Photos of a completed Crag Walk

Here are some more photographs of the finished Crag Walk at Walton 
(taken at Easter, 2011):

The Naze Tower

The Crag Walk from the north end

The slumped cliffs - lots of sands and gravels. Clay at the bottom

the Rip Rap underneath the Crag Walk

the view from above

from the end of the Crag Walk (north). High water.

I think the Crag Walk will stabilise the slumping
therefore stabilise the cliffs

some photos for Hadleigh...

I have taken some photos of the area where the proposed Tesco site would be and the surrounding area. As I said before, the new Tesco site is just behind the High Street, with the access through the allotments at the very end of the High Street by the river. As far as I can see the River Walk wouldn't be directly affected as it is on the other side of the river; however obviously pollution and litter could potentially influence the River Brett, which would in turn affect the River Walk.

Hadleigh High Street - a threat under Tesco

The old Brett Works site - Tesco owned

the entrance to the works

the old works

the beginning of the River Walk

evidence of people being against

the River Brett from the opposite side

The River Walk

the countryside on the other side of the River Brett

hanging baskets - community pride?

Watch this space for any further development regarding the Tesco campaign.
Rachael

Hadleigh - to tesco or not to tesco...?!

We visited Hadleigh last week as I was confused with the arguments surrounding the proposed Tesco development site. The old Brett Works site apparently (according to a random resident we bumped in to and got chatting to) has been owned by Tesco for some years, and they have just let it go into disrepair and dereliction. Therefore it is not an aesthetically pleasing location!
Looking into local opinion on websites such as the local town website and facebook it is apparent that there is a strong division. What was most confusing was that the residents who are pro the development were describing the area as 'an eyesore' where the land needed to be cleared up whereas the people who were against the proposed development talked about how the Tesco would ruin such a beautiful River Walk and water meadows. This got me thinking; how could the area be beautiful and an eyesore all in one go? so, I decided to go and do a little bit of exploration myself.
It turns out that the River Walk isn't actually on the same side of the river as the proposed Tesco site after all. Obviously if the Tesco development does go ahead then they will have to play with the river system to reduce flooding such as placing in reservoirs and the such like. This will clearly have an influence on the drainage basin for miles around, and this in turn will effect the river walk, but Tesco aren't proposing to build on the River Walk - so that cleared that one up!!


For any extra information and plans etc then you can access the website: http://www.hands-off-hadleigh.co.uk/ this is obviously an anti Tesco campaign but there is a lot of information for you to gather and make a more rounded opinion.


Below is a list of issues from the Hands off Hadleigh website:

Safety issues with access on a bend on a bridge
Traffic congestion when almost every route into Hadleigh is effectively single lane
Increased noise levels and pollution from increased traffic drawn into the town, when by-pass built in mid 80's to avoid this
Vitality and viability of existing traders and small shops in the High Street that sell a fine selection of locally grown produce
Impact on natural environment and neighbouring allotments -
First application to build a supermarket (not Tesco) turned down in 1987 on environmental grounds, what has changed since then?
Concern about run off of excess water and flooding
Impact on surrounding historic conservation area (St Mary's, The Deanery, The Guildhall) that proposed store will impinge on
73% of the town voted against a supermarket on the Brett Work Site in Electoral Reform Society Referendum involving every household in Hadleigh
Hadleigh - should it have a Tesco? there's clearly an area that needs maintaining and generating but is building a large superstore the answer? certainly food for thought when considering Hadleigh as a successful traditional market town.Here's a useful video which weighs up the pros and cons quite nicely:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2010/jun/10/outrage-revisited-hadleigh-tesco-architecture

Hadleigh websites/ references

Here are some useful websites which will provide you with some useful information surrounding Hadleigh.

The Hadleigh Society: http://www.hadsoc.org.uk/hadsoc/index.htm

Hands off Hadleigh: http://www.hands-off-hadleigh.co.uk/

Tesco application: http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/hadleigh_tesco_store_application_is_refused_1_954038

Action for Market Towns: http://towns.org.uk/


Creating the Greenest County: http://www.greensuffolk.org/

Hadleigh Community: http://www.hadleighpeople.co.uk/home

Transition Towns UK: http://www.transitionnetwork.org/             http://www.transitionnetwork.org/

Community Energy Toolkit: http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/shared-energy-toolkit

clone or home?

We often visit our local town of Hadleigh. The normal focus is to decide whether Hadleigh is a successful 'home town'; a good traditional high street with lots of independent shops and fewer chain (or clone) shops. We are all quite fond of Hadleigh; it has a certain quirkiness about it which makes it feel quintessentially English and everyone is very friendly. However, as with all these things, there are circumstances which may threaten this independent and traditional community.


It is worth considering factors such as the ongoing proposal to build a Tesco supermarket on the banks of the River Brett behind the High Street. It is also worth considering that Hadleigh is a mere 8 miles from the out-of-town retail park at Copdock. Hadleigh is also only 10 miles from the large town of Ipswich, which has a service centre serving most of north, east and mid Suffolk. However, with these factors it is undeniable that Hadleigh is still a rural setting and obviously has all the pros and cons of being such.


Importantly Hadleigh is in the county of Suffolk (not the Essex one!) and is fairly empathetic to the local government initiative of 'creating the greenest county' (http://www.greensuffolk.org/). Many of you will be aware of the transition town movement (http://www.transitionnetwork.org/) and it's aims; Hadleigh did consider joining this network but in the end decided to go down the independent route with 'Greener Hadleigh'. Unfortunately I haven't been very successful in finding a specific web page for this cause :( however, I do know that they are very good at organising events to try and encourage the participation in local food purchasing and attempts to keep carbon footprints low. 


The thing that we are particularly interested in is the production and purchasing of food products locally. Hadleigh has 2 butchers, a farm shop, a small co op, a local hardware store as well as many local hairdressers, tea shops, newsagents and so on. So, how can we see whether Hadleigh is a clone town, or a home town? The NEF (New Economics Foundation) have written a very simple, but effective, technique of establishing this (http://www.geographyteachingtoday.org.uk/images/text/FW_clone_survey.pdf). Try it on your home town to compare to Hadleigh!


Whatever 21st century developments threaten the traditional high street it is lovely to see that whichever day of the week you visit Hadleigh there is always lots going on. It is without a doubt a high street that is supported by the local community, and this is evident by the numbers entering the independent shops on a regular basis. 


I shall add some more about this at a later date....
Rachael