Sorry tale (From Penarth Times)

Sorry tale

I AM astonished at the reaction of the Vale of Glamorgan Council and Penarth Town Council to the recent proposed demolition of the Beachcliff terrace and its replacement by a new four-storey building for commercial/residential use.

How authorities that have allowed key areas of Penarth, especially the seafront, to deteriorate year by year through lack of attention - and lack of pride - can now complain about the run-down state of the terrace is beyond me. As everyone knows, the pier pavilion - the old marina which served Penarth so well for many years - is a disgrace, while the Vale Council cannot bestir themselves to save another smaller "gem", the Esplanade shelter.

They cannot even give it a lick of paint.

Similar contempt for residents and visitors is shown in the appalling state of the pavement on the west side of the seafront, although when the one-way system was introduced "as a temporary measure" some years ago (it has proved a big success), the promised works needed to make the scheme permanent have not materialised.

On a more modest note, as your readers have complained, the Italian Gardens are looking the worse for wear and lack of attention, the flower beds left neglected for weeks this summer, and seafront seats stripped but not yet repainted.

What a sorry tale.

It appears to be a crime for the property owners to want to capitalise on their assets - and yes, horror of horrors, make a profit - while the local authorities and some local organisations "tut tut", suggesting they should spend millions in restoring or "saving" a building, admittedly distinctive, at considerable cost, with little or no "return".

There is a real danger of stalemate with no redevelopment or restoration and of yet another permanent eyesore on our seafront.

As a result of the seafront developments permitted over the past 50 years the major buildings - Seabank, Alexandra Court and Windsor Court - are of different styles. The former baths building has only been saved because the developers - yes, the same ones now involved in Beachcliff - are doing their best to provide a new, high quality development on that site. To try to "save" the Edwardian terrace in the face of these long-term changes is too late - the horse has already bolted!

Instead of just watching, and allowing further deterioration, like the sad pavilion and the shelter, the Vale Council should encourage new, high quality development - Elizabeth the Second in style - rather than Edwardian. Penarth should look forward, not back.

A seafront resident

Name and address supplied