Rail Route Switch Would Have Had Devastating Effect on Economy

It’s not like the Herald Express to understate a story, but the news Network Rail has announced no ‘immediate’ plans to re-route the Penzance to London line, was not just a relief for Teignmouth and Dawlish, but for the whole of South Devon.

The announcement ends, for the time being, the speculation the coast route could be closed in favour of a new line running alongside the A38 between Exeter and Plymouth.

What all of the local media missed was that such a route wouldn’t have just cut off the Teignbridge coastal towns and the stations along the Exe estuary, but Newton Abbot, Totnes and the whole of Torbay as well.

The entire area would have been cut off from the rail network with a devastating impact on the local economy.

Fortunately a complete transport disaster has been avoided thanks to Network Rail listening to what local people and all, bar one, of their elected representatives have been saying.

The rail company has ruled out any changes to the route for the next 20 years at least.

Now we can concentrate on lobbying for better infrastructure along the two direct routes into London and for faster trains to reduce our journey times to and from the rest of the country.

I REMEMBER quoting an old saying to a pro-elected Mayor campaigner last time local government reorganisation was on the agenda.

It was: “Be careful what you wish for.”

Councillors in the South Hams and Teignbridge who argued against taking over Torbay and creating a South Devon Unitary Council are now confronted with being taken over by the rest of Devon.

The Boundary Commission’s two options will create the largest all- purpose authority in the country and leave Torbay as the smallest and potentially least influential unitary authority in the South West region.

Option one is to turn Devon into a mega unitary council.

Option two is to create an Exeter with Exmouth unitary council which would be larger than Torbay, with the remaining parts of Devon forming a super-sized unitary council.

Having feared a super council, South Hams and Teignbridge will now be subsumed into a much larger giant council under either option

Torbay will no longer be able to work with Teignbridge and South Hams Councils on South Devon matters as both will be abolished as part of the unitary process.

The co-operation which has developed between the three councils over several decades on issues which directly affect the South Devon economy and its unique features will be no more.

In future Marldon in South Devon will have to share decisions with Marwood in North Devon before being able to work with Torbay to resolve problems on its doorstep.

Having met with the unelected commissioners who made these proposals it is my confident prediction they won’t take a blind bit of notice of anything anyone says which challenges their preferred mega Devon final solution.

We now enter what I can only describe as a sham consultation period where people’s views on the two proposals are being sought by the Commission.

Parliament will take the final decision, but with only 11 of 650 MPs from Devon being directly affected, I can’t see anything other than an endorsement of the recommendations.

As the only Devon born MP representing a seat in the county, I am especially sad at the outcome of this review and the misleading and unaccountable process that led to it.

I DON’T very often disagree with the British Medical Association, but I think their recent call for curbs on smoking scenes in films and in the media is plain wrong.

I understand the concern such scenes could glamorise smoking, but censorship of this kind sanitises real life, and where the scenes are in an historical setting they skew the truth of how we once were.

I would make the same case against banning works which contain racist or discriminatory comments.

If we shield ourselves from our past or try to deny how we once were, we will fail to understand who we are now and how we got here.

THE arts in Torbay have often been considered one of the poor relations when it comes to support from Torbay Council.

What those involved achieve is nothing short of miraculous.

I think the Window on the Bay installation at the bottom of Market Street in Torquay is fantastic and whether you are walking or driving along Union Street you cannot fail to see it, and be impressed.

The latest issue of Lighthouse, the free arts magazine for Torbay, is packed full of news about such developments, events, performances and exhibitions.

There’s loads going on right across the Bay and the quality is really high.

You can see for yourself at www.torbay.gov.uk/lighthouse- june08.pdf or contact 01803 208861 for a copy.

TORQUAY United’s last game of the season is at home to Burton Albion, one of the teams likely to be challenging the Gulls for promotion.

It’s a cracking fixture and falls directly on my 50th birthday so I am hoping for more than one celebration on the day.

I just hope Setanta don’t spoil my birthday party plans and choose to rearrange the game for live TV coverage.

The rearranging of games by Setanta, sometimes at quite short notice, was the cause of much frustration last season.

I hope its promise to have taken complaints on board for next season holds substance.

Upsetting my plans on a Tuesday in mid-October is one thing, spoiling my birthday party plans is quite another matter altogether.

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