‘Sidmouth centric’ councillors doing town down.

Just a week or so ago, Seaton appeared on national TV and was described as a ‘faded town’. What a tragedy, in such a beautiful and spectacular setting, known as a gateway to the Jurassic Coast.

Since then, once again, Seaton has featured on the news and we were appalled to see that Councillor Stuart Hughes stated that seafront parking charges in Seaton would not be suspended, in spite of placing the introduction of similar charges elsewhere in Devon on ‘indefinite hold’. It has been noticeable that, since the meters were installed, parking along the seafront is significantly reduced.

Once again, this is a demonstration of the Sidmouth centric attitude of our councillors. We have lived in Seaton for the past three-and-a-half years and are astounded at the continual bickering and subsequent neglect which we have observed at the local government levels, resulting in a total lack of investment in the town.

Furthermore, how do these people think that Seaton will regenerate by provision of an unsuitably sized supermarket? The opening of this supermarket cannot help, but will have a detrimental effect on local traders and the traffic infrastructure, both in Seaton and in Axmouth.

Due to the decision to allow Tesco to open a store in Seaton, the town has lost its holiday park and also it’s Tourist Information Office and yet the County Council has seen fit to install pay and display machines on the seafront.

You only have to look at the area surrounding the town to see how special a place Seaton could be with the right investment. When will our local government show any interest in trying to attract the investment needed to put Seaton back on the map?

Tony and Di Smith

Seaton