Welcome to the Sheringham & District Preservation Society

Painting of Sheringham Fishing Boats

The Preservation Society has worked since 1979 to preserve the best that Sheringham has to offer.

The Sheringham and District Preservation Society covers the parishes of Upper Sheringham and Beeston Regis as well as the town of Sheringham.

It exists to protect the best features of the area from developments which could destroy their character. It also aims to research and record the history of the area and to publicise it in any way possible.

NEWS:

TESCO APPEALS OCTOBER 2008

Delight among opponents of the Tesco scheme, following the Government Inspector's rejection of it, (see item below) turned out to be short-lived. Contrary to expectation, Tesco has decided to appeal against the decision, giving the following reasons. 1. The inspector's conclusions on the need for extra retail floorspace in the town while rejecting Tesco's proposals were irrational. 2. Conclusions on "disaggregation" of retail provision were equally irrational. 3. Too much emphasis was given to the Local Development Framework Core Strategy. 4. Not enough weight was given to proposed changes in government planning guidelines on town centres. 5. Design changes were not taken into account. 6. A "balancing exercise" was not carried out.

While the sum total of these objections to the inspector's ruling does not add up to much, the supermarket giant is clearly hoping to buy time and have yet another bite at the cherry, knowing full well that only one of its many attempts over 13 years to establish itself in Sheringham needs to succeed for victory to be complete. Opponents are tempted to ask "what aspect of NO don't you understand?". The result is further stalemate for 18 months or more and possibly yet another public enquiry.

TESCO DEFEATED SEPTEMBER 2008

Following Tesco's appeal against North Norfolk District Council's rejection of their application to build a large supermarket on the edge of Sheringham Town Centre and the subsequent inquiry by a government planning inspector, a decision has now been reached. We are delighted to report that the inspector, Christina Downes, has rejected the appeal.

Tesco have stated that their lawyers will be examining the inspector's decision and her reasons for it in detail, but this must surely end the long saga of Tesco's attempt to construct a store on the Cromer Road site (see Current Issues on this website). This Society has opposed Tesco's plans from the beginning. We are extremely grateful to our district councillors who courageously stood out against Tesco when their professional planning officers were urging them very strongly to approve the plans. We are especially appreciative of the many hours of hard work put in by Eroica Mildmay and Janet Farrow during the enquiry and before it and to all who took the trouble to write to the Council and the Planning Inspectorate and speak at public meetings.

After the dust has settled, the question of how to improve grocery shopping in Sheringham without unduly harming existing businesses will need to be addressed. Attention may turn to a site in the centre of town, currently occupied by Central Garage and others.

ART EXHIBITION 2008

This year's Art Exhibition was another outstanding success, with a regular flow of viewers and a large number of sales. There was also much interest in the draw for a painting kindly donated by Angela Wells.

The profit from this year's exhibition will be donated to a suitable youth project in Sheringham.

A SAD LOSS

The Society is very sorry to report the death of Peter Coke on 30th July after a short illness. Peter, who was in his 96th year, was active until almost the very end of his long life doing the thing which he was so good at and had occupied so much of his time during its second half, namely working on his beloved shells.

For a brief summary of his life and achievements, see the entry under The Peter Coke Shell Gallery on this web site.

AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Having served six to ten years in their current posts, the last five of which have been particularly active, the principal officers of the Society (Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer) are all seeking an opportunity to retire. The Chief Steward of the Fishermen's Heritage Centre, who also looks after the opening and closing of the Peter Coke Shell Gallery, is also finding the burden of this position increasingly heavy.

The Society finds that the task of managing the Fishermen's Heritage Centre and Peter Coke Shell Gallery, which are demanding though essential and satisfying activities in their own right, leaves little time for its other responsibilities as a civic/amenity association. It is therefore urgently seeking people of any age from the Sheringham area who have an interest in its history, who wish to maintain its many attractive features as a place to live and to visit and would be willing to assist us in the worthy objective of keeping the Society and its activities thriving. We are especially seeking anyone who is willing to take on any of the principal officer posts, after a reasonable period of preparation, and any assistance with stewarding in the Fishermen's Heritage Centre and Peter Coke Shell Gallery would also be very welcome.

A meeting planned for late June to discuss the Society's current problems and its future direction was postponed because it was judged that insufficient preparation had been carried out before the meeting to result in a positive outcome. The Society is financially secure, it has a sound structure and a history of contributing many and varied benefits to the local community. However, unless solutions to its current difficulties can be found within the next few months, the Society is facing an uncertain future in 2009, the 30th anniversary of its founding.