spaces
o
Pavements overgrown
by hedges and in a poor state of repair
o
Gardens and flower
beds overgrown
o
Seats in need of
maintenance
5.3 Recommendations
on the Way Forward
·
A group of interested
parties be established to investigate the viability of a community store
·
The Town Council
should monitor waste collection and the maintenance of public areas, and
demand improvements where performance is below standard
·
Salcombe Estuary
Rowing Club to submit a planning application for a new boat store [application for a temporary building submitted,
and
negotiations continuing for a permanent building]
5.4 Partners
Salcombe Town Council
Salcombe Town Association
Salcombe Harbour Authority
Devon County Council
South Hams District Council
Local Traders
Devon & Cornwall Constabulary
‘Shops such as the butchers and bakers are excellent’
‘During the summer season more frequent emptying and cleaning
of waste bins and dog waste is needed’
6. COMMUNITY
SPIRIT
6.1 The
Key Issues
·
Local residents
feels threatened by the large proportion of holiday homes
o
There is a concern
that the domination of second homes is killing the community
o
Salcombe Primary
School is suffering from a declining role
o
Young people are
leaving Salcombe
o
Local residents are
needed to maintain essential local services, and to keep Salcombe alive
·
There is perceived
prejudice against second home owners
o
The contribution
made by second home owners to the local economy
o
Financial and practical
discrimination suffered by second home owners
o
The lack of representation
and exclusion in Town affairs
·
Other Issues
o
Both local residents
and second home owners share a love for Salcombe
o
Both local residents
and second home owners share a concern for many of the issues highlighted
in this report including the
need for affordable housing and employment opportunities,
and the desire to sustain a viable community
6.2 Recommendations
on the Way Forward
·
As a matter of some
urgency, community leaders should convene a forum involving representatives
of both the local residents
and second home owners to address these issues
‘Salcombe is delightful just as it is’
‘Salcombe is a unique place, which is why people want to visit
and live here’
7. NEXT
STEPS
The
report represents as accurately and fairly as possible the views of the
community. It focuses on some key issues to which the steering group believes
priority should be given, and possible ways forward are suggested.
The
findings will be presented and discussed at a public meeting to be arranged
by the steering group. In addition a summary of the report will be delivered
to each household in the Town.
The
report will be presented to Salcombe Town Council as a reflection of
community opinion . The Council is invited to accept the recommendations
in the report and to take responsibility for the implementation of the
recommendations.
The
plan is only the beginning of a process. The Town Council will need to
work with South Hams District Council, Devon County Council and other partners
to turn the plan into action. Sometimes it will be appropriate to establish
working groups involving interested members of the community to take matters
forward.
For each recommendation an individual should be nominated to co-ordinate
progress and a time-scale set for action.
It
is recommended that progress on putting the plan into action is monitored
each year. A suitable occasion for doing this might be at the Annual Town
Meeting.
The plan should be a working document – some actions will
be completed and in other cases priorities will change. It is therefore
recommended that a revised
plan is published as necessary.
Acknowledgements
We
are indebted to the Countryside Agency, Salcombe Town Council, the District
Council and Devon County Council for their financial support for this project.
Thanks also to Lizzie Utley & Mary Ridgway (Devon Rural Housing Enablers),
Malcolm MacDonald (DCC), Dr Mike Howarth (KSAP) and to Lesley Smith of
the
Community Council of Devon for helping us on the way.
Particular
thanks are due to the steering group whose members are listed below for
putting together the questionnaire, arranging for distribution and collection,
and for overseeing the analysis and preparation of the report:
Peter Carter Tina
Favis Paddy
Tabiner
Roger Clark Jean
Furness Ann
Thompson
Barbara Cutler Lorraine
Ladwig Annabel
Tooke Daphne
Dornom-worth Tom
McMahon Ed
Willis
Clare Elwell Graham
Parker Tim
Windibank
Thanks
also to the many dedicated volunteers who stuffed envelopes and delivered
the papers.
Thanks
are also due to South Hams Newspapers, Explosures, Triangle Point, and
Peter Carroll for graphic design, photographs and printing.
Finally,
thank you to everyone for completing the questionnaire and for your many
additional written comments.