Is this for real or just another one of those pie in the sky ideas?
http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/index.php/12-news/neighbourhoods/33-seaton-development (http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/index.php/12-news/neighbourhoods/33-seaton-development)
Build houses literally on the doorstep of the sewerage treatment works !!!
A tourist information centre !!!
Who is going to pay for that to be staffed.
Somebody been taking herbal remedies ?
Ohhhhh Yes, who in their right mind would buy a house next to the Sewage Pumping Station, the smell is often present & i cannot imagine anyone would buy a house anywhere near it, another possible problem would be the extremely high tides that can occur in the spring & autumn.
I was brought up in Seaton & well remember the sea front being closed because of high tides, it would appear that some factors haven`t been taken in to account with regards to this development, i wonder if "Esh" the prefered developer have taken a serious look at the issues involved.
Speaking of Seaton........... i happened to walk along the prom the other day, & i was appalled at the state of the £70,000 revamp of the grassed area in front of the Cliff, the grass hasn`t taken & there are weeds a foot high all over the place.
I honestly think the suppossed upgrade is totally out of keeping with the sea fronts traditional look, all that was required was for the paths to be resurfaced & appropriate plants in the original beds, just who thought of Palm Trees must have been off their trolley.
The last point is the length of time taken to accomplish the work already undertaken, it has been ongoing for months & months & obviously wont be complete before the end of the summer, no wonder its costing £70,000 big boys........ just who looks after theses contracts.
Councillor Hill thought it a good idea, mmmmmmmm how wrong can she be, as for Councillor Thompson, i wonder if he has anytime to take a walk around Seaton, Councillor, Cabinet Member, Families First gaffer, plus whatever else he is involved in, he is a busy busy bee flitting hither & thither , buzzzzzzzzzzz
If you get to see any old pictures of Seaton Carew before the Longscar Hall was built you can see the value of nothing i.e a nice big open space can be a great attraction.
I agree totally, the same can be said of Stalag Luft III along where the baths used to be.
Having said that of course, the skating rink & paddling pool was there, but relatively unobtrusive, back then of course.......... The Paddling Pool had water in it.
The fact this "Seaton Master Plan" can`t include having 15" of water in a paddling pool makes me think its another load of B****X.
I thought LSD was a drug of the past, but someone within HBC must be a user, to keep coming up with such rarified proposals.
Most people in Hartlepool & Seaton would be happy if they just Got Shot of the Longscar.... but like all of the "Grot Spots" in the town, they are still there, despite The mayors priority of ridding the town of them.... 10 years of his rule &&&&&&& they are still there.
I does seem a bit of a daft place to build houses but then I suppose the risk is with the developer. Maybe you get free carpets and a gas mask ;)
Anyone been to Redcar lately? Count your blessings I'd say. Mind, I agree with Fred C in that the fence around that place where the baths used to be is bloody awful. How did they get away with that?
Quote from: craig finton on June 20, 2012, 12: PM
the fence around that place where the baths used to be is bloody awful. How did they get away with that?
I presume they did it the normal way. Bung a Councillor via a 'donation' or if they forgot get a Councillor in Planning to sit on any complaints until the work is finished.
This sort of corruption is rife in Hartlepool and quite cheap too. The going rate for ignoring a gradual Hospital closure is a paltry 5000 quid!
In the past few years, Seaton has bee architecturally mugged. The old baths site looks like a public toilet complex circa 1960 with a hint of branch library from the same period, depressing. The promenade 'improvements' look like the sort of thing you see on a retail park roundabout, a banal interpretation of nothing in particular, paths that lead nowhere, pointless earthworks and a poor representation of groynes which have more in common with a wild west ranch then the foreshore ... a dreadful confection.
That's a bit inconstent, Riddler. Please refer back to your recent post on Mill House ;D
No inconsistency there. It's crap. My comments on the Mill House topic were the vision of some on this board whose idea of heaven is to receive a rates bill for zero and complain ... me? I live in the real world, so I'll pay my rates and taxes and have my say how it should be spent.
If it's OK for you to describe the Seaton Plan is carp then you have to accept that other people are entitled to think the same about the Mill House plan.
The differences between the two proposed developments are clear for all to see, The Millhouse area, Odeon, Swimmimg Pool, Bowls Club & Football Ground are in a central area of the town, as such many millions will need to be spent on the development, the problem is, where does the money come from & who pays for it... i don`t think anyone is against the plan per se... just how it becomes reality.
Seaton on the other hand is in dire need of the Longscar S******e being demolished, that alone would improve Seaton immeasurably, & at a reasonable cost, the rest of the Master Plan has major pitfalls that have already been mentioned on this thread.
In both development cases HBC have been held to ransom by the brothers grimm, why C.P.O`s haven`t been taken out on the properties that have blighted Hartlepool for years is a major mystery, the sooner HBC takes action against the owners of such S*******s the better.
No need to mention the fact that drummond prioritised the removal of the "Grot Spots" when he first came into office, however i think he will have a lot more on his mind in the coming months, he is in for a rough ride from the manor mob
CPOs don't come cheap - especially for a council that's broke.
Didn't the council underspend last year, I assume it is therefore not broke ?
(Maybe I am being simple.)
Two points;
1. I don't see anything the matter with the small development where Hornseys is, why the outrage with regards it's architecture? It's been built to a budget and isn't offensive. What do people want / expect, do they want the council to stipulate in planning that only an architectural masterpiece can be erected and therefore price the development out of happening?
2. In order to get a CPO you have to have a planned use for the building / land and that is why HBC cannot just go around CPOing anywhere they want to in town. It is also why the Millhouse Masterplan being approved is a key aspect in being able to issue a CPO on the Odeon building.
The building that houses the Horney restaurant is definitely one that doesn't appeal to a lot of people, all a question of personal taste.
Many think it looks like a featureless modern prison, me included.
Look at this for something more fitting with the seaside, lovely views and facilities for surfers even !
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1966868 (http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1966868)
Quote from: Stig of the Seaton Dump on June 25, 2012, 11: AM
The building that houses the Horney restaurant is definitely one that doesn't appeal to a lot of people, all a question of personal taste.
I doubt that it "appeals" to many people, it doesn't "appeal" to me. But my point was that I don't find it offensive or worthy of the abuse that it gets on here from people with nothing better to do who appear to be under the sad misapprehension that every new building should have to "appeal" to them.
Nothing wrong with being opinionated.
For example, the redevelopment of the CO-OP building was a magnificent job, stopped us losing one of the best buildings in our town.
The Mail print room building must be one of the ugliest buildings in Hartlepool, a slab of featureless bricks and criminal that it is so close to The Wesley.
Doesn't having strong feelings and finding buildings offensive show that people care, even if they accept that they can't change the world ?
It would be interesting to hear opinions on what was the last aesthetically pleasing 'new build' building to be built in Hartlepool.
I was commenting on the aesthetic appearance of the building at the old baths site, the 6` railings & gates don`t help, if i didn`t give a flying f**k about the town i would probably be sitting at home reading old copies of the Beano, as it it Hartlepool has lots going for it, it`s just that we don`t make the most of the town.
As for new buildings, i quite like the new 6th form, it has kept the facade of the old Brinkburn Grammar School as an interior feature & looks to be reasonably well built, jury is out on the new College though for me, it is like so many other modern buildings so has no real appeal.
Quote from: brassed off monkey on June 25, 2012, 03: PM
I was commenting on the aesthetic appearance of the building at the old baths site, the 6` railings & gates don`t help...
I would say that the railings DO help in keeping the buildings secure which surely is a prerequisite for most or all busineses?
Although the railings are not secure enough to keep people out they do form a visual barrier by which the police or anybody else can see if there is somebody hanging around in there who shouldn't be when the gates are locked and the busineses are closed.
At least they haven't erected 3m high electified pallisade fencing in order to keep the buildings secure, then you'd all have had something potentially reasonable to whine about.
The council did underspend last year mostly through actively trying to cut costs because it knows it has to find £20m of savings over the next 5 years and is facing a deficit this year and every year for the forseeable future. £4m of savings was quite an achievement actually, but as soon as it was announced it started burning a hole in the pockets of the Labour lot who have already raided it to fund some of their pet projects.
I don't think the building at Seaton is offensive though I wouldn't say it was a brilliant example of architecture either. It's just another example of the cheap, short-lived structures we build these days. I do object to the security fencing though which ruins the whole site for me. It's sad but if we cann't put up such buildings without turning them into Fort Knox, perhaps we shouldn't bother. It says so much about the crime levels in town which we are constantly being told are falling through the floor - if that's really true then why do we need such over-the-top security fencing?
The bungalow effect was to silence the critics and their view of the sea, Another party of whom i know wanted to develop the site into
apartments on 2 floors, i saw the plans and they were very classy but no said the planners and jealous Seaton moaners. So there you have it, a
low level retail unit, exactly what you asked for.
Quote from: testicles on June 25, 2012, 06: PM
The bungalow effect was to silence the critics and their view of the sea, Another party of whom i know wanted to develop the site into
apartments on 2 floors, i saw the plans and they were very classy but no said the planners and jealous Seaton moaners. So there you have it, a
low level retail unit, exactly what you asked for.
I am not aware of anybody asking for a prison block.
Look at the link to the Ocean Cafe at Scarborough that I posted. The ground level has shutters over the hatches and the outside seating has a small wall around it with no gate.
I visited Hornsey's once and felt I should be wearing an orange boilersuit, it always feels like us and them walking past it, so I never pop in for a drink on my daily walk.
P.S. I an a long in the tooth Seatonian and I would have loved to have lived that bit closer to the sea had some properties been built there.
We all moan, just about different things.
Quote from: Donkey Kong on June 25, 2012, 11: AM
Quote from: Stig of the Seaton Dump on June 25, 2012, 11: AM
The building that houses the Horney restaurant is definitely one that doesn't appeal to a lot of people, all a question of personal taste.
I doubt that it "appeals" to many people, it doesn't "appeal" to me. But my point was that I don't find it offensive or worthy of the abuse that it gets on here from people with nothing better to do who appear to be under the sad misapprehension that every new building should have to "appeal" to them.
If it 'doesn't appeal', logically it can't be very good, so basically it's unimaginative and bland. When it comes to criticising a building I don't differentiate between old and new, I prefer to choose between good and bad .... it's not very good, it's age is irrelevant so kindly stop assuming that criticism of a poor modern building is not by implication criticism of every modern building.
It went through the planning system and after much consultation with the knowledge of the 3 Seaton councillors was legally passed.
2 of the 3 councillors never reply to anything in my experience, so I think it is fair to say that what ever happens is only their personal agenda.
Quote from: testicles on June 25, 2012, 09: PM
It went through the planning system and after much consultation with the knowledge of the 3 Seaton councillors was legally passed.
So, a bit like the massive "Dumps" at either end of Seaton then.
Quote from: Riddler5 on June 25, 2012, 08: PM
Quote from: Donkey Kong on June 25, 2012, 11: AM
Quote from: Stig of the Seaton Dump on June 25, 2012, 11: AM
The building that houses the Horney restaurant is definitely one that doesn't appeal to a lot of people, all a question of personal taste.
I doubt that it "appeals" to many people, it doesn't "appeal" to me. But my point was that I don't find it offensive or worthy of the abuse that it gets on here from people with nothing better to do who appear to be under the sad misapprehension that every new building should have to "appeal" to them.
If it 'doesn't appeal', logically it can't be very good, so basically it's unimaginative and bland. When it comes to criticising a building I don't differentiate between old and new, I prefer to choose between good and bad .... it's not very good, it's age is irrelevant so kindly stop assuming that criticism of a poor modern building is not by implication criticism of every modern building.
So do you think that shop or restaurant units should be built to a high architectural design quality regardless of the cost of construction in order that you can judge it's merits? I suppose that's one way to stop anything being built or developed.
I thought that you were against the do nothing approach? Will you apply the same logic if IOR get the football ground and are allowed to build a new stand? Will it have to be architecturally inspiring? Will the proposed new leisure centre have to be breathtakingly stunning visually? Or are you selective in your judgements?