Blot On The Landscape.

ts now 20 years since the new hall was closed pending demolition. Due to contentious claims about structural faults Silverton lost a perfewell used community resource in a central location on Fore Street to have it replaced by something that looks like an industrial unit from the outside and a prison gymnasium from within stuck away off the car park which is itself hardly fit for purpose. Those who forced through the decision much against the wishes of most genuine Silvertonians are no longer resident in the area and cannot account for that which their actions have created.

We are now left with a monstrous blot on the centre of the village in the form of the site of the former New Hall. Due to a consistent failure by sucessive owners to develop the site we are now left with what is in effect a scrap yard situated in the village main street. The only respite from this eyesore has been the once a year relief when the scrap vehicles have been removed to allow the site to be used for Street Market events but now that is no longer the case because of the alleged risk of fire. After a recent period when the site was supposedly sold for development and subsequently partially cleared the collection of scrap vehicles are steadily returning to haunt us.

That this state of affairs is allowed to continue is a disgrace. We read in the papers almost weekly about councils excersising their powers in order to regulate and remove threats to the environment. The people of Silverton have the right to know why steps have not been taken to ensure that this site has not been cleared out and secured whatever its current ownership or planning status.