So, despite the objections of the Parish Council, permission has now been granted by Mid Devon District Council for the conversion of the old Londis shop and the flat above to be redeveloped as a house. This means that Silverton's most historic outlet has finally bitten the dust. It is a remarkable fact that as the population of the village has increased the number of retail outlets in the village have consistantly declined. The growth of the supermarkets and the rise of internet shopping have killed off most of the retail outlets in rural areas even in an expanding community like Silverton.
What replaces the shops ?. On the case of the Londis site it looks as though it will be the sort of hopusing that will be nought by those on the bottom rung of the property ladder who will probably be here today and gone tomorrow. people to whom Silverton will just be a short stop on the career ladder, most of whose names we shall probably never know and whose connrctions with the village will probably be minimal. Thats what happens in the commuter belt and we can see it happening on the grand scale with Cranbrook, near Broadclyst. If planning decisions are to be returned to local communities through legislation like the Localism Bill a priority of local councils that they take account of community stability through giving priority to affordable housing for those with local connections.
No comments:
Post a Comment