The Hadleigh SocietyApr 2001
Newsletter Index Up Jan 2001 Apr 2001 Aug 2001 Oct 2001

 


-  Thursday 22nd March 2001

Following an explanation of the Hadleigh Society's position raised earlier, Jan Byrne went on to sum up for the Society as follows:

"Many  (people) would prefer to see no new supermarket in our town but we are realistic and consider that even if both applications are turned down, there will be further applications and eventually one would be successful.  There is also a majority of the town who would like a supermarket, whilst making it clear that they think the Riverside is the wrong place to build it.  The Society therefore strongly opposes the Tesco application whilst raising no objections to the Buyright proposals. 

Much has been made, by Tesco, of the recommendations in PPG 6 for a sequential approach to choosing a site.  However PPG 6 also says, it must be a suitable site.  Tesco appear to think that if you can physically build a store on a site then the site is suitable. (Jan here discussed what might be meant by 'suitable'). We believe the Tesco proposal fails on all....  counts and would change the nature of our town forever. This is not a 'suitable' site for a building that is so out of scale with our historic town.... 

Although conditions may be imposed to restrict evening and morning delivery what is to prevent delivery lorries, arriving overnight, waiting in the High Street for the delivery area to open?

... All residents in this part of the High Street would be seriously affected. For all those on the Western side... the height of the Store would replace open views with a section of wall and a vast expanse of roof.... 

The store, if built, may have a relatively short life... is it possible to impose a condition requiring that if the store closed the building would have to be demolished and the site cleared?  We also believe that it is not a suitable site because of its potential to flood.... 

Our town has a written history of over 1000 years, over those years it has had its ups and downs but through it all the town slowly changed and evolved to what it is today.  Over the past 30 years the town has doubled in size but has still retained its ancient streets and houses.  It is a comfortable town to live in, with many people keen to move into both its old and new houses, people come to live here because they like the feel of the town and its links with a proud past.

As shown in the town poll the residents, whether born here or recently arrived, have very strong views and do not want to see our town completely spoilt....  There are just a few in our town who would sell our heritage for a mess of pottage, just because there is tuppence off the tin.  However, I echo John Bloomfield's words " We are proud of our town and many of us have put much into conserving it for future generations to enjoy.  Our legacy to those future generations must not cause them to say, 'However could they have let that happen' "?

Thank you Madam Inspector.                                                           Jan Byrne.


Ben Allen

We are all very sorry to bid farewell to our long serving ex-membership Secretary at last month’s funeral service in Ipswich and the gathering of his family and friends afterwards in Hadleigh.  Ben and his wife Ellen, who died several years ago, had been early members of the Society.  Ben served the Executive Committee for many years before ill health required him to hand over. He had been a naval flyer during World War II before taking his degree and going into industry. He died on 4th March. 

The Hadleigh Dig

You may remember hearing of the Bronze Age burial site uncovered as the MoD site was being prepared to become a new housing estate.  At our next meeting Linzi Everett, who led the dig on behalf of the Suffolk Archaeological Service, will talk about what they have found.  Come to the Town Hall on Tuesday 24th April to find out more.

Film Night

We welcomed many new faces to a showing of films from the East Anglian Film Archive, presented by Francis Jacobi. The clips included: 

Easter Air Display at Hadleigh, 1928

Rope Making by Hand, 1946

Story of Co-co Matting, 1947

The Market Gardner: Partridge & Cundy of Layham, 1949

Printing the Evening Star, 1959

Raydon Airfield, filmed by an American airman, 1944

Midsummer, schoolchildren in Whatfield, 1964

A Funfair Family, Bert Stocks of Leiston, who attends Hadleigh Show each year, 1997


Your Committee Needs You

With Gordon Sutcliffe and Bert Keele standing down under the five-year rule you have an opportunity to make your mark on Hadleigh. If you’re interested in becoming a member of the Executive Committee and would like to talk about what is involved then phone the Chairman, Jan Byrne, on 822192, or any other committee member.