Below is an article from the local paper.
Basically what is happening is Torbay Coucil have decided that before they start work they have to ask for planning permission; from themselves. Lets hope it isn't refused. One question, why did it take them this long to work that little detail out? Next question, what else haven't they done that needs doing?
Monday, September 08, 2008, 09:34
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WORK on 'shoring up' Torquay's Rock Walk is to be delayed.
Torbay Council has decided it should ask itself for planning permission before the repair scheme is started.
The cliff stabilisation and protection works should have started at the end of October but have been put back by at least four weeks.
Four companies have been short-listed to do the work.
Cllr Chris Lewis (pictured) has once again reiterated that the work is necessary for the safety of residents and visitors.
A council spokesman said the council had decided it should submit a planning application to itself.
"Initially it was thought we didn't need planning permission, but then when it was investigated it was found another seaside resort had done similar work without planning permission which had caused problems when something went wrong during the process," the spokesman said.
"It was decided that permission would be sought as a precaution. Originally we planned to start the work at the end of October, this has been delayed because of the planning permission until the end of November."
Half of Torquay's seafront road has been closed since the cliff face was cleared in the spring.
It is expected to cost up to £1.5million — more than twice the price originally estimated by Torbay Council — to stabilise the cliff face.
A geological survey revealed parts of the former garden are more dangerous than first thought and will need extensive works.
Cabinet member Chris Lewis said: "There is a huge amount of planning that goes into a project like this before work can begin and the council is making great progress.
"A Rock Walk steering group has been set up with relevant members and officers to help keep the project on track.
"A planning application has also been submitted for the stabilisation work, which we endeavour to start during the first week of November and is expected to take 28 weeks.
"Earlier in the year the council received nine expressions of interest from companies keen to be involved in the essential rock and soil stabilisation works and following reference and financial checks we have now short-listed four very experienced companies," said Mr Lewis.
"The council has now invited the companies to tender for the contract with a closing date of noon on Tuesday, October 7.
"I would once again like to reiterate that this work is being carried out for the safety of our visitors and residents and to protect the long-term future of Rock Walk.
"Officers and members involved in the project are committed to ensuring that the work is carried out as quickly as possible and will be providing regular updates of the progress.
"In the meantime attractive boards have been placed around the harbourside providing residents and visitors with information on the project and these will also be updated as it progresses."
An ecological survey of the gardens has been started by external consultants and should be complete by the end of this week.
Cllr Lewis added: "We are working on a funding bid for £350,000 that has to be in for next week for the restoration planting and other work, and a capital bid is in for council funding for the stabilisation work."
Monday, 8 September 2008
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Repair Bill To Rise to £1.5 Million
THE bill to repair Torquay’s prized Rock Walk could rocket to £1.5million — more than twice the price originally estimated by Torbay Council.
A new survey released yesterday revealed parts of the cliff face are more dangerous than first thought and will need extensive works.
Deputy mayor Cllr Kevin Carroll said: “I am quite prepared to say it will be £1.5million, it wouldn’t surprise me if that is what it comes out as. We started looking at this costing £600,000 at the beginning of the year.”
Cllr Carroll vowed Mayor Nick Bye and the Conservative administration would not ‘run away’ from the problem.
He said: “Whatever it costs we will do it, this is about Torbay and its heritage. It is about the Royal Gardens and we can’t just walk away from this.”
admitted the administration had taken a ‘lot of heat’ over the decision.
The report released yesterday by Tavistock-based consultant engineers Frederick Sherrell Ltd reveals clearance of shrubs in January showed Rock Walk had a ‘very irregular rock head profile with numerous unstable pinnacles and areas of loose, fractured bedrock which were not visible during previous inspections’.
There are two areas of rock face deemed ‘very high risk’ by the report, another labelled ‘high risk’ while other areas are deemed ‘medium to high risk’ across the 10 sites identified needing repair.
Cllr Carroll said: “The most important thing to say is this report proves we were right to strip away the trees and identify the real problems, because if we hadn’t done that there would still be problems we couldn’t see.
“The professionals, the engineers, and the cultural services people were concerned behind the growth there was a big problem waiting to happen, so we took the decision on the advice of the professionals because of the risk to public safety.”
It means the focus of the Royal Gardens will have to change too, as the geological reports says only the ‘central and easternmost paths’ will remain once the stabilisation work is done.
The work will include installing rock fall netting, removing footbridges, digging six exploratory bore holes, installing six-metre long rock anchors and cutting back further vegetation.
Torbay Council has also submitted a bid for Government funding specifically for cultural and heritage projects towards works of art and a viewing platform for Rock Walk which could grace the newly-repaired rock face.
It is expected the barrier around the crumbling site will remain in place during the works which are estimated to take eight months to complete.
More news as it comes in. Work should start in Septemebr and I will cover as much as I can.
A new survey released yesterday revealed parts of the cliff face are more dangerous than first thought and will need extensive works.
Deputy mayor Cllr Kevin Carroll said: “I am quite prepared to say it will be £1.5million, it wouldn’t surprise me if that is what it comes out as. We started looking at this costing £600,000 at the beginning of the year.”
Cllr Carroll vowed Mayor Nick Bye and the Conservative administration would not ‘run away’ from the problem.
He said: “Whatever it costs we will do it, this is about Torbay and its heritage. It is about the Royal Gardens and we can’t just walk away from this.”
admitted the administration had taken a ‘lot of heat’ over the decision.
The report released yesterday by Tavistock-based consultant engineers Frederick Sherrell Ltd reveals clearance of shrubs in January showed Rock Walk had a ‘very irregular rock head profile with numerous unstable pinnacles and areas of loose, fractured bedrock which were not visible during previous inspections’.
There are two areas of rock face deemed ‘very high risk’ by the report, another labelled ‘high risk’ while other areas are deemed ‘medium to high risk’ across the 10 sites identified needing repair.
Cllr Carroll said: “The most important thing to say is this report proves we were right to strip away the trees and identify the real problems, because if we hadn’t done that there would still be problems we couldn’t see.
“The professionals, the engineers, and the cultural services people were concerned behind the growth there was a big problem waiting to happen, so we took the decision on the advice of the professionals because of the risk to public safety.”
It means the focus of the Royal Gardens will have to change too, as the geological reports says only the ‘central and easternmost paths’ will remain once the stabilisation work is done.
The work will include installing rock fall netting, removing footbridges, digging six exploratory bore holes, installing six-metre long rock anchors and cutting back further vegetation.
Torbay Council has also submitted a bid for Government funding specifically for cultural and heritage projects towards works of art and a viewing platform for Rock Walk which could grace the newly-repaired rock face.
It is expected the barrier around the crumbling site will remain in place during the works which are estimated to take eight months to complete.
More news as it comes in. Work should start in Septemebr and I will cover as much as I can.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Monday, 23 June 2008
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Rock Walk, Turning Green
June 2008This is Rock Walk as it looks 3 months after the work to remove the trees was completed. The survey has been carried out and there has been little word from the council other than the repairs might cost a 'bit' more than expected.
No one seems to give a damn about the place now the road has been reopened. Not even the slight Rock Fall last Saturday has created a stir.
Work should start in September when the visitors have gone home.
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Rock Fall
A Story from the Herald Express
ROCK FALL DAMAGES ROCK WALK BARRIERS
03 June 2008
Torquay's Rock Walk has been hit by a rock fall.The special barriers erected after the cliff was closed off were damaged in the fall on Saturday afternoon.The damage occurred at the Torbay Hotel end of the cliff face.The cliff was closed off earlier this year after diseased and dying trees were removed from the rock face. It was then declared too unsafe to reopen the inland carriageway of the main seafront road.
Torbay Council is still awaiting the findings of the geologists' report into the state of the cliff face so it can start work on the repairs and reinstatement.Deputy mayor Kevin Carroll said: "We can confirm that there was a rock fall on Rock Walk on Saturday."A collection of rocks and soil fell at the Torbay Hotel end of the cliff landing on the lower path."There was also a larger rock, weighing approximately half a tonne, which caused considerable damage to the fencing below."We are unsure as to whether the rock was projected from the top or rolled down the cliff face."Cllr Carroll added: "Over the last few months there has been a huge amount of misunderstanding relating to Rock Walk."Some people have blamed the council's recent work for the rock falls and we would like to take the opportunity to reiterate the following."At no time did we remove any lower tree trunks or roots during the work."Geologists had already deemed the rock face to be unstable and the council cleared the area to be able to determine how bad the situation was - we did not create the problem, we have simply exposed the extent of it."We are now waiting for the geologists' official report, due out in the next two weeks, which will tell us what needs to be done and approximately how much it will cost."The safety barrier will remain in place until the necessary works have been carried out."It had been hoped to have the geologists report this week but the council has now asked for additional information on the potential cost of the restoration work.Staff at the Torbay Hotel and the nearby Pier Point restaurant were unaware of the fall.
Such a slight fall that the main barrier wasn't even reached never mind damaged.
ROCK FALL DAMAGES ROCK WALK BARRIERS
03 June 2008
Torquay's Rock Walk has been hit by a rock fall.The special barriers erected after the cliff was closed off were damaged in the fall on Saturday afternoon.The damage occurred at the Torbay Hotel end of the cliff face.The cliff was closed off earlier this year after diseased and dying trees were removed from the rock face. It was then declared too unsafe to reopen the inland carriageway of the main seafront road.
Torbay Council is still awaiting the findings of the geologists' report into the state of the cliff face so it can start work on the repairs and reinstatement.Deputy mayor Kevin Carroll said: "We can confirm that there was a rock fall on Rock Walk on Saturday."A collection of rocks and soil fell at the Torbay Hotel end of the cliff landing on the lower path."There was also a larger rock, weighing approximately half a tonne, which caused considerable damage to the fencing below."We are unsure as to whether the rock was projected from the top or rolled down the cliff face."Cllr Carroll added: "Over the last few months there has been a huge amount of misunderstanding relating to Rock Walk."Some people have blamed the council's recent work for the rock falls and we would like to take the opportunity to reiterate the following."At no time did we remove any lower tree trunks or roots during the work."Geologists had already deemed the rock face to be unstable and the council cleared the area to be able to determine how bad the situation was - we did not create the problem, we have simply exposed the extent of it."We are now waiting for the geologists' official report, due out in the next two weeks, which will tell us what needs to be done and approximately how much it will cost."The safety barrier will remain in place until the necessary works have been carried out."It had been hoped to have the geologists report this week but the council has now asked for additional information on the potential cost of the restoration work.Staff at the Torbay Hotel and the nearby Pier Point restaurant were unaware of the fall.
Such a slight fall that the main barrier wasn't even reached never mind damaged.
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
ROCK WALK COULD BECOME £1M 'GEOPARK'
I was begining to wonder what was happening. The report was supposed to have been out on May 1 but has been delayed while the council decide how to tell us it will cost even more than they expected.
From the Herald Express
20 May 2008
The true state of Torquay's crumbling Rock Walk won't be known for another fortnight.News of a delay in the geological reports comes as it has been revealed the cordoned-off cliff face could be transformed into a giant artwork as one of a series of £8.2million cultural projects for which Torbay Council could seek £4million from the Government's new Sea Change cultural regeneration funding.
Councillors are tonight being asked to agree a shortlist of projects including the £1million Rock Walk Geopark art scheme, £2.8million for a new arts centre and more at Cockington Court, a contribution to the £1.8million Berry Head restoration project, and £1.35million harbour front improvements scheme for Brixham as part of its fish market regeneration scheme.
These would leave Torbay Council to find £4.2million, including £2million from the South West Regional Development Agency and other sources such as the Heritage Lottery funding for Berry Head, and other council sources included sums included in budgets and not yet ring-fenced.
The report says the council has had 'positive discussions' with the RDA who are 'in principle prepared to provide a contribution to the Sea Change match funding subject to the normal business planning and appraisal processes'.
It had been hoped the Rock Walk report would be published at the end of last week. But Cabinet member Chris Lewis has confirmed it has been held back so the findings of a topographical survey could be published at the same time.
"It looks as if we will need more netting than expected to secure the rock face, but we don't know much more than that at the moment," he explained.
The geological report is needed to allow the consultants to design the redevelopment plan.
Both surveys have now been completed and are being amalgamated. The final report and recommendations are expected by May 30.
A report to Cabinet tonight says the council knows it needs to spend 'a substantial sum' on repairing the cliff face and it is considered Sea Change funding could create an opportunity to match this with a further £1million enabling the creation of 'a powerful artistic statement' as a focal point for Torbay's Geopark status.
The report says: "The site would be integrated into the 'string of pearls' idea for the Geopark across the Bay with particular emphasis on the links to transport interchanges, the seafront, coastal footpath and, in this particular case, the Cockington project."
The Cockington Court 'creative hub' project has been valued £2.85million with a £1.9million bid to the Sea Change pot of funding.
The scheme envisaged is for Cockington and its surrounding area, including linking the country park with the seafront.
Innovative ideas might include a park and ride, dedicated cycle hire and cycle tracks and sculpture trail.
From the Herald Express
20 May 2008
The true state of Torquay's crumbling Rock Walk won't be known for another fortnight.News of a delay in the geological reports comes as it has been revealed the cordoned-off cliff face could be transformed into a giant artwork as one of a series of £8.2million cultural projects for which Torbay Council could seek £4million from the Government's new Sea Change cultural regeneration funding.
Councillors are tonight being asked to agree a shortlist of projects including the £1million Rock Walk Geopark art scheme, £2.8million for a new arts centre and more at Cockington Court, a contribution to the £1.8million Berry Head restoration project, and £1.35million harbour front improvements scheme for Brixham as part of its fish market regeneration scheme.
These would leave Torbay Council to find £4.2million, including £2million from the South West Regional Development Agency and other sources such as the Heritage Lottery funding for Berry Head, and other council sources included sums included in budgets and not yet ring-fenced.
The report says the council has had 'positive discussions' with the RDA who are 'in principle prepared to provide a contribution to the Sea Change match funding subject to the normal business planning and appraisal processes'.
It had been hoped the Rock Walk report would be published at the end of last week. But Cabinet member Chris Lewis has confirmed it has been held back so the findings of a topographical survey could be published at the same time.
"It looks as if we will need more netting than expected to secure the rock face, but we don't know much more than that at the moment," he explained.
The geological report is needed to allow the consultants to design the redevelopment plan.
Both surveys have now been completed and are being amalgamated. The final report and recommendations are expected by May 30.
A report to Cabinet tonight says the council knows it needs to spend 'a substantial sum' on repairing the cliff face and it is considered Sea Change funding could create an opportunity to match this with a further £1million enabling the creation of 'a powerful artistic statement' as a focal point for Torbay's Geopark status.
The report says: "The site would be integrated into the 'string of pearls' idea for the Geopark across the Bay with particular emphasis on the links to transport interchanges, the seafront, coastal footpath and, in this particular case, the Cockington project."
The Cockington Court 'creative hub' project has been valued £2.85million with a £1.9million bid to the Sea Change pot of funding.
The scheme envisaged is for Cockington and its surrounding area, including linking the country park with the seafront.
Innovative ideas might include a park and ride, dedicated cycle hire and cycle tracks and sculpture trail.
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