My Gang of Four

Jack, Roy, Terry and Ron

I’ve joined a Gang of Four! We’re a bit like the last of the Summer

Wine! We’re in between our late sixties and late seventies, and we

meet, wait for it…at the Marjon gym every Tuesday for six weeks.

What has brought us together? Well we’re all victims of prostate cancer and are

strengthening our muscles prior to radio-therapy, which will zap the cancer cells. Our

Consultant has created a pilot scheme to strengthen our ageing muscles with work-

outs in the gym, and step-counters for walking. Stronger muscles will help us resist

the side effects of the treatments. Each week we are expected to increase our step

counting, that is walking, by ten per cent. We also record our daily diet to ensure we

are eating plenty of protein to build up our muscles.

Jack has been in the Army and has then spent a life driving for Citybus and other companies,

so, he stands to show the most improvement in the six weeks after a sedentary life. Roy has

been a joiner and worked for an engineering company. He loves walking on Dartmoor and

bird-watching, and is a true ‘Green’, travelling to Sunderland most recently & should do

well. Terry has been a butcher all his life, spending much time on his feet. He maybe the

fittest of the four of us. He is a regular snooker player and jokes that he ups his pedometer

count by running around the snooker table in between shots! Ron has been a Royal Marine,

so once was very fit, but that was a long time ago. He has been working as an estate agent

and in his retirement is an active member of Emmanuel church.

The set up at Marjon is very impressive, with a lovely gym and other sporting facilities

including a swimming pool. Their corridors are lined with pictures of sporting alumni going back to

their founding days in London. The four of us are enjoying the camaraderie of the staff there,

including Sam Vaughan who oversees our progress. The Mustard Tree Cancer Support

Centre has sent Helen Jordan as our liaison officer who keeps a supportive eye on us all. Next week

they are providing us with a briefing and short video, on what to expect from the

Radiotherapy and any side effects.

Currently we are undergoing hormone treatment (injections and a course of pills), designed

to suppress our testosterone, and we must build up our muscles which will be getting weaker.

One side effect is to give us hot flushes. The frequency which

is variable, with Terry having one every other day. I myself seem to have four a day, more in

the form of a clammy feeling on my forehead which results in sweating: a reminder to keep

drinking the water. The recommended daily intake is two litres for men, one point six for

ladies. I remember being amazed to see my father’s skin after he had been re-hydrated

within hours in hospital. Well most GP’s will tell prostate cancer sufferers that they are likely

to die with it, rather than of it. However, in the end we are all terminal! Read soon of more

of our exploits as we explore the benefits of this Pilot scheme.

Published on 20 March 19

 

 

 

My Gang of Four

Plymouth in the Rain

We all know what an attractive city this is. But we must face the fact that a feature of the city is RAIN & WIND. Our main streets Royal Parade, New George St and the rest are all east/west facing creating a funnel driving the prevailing wind and rain, right in the face of struggling shoppers. There is not nearly enough attention given to their protection. There was some suggested in the Abercrombie plan, but that never happened. We are not the only country which suffers from the weather, but apart from the Millennium Stadium and Wimbledon we don’t seem to have made a huge effort in outside rain protection. There is important overhang protection outside shop windows in the big 2 streets but little for the rest of the city. With the plight of retailing being what it is, should we not put the shopper’s interests first? The Mall is a great success, and we need to support all the retailers in the West End with better cover from inclement weather for their customers. So why don’t we put more effort into protecting our citizens from the elements? We need shops where people are out of the rain, and when it’s not raining, the covers can be rolled back. More than anywhere this kind of cover is needed in the lower end to rejuvenate the shops there and those leading to the market. The latter does at least provide cover, but in getting there you are going to get mighty wet. About ten years ago we were in Japan for a wedding and saw this kind of protection, which meant retailing went on happily in their cities, even in extreme weather conditions and I’m told this is the norm in other countries too.  Mutley Plain has empty shops like many other shopping centres such as Marlborough Street Devonport, Ernesettle, or the short parade in Delamere Road Eggbuckland which I frequently pass. The Mutley Plain Steering Group is working for improvements. At the Compton Ward’s public Area Meeting on 19^th Feb it was announced that they are delighted to see three new tenancies have been taken up. They have been advocating variety in the High Street and one of these, Moos has arrived in the old Heart charity shop, offering fun for under 5’s. Some time ago the Steering Group negotiated 1 free hour’s parking in the Mutley Barracks park clearly signed, & now very popular. They are also negotiating for free parking in Napier Terrace the 3-storey car park as well. Crownhill has 3 hours free, and that is the long-term aim for Mutley. You can have a more enjoyable shop, interview with professional estate agent offices or solicitors and include a leisurely coffee in 3 hours.   Little time to do that in one! There is also hope in Mutley to remove the ugly breeze block loos, which would also provide more parking space. There was 100% support for this when Chair Cllr R Ball called for a show of hands. Funding must be accessed first. Modern single toilets would be sited near the large Napier Terrace car-park. The steering group have plans to bring Xmas back to the Plain, starting this year with 2 or 3 big Xmas trees strategically positioned. There are more ideas to come over the next 2 years, once funding has been secured. I understand the city council have plans for more of these Steering groups which would give retailers some feeling of support & assist the council in stimulating shopping in this proud city, with so much potential. The 4 big challenges to shopkeepers are parking, too high business rates, inflexible Landlords, and of course the internet over which we have no control.

 

Our Wonderful Waterfront

Our wonderful Waterfront.

The construction industries flagship club, Construction Excellence Plymouth, met recently & educated a full council chamber of members with a review of Plymouth’s Waterfront past present and future, from speakers all excellent in their callings. For centuries, Plymouth’s Waterfront has formed a key part of our city’s identity. Famous on a global scale, the Pilgrim Fathers left England from the Mayflower Steps aboard the Mayflower before crossing the Atlantic to settle in North America. Globally one speaker was moved to report that the America’s Cup organisers after a visit put our waterfront as third only to Sydney and Barcelona. (He did not mention the lack of competing all year round sun)! Joking apart, whilst we all think of the Hoe, as one of our ‘must visit’, assets, the Water-front area is also one of our most neglected. Mention was made of the wooden huts housing many of the ‘eateries’. Though in fairness this is being addressed in part by some individual enterprising eateries. No-one mentioned the Council owned hut & cafe, with putting green where Armada Way crosses Citadel Road, & streams of pedestrians use the route to the Hoe. The question is would Sydney or Barcelona be proud of such a structure? It would seem in the past our City Fathers have taken the Hoe’s natural charms for granted, and neglected its updating and maintenance, and a huge legacy of neglect is being addressed for 2020. In passing it was mentioned that a large proportion of £27 million development money has focused on the 1 square mile of the City Centre, but very little on 4 square miles of improving the waterfront. Is history repeating itself? The lower foreshore for which there is an ambition to construct a walkway from the Barbican to West Hoe has been smartened up, which is a good start. (It was only in the 1930’s that a road link from the front to the Barbican was constructed. (This route is Hoe Road to Madeira Road).Commanding panoramic views of Plymouth Sound, Plymouth Hoe is steeped in history and landmarks. The giants Gog and Magog, Sir Francis Drake’s famous game of bowls and the pioneering structure of Smeaton’s Tower are just three that leap to mind. Wouldn’t it be nice if walking from the station down Armada Way, there was a seamless route, right down to the sea? (It would be even nicer if the walk started in Plymouth’s country park, Central Park, and folk can walk all the way from the country to the sea shore).

In recent times, Plymouth’s waterfront has seen local redevelopment. The Tinside Lido upgraded, some new cafés and restaurants (the CEO of the Waterfront Partnership put out a plea to support these businesses which have seen a miserable footfall this winter), the converted Grand Hotel and the new Azure apartments, and the planned regeneration of Millbay Docks with new homes, business premises and the now well-established Plymouth School of Creative Arts with its distinctive bright red cladding.

Looking to the future, we can we were told see various interesting projects on the horizon such as the 1620 hotel, (projected start was 2017, but no sign yet), a possible re-development of Drake’s Island and a Dubai-Style apartment building on Millbay Pier. Developing docking facilities for medium-sized liners would have a greater future, than the ill-fated Plymouth Pier which built in the twenties went bust (despite being the first public building with electricity), and ultimately destroyed by Hitler’s bombs. There are still remains of the pier on the foreshore and in the water, and I wonder if they intrude upon the Hoe as a swimming venue, something else which can be relatively cheaply promoted.  A floating diving board was also suggested in looking to the future. With a world champion in Tom Daley and other swimmers, this could surely be promoted and sponsored?

The Hoe has been used as a sight for fairgrounds since time immemorial and these continue to thrive, along now with the University graduating ceremonies, and public concerts such as the Radio One Roadshow and its successor MTV Crashes.

We have a great asset in our Waterfront and unique foreshore which we have taken for granted. Let us no longer do that, and may Mayflower 2020 act as a catalyst for future development which can go on well after the celebrations. So let’s respect our ‘High Ridge’, (apparently what Hoe means we were told) and take a pride in its care, and its facility to generate more tourist income for the city.

756 words.

 

The Commonwealth

HM the Queen & the Commonwealth.

The recent visit of Her Majesty to Plymouth for the de-commissioning of HMS Ocean, along with a recent documentary about the Commonwealth, has prompted me to reflect on her special role in the Commonwealth.  We lost our Empire a long time ago, and those pink tinges around the globe have been replaced by a new world with countries marked in different ways, as the Empire underwent a metamorphous into a Commonwealth of Nations. The Empire may have gone, but our global friendship and influence through cultural links in trade and language, and shared human values remain. To-day the 54 members of the Commonwealth of Nations occupy 20% of the world’s land surface (thanks to Australia Canada and India in particular), and an amazing one third of the world’s population. There is a member on all six continents. I suppose I have been a child of this metamorphosis, having lived in several Commonwealth countries, from Malta to Malaysia to mention but two, as the son of a naval family, followed by an early career in the Royal Marines which took me to many more than the two mentioned countries. I particularly remember spending some leave in New Zealand in the 1970’s, & how mortified they and the Australians were at the thought of us reducing our trading partnerships with them when we hovered on joining the European Economic Community, now of course the EU and so much bigger. They duly sought to find new markets in their ‘near East’, namely China, Hong Kong, India and Japan. Rather like we with Brexit are going to have to do, seeking new trading agreements. What comes round goes round? But the Queen has always held dear the values of human friendships, and has sought in her role as Head of the Commonwealth to hold everyone together. One of her few deliberate ventures into politics was when she intervened in the South Africa crisis after Mandela was released & wanted SA to return to the Commonwealth, whilst Margaret Thatcher had deep reservations. But the Queen won the day! I have never ever had the pleasure of meeting Her Majesty, but I have three times been present in the same room!  These were in very varied circumstances. Once it was celebrating the 300^th anniversary of the Royal Marines, once it was when she visited Plymouth at the Civic Centre as a County Councillor, and once at a garden party at Lambeth Palace hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury! So near and yet so far!  You might imply that old adage, “I’d danced with a woman, who had danced with a man, who had danced with the Prince of Wales!” There were times when it was proposed that France, Germany and other European countries might have joined the Commonwealth, so if that had happened we’d never have been in the EU?  In seeking our post-modern diplomacy and keeping ourselves in the forefront of world affairs the Commonwealth is surely our best bet for influence in the future? We can’t afford to lose friends at this Brexit time. The Commonwealth’s growth has been remarkable from when only eight countries formed the basis, to now with fifty four nations. We should surely hang onto this loose arrangement of cultural values and human rights? One of the most endearing features for human relationships is the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, also known as the friendly games,  due to be held this year on the Gold Coast of Australia, and then in 2022 here in  Birmingham. Her Majesty’s successor when the time comes will be of utmost importance as surprisingly it is not a natural progression for our Sovereign to inherit the title of Head of the Commonwealth.  We can thank the Queen, not a politician, for holding together this Commonwealth of Nations which will surely help us find our way in the world. As we prepare to leave the European Union we’ll need all the friends we can garner.

 

Central Park

Visit on 30.0517:

The aim was to walk us around the park, especially the clock area to get feedback on the plans, originally built in around 2013, which were the basis of the new go-ahead to complete in the next 12-18 months.

In essence they aim to develop another café nearer the children’s play park. Adjacent to this there are the well-established bowling greens & club house. It is this area they want to develop, perhaps turning the bowling pavilion into more of a sports hub, with changing rooms. Behind the pavilion is scrub land and the intention is to build tennis courts on the area, done in co-operation from the Lawn Tennis club of GN.

Other ideas mooted, were to find a space where they might have an open air theatre, and building a bridge from the park into the town. These ideas need figures, and the maintenance also has to be costed.

Enclosures:

Well not exactly but I have come away with a plan and a flyer.

In attendance about 17, all of whom have an interest in using the path one way or another.

 

Mutley Plain

Mutley Plain:

Mutley Plain: There is something about this name which resonates with Plymouth people, and pantomime comedians use it as often as PennycomeQuick! The Plain lost its boulevard and trees and stature a while ago, and it is now very much plain, but it still has many thriving businesses. Examples of this being, the bulk of Plymouth’s estate agents, some accountants, solicitors and insurance brokers, good food shops, & others. Although we can’t turn the clock back, here are some improvements I’m suggesting. The finest featured building is the Hyde Park Hotel, with its bright decoration and wonderful hanging baskets. Here is an icon for the rest of the property owners on the Plain to aim for! Go inside & see the many photographs of how the old Plain used to look. Thinking of pubs brings me to one of my bête noirs; it’s the huge Bargain Booze sign on the old petrol forecourt, now a convenience store. I’m all for a drink or two to oil the social wheels of life, but in a city with 35,000 students, & with all the problems that alcohol brings to the police and health service, why our society accepts an attitude brazenly promoting  a social menace beats me?  The Mutley night life is not without its drink related problems. I know my own sons, were loath to walk home at night along the Plain. But it’s not at night only. I strolled down on a sunny Saturday morning at 0930 & witnessed two unrelated incidents involving four police cars and an ambulance. The event on my side of the street embraced a shoeless distressed male & they had called the ambulance, & four officers were questioning another person on the other side of the road. Worse was to come when I found the attractive sensory garden in Moor View, just off the Plain, was now much overgrown, and occupied by eight or nine adults. If I were a Mum with children or indeed a partially sighted person, I would not feel comfortable in their presence. The things none of us like are all the empty shops especially in the stretch between Ford Park Road and the Swarthmore. I welcomed reading a planning application to turn one shop back to residential.  It would be marvelous if the many empty floors over so many of the shops were converted into living space, creating ready-made homes in the city. Well, trading habits have changed, hence the loss of the banks and building societies. We can’t turn the clock back! But hooray for younger men! Their seeking smart styles mean barber shops have made a comeback! Public toilets (I certainly appreciate them at my age), have moved on in design appearance, and use less space, since the monstrous breeze block ones we have outside Tesco Express. Take a look at the Barbican or Central Park. Isn’t it therefore time to replace them? They haven’t mellowed with age. To conclude, if the Council could source new loos, & the landlords smarten up their empty shops, and use empty spaces above their shops as homes, we’d begin to have a better Plain. The surrounding population & commuters would appreciate it! The Civic Voice is a national umbrella organization, which the Plymouth Civic Society is affiliated to.  CV has as its aims to make places attractive, enjoyable and distinctive. As a member of the Civic society I support these aims. Nature has gifted us with beautiful surroundings; let’s match them with our planning and buildings.

 

586 words

Plymouth Civic Society and Our Heritage

One of the arms of the Plymouth Civic Society (PCS) is that of preserving the heritage of Plymouth’s buildings, & in a recent survey it was found that whilst there was an attempt to address this mammoth topic, more needs to be done.

Resources as always are limited, both within the Society and the City Council. Nonetheless a useful start has been made within the PCS, & a good unofficial relationship has been established between them & the Council. The Society feels that listed buildings & others of interest were being neglected and that there were a number of new & planned buildings that have a negative impact on the heritage of the city.

The two areas of risk are the exterior and to an even greater risk the interiors where many interesting features have disappeared. It was also noted within the context of the Joint Local Plan many more aspects of heritage were at risk.

It was felt at a recent meeting that the city looks less neglected, but more improvements were required in areas such as Union Street. It was noted such shortcomings in recent developments such as the major redevelopment in Devonport, and it was reported that Oliver Colvile MP had received complaints in relation to external and internal issues in the new residential properties. (My, His Say of some weeks ago referred to the generally poor quality of finish in new houses), and this has been repeated.

An informal meeting between City Council officers and two members from PCS had made some progress. The PCS’s voluntary support in preparing a list of local buildings to protect would be welcome, though a time frame was not discussed. PCS had suggested some conservation areas that might be visited, but nothing was agreed. The City Council are looking at four areas. It was felt that issues in Devonport (& many new build areas), were the subject of penny pinching & inadequate building control. It was accepted that Plymouth’s aggressive environment, meant a higher-spec cladding e.g. with aluminium on new developments be introduced. It was clear that the Council was more actively involved in a number of areas than was publicly evident. They & Historic England were looking at applications for high rise buildings. It was felt it was a positive meeting.

Railway Options

Here is a resume of my preferences, whilst we are told, clearer official options will be set forth soon.

• The southern route via Dawlish. It seems repairing Dawlish is an option to take. It would guarantee rail links for these coastal towns to Exeter and Newton Abbott, good in summer, and allround for school children.
• The alternative through Haldon Hill is too difficult in terms of time delays and cost.
• There is strong merit in re-opening the northern route from Exeter to Plymouth. Part of the line from Exeter to Okehampton (Marldon) already exists. There are plans to open a link from Tavistock to Bere Alston. This then leaves the re-building and re-possessing of the Okehampton to Tavistock 15 miles. Some of this is privately built on and some is cycle track, & it will take time to recover the land, but in the long-run it gives Plymouth & Cornwall an alternative route, and opening up  Okehampton benefits mid-Devon & Cornwall.
• Railtrack are due to have a consultation on the plans for south west trains at the Copthorne Hotel on Monday 5^th (Mistakenly printed for 30^th Nov in the Herald).

Dawlish Avoidance Line

The Southwest, that is West Devon and Cornwall, express their gratitude at the speed with which the Dawlish part of the line was repaired.

We admire this scenic route enormously but we would not want to take away the railway service to this part of S Devon, but feel it can be served by the shorter Exmouth loop trains that already service this line to Newton Abbott.

Plymouth and Cornwall needs faster connections to London.  Londoners also need to do business in the Southwest, and certainly arrive in Plymouth in time to achieve a day’s work & return the same day. We acknowledge a recent change in the timetable providing an earlier arrival in Plymouth.

1100? People travelling from Plymouth currently can catch the 0600hrs train with a premium ticket price to arrive at 0900. We want to have this ticket exemplified over later schedules with competitive pricing.

We cannot see the justification over the South West of spending enormous sums to enable business people to get to their northern destinations twenty minutes sooner under the HSR scheme.

Although the repairs were wonderfully and speedily done, we do not everyone to go to sleep on this project, thinking the line has re-opened let’s get back to other things.

To remind myself of the options:

Planning of the Dawlish Avoiding Line (DAL) dates from the year 1935, at a time when the national rail network was ailing amid the global economic recession. Discussions between HM Treasury and the then “Big Four” Railway Companies duly led to an agreed programme of rail enhancement works to be instigated nationwide, all for completion by January 1, 1941.

The funding mechanism was set out in a document dated November 13, 1935, signed by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer Neville Chamberlain. The Treasury would establish an independent special purpose vehicle finance company, backed by a government loan guarantee limited to £26.5million. The GWR was empowered to draw upon “eleven fifty-third parts” of that facility, to support the numerous projects it had submitted for inclusion in the agreement. Principal amongst these, featuring as just a single line in the Treasury agreement (First Schedule, Part 1, Clause 2) read: “Construction of a new deviation line from Dawlish Warren to Newton Abbot” .

This led rapidly to the GWR planning the 16-mile DAL in minute detail, down to the level of drainage culverts and pedestrian accesses, culminating after consultations in the sponsorship of two enabling Bills through Parliament.

First to reach the Statute Book was the Great Western Railway (Additional Powers) Act 1936 in which the DAL is cited as “Railway No 1” (amongst several listed). The legislative authority was summarised as being for a railway extending to 8 miles 6 furlongs and 1 chain in length, from Newton Abbot (deviating near the rail bridge over the Hackney Canal Channel) and re-joining the main line at a point 62 chains north of Dawlish Warren station (alongside the River Exe Estuary).

This legislation was followed and amended by the supplementary Great Western Railway Act 1937 in which the deviation featured as “Railway No 2” and extending the route further north (past Kenton and Powderham) to Exminster. It added another 7 miles 3 furlongs and 7 chains of new railway, commencing with a junction outside Dawlish on the initial deviation route (authorised earlier by the 1936 Act) and terminating close to Exminster by a junction with the main line at a point 5 chains south of a bridge carrying Milbury Lane over the line.

The surveyors’ markers were then apparently set in place early in 1939 with a view to work commencing during the summer. But, in September, Hitler invaded Poland prompting the onset of the Second World War, followed later – in 1947 – by the nationalisation of the railways. The rest is history

A response

Thanks for this.  The main protagonist of the Dawlish Avoiding Line is Neill Mitchell, who used to head up the Devon & Cornwall Business Council and whose father worked on the GWR 1939 plans.

The additional route favoured by the principal councils is an avoiding line for Dawlish & Teignmouth, broadly from Exminster to just before Newton Abbot (but not the old Teign Valley Line).  This is because of fears the Okehampton route would be slow.

The Network Rail report due to be delivered to the Government later this month will give a lot more information on the pros and cons of each option.  Network Rail have said the report will be published in due course, but possibly not until the Autumn.

Best wishes,

Richard Burningham