I HAVE already written once on this subject, so I hope I'm not being boring. There has also been other correspondence, mostly negative in my view, so I thought it might be as well to put the Lidl development in perspective.
Yes, I agree, in the best of all possible worlds, it would be lovely to have a delightful riverside open space for the use of town residents and visitors.
The snags? First of all the site value will depend on how it is to be developed and open space value will be far lower than for commercial building (supermarket) use. So you can hardly blame the landowner for obtaining the highest price he can get.
Perhaps the local authority can make up any shortfall? If only! But I'm sure the council can't afford the capital outlay, let alone making up a shortfall, which I suspect would not be lawful anyway, nor be able to provide the necessary annual resources to maintain a large public open space.
Some of the costs might, just might, be obtainable by way of lottery or other bids, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
The second snag is vandalism which is unfortunately endemic — we only have to read the back page of the Times, and the Ockment Centre (adjacent to the site) is the subject of regular and mindless break-ins and damage. Would this open space fare any better?
Another, and in my view a far better use for the site, would be a coach park, sadly lacking because of West Devon Borough Council's lack of forethought and planning when agreeing to the Waitrose development.
The site would be ideal, being in the centre of, and in close proximity to, all the town's facilities, including Somerfield and Waitrose.
So why can't that happen? For exactly the same land value reasons given for the open space land, although coach park use might have a slightly higher value. I don't foresee any planning problems as the land adjoins an existing car park. But I do see the difficulty of persuading the landowner to accept less than he can get from the supermarket. And the same local authority constraints apply as above with regard to making up a shortfall.
So it seems to me that the only practical alternative is the Lidl development. Which, despite all I have seen written to the contrary, will prove to be an asset to the town, offering quality goods at reasonable prices.
I have shopped at Lidl stores in Barnstaple and Taunton and I wouldn't be ashamed to shop in their Okehampton store should it be approved. And no, I do not own shares or have any other interest in the company!
There is one more alternative — and it might suit some — leave the derelict site just as it is.
Monty Lerer
1 Saddlers Way
Okehampton