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Location of pyramid ‘still being decided’
7:00am Friday 16th November 2007
Comments (27)Residents in uproar over the prospect of a massive tourist attraction on their doorsteps are now being told the site is undecided.
People living at Harbourside Park, Poole, received letters from a senior council officer telling them their area has been identified as a "potential location" for the Solar Pyramid. It invited them to a meeting where details of the giant sundial would be discussed. The council has confirmed no letters to other areas have been delivered.
But residents who raised the matter at a meeting claim Conservative councillors told them no location had been revealed. That would emerge from a £40,000 feasibility study, due to start by the end of November.
Baiter resident David Howard said: "They are backtracking so fast now. I think they realise they have a can of worms here."
Mr Howard, chairman of Parkstone Bay Association, said: "As this 150ft high attraction' covers an area of 2,500sqm and requires foundations some 65m deep it is difficult to envisage what other possible locations the council has in mind, but no doubt they will inform us in due course."
Liberal Democrat Cllr Brian Clements said he had attended several confidential briefings where Baiter was named as the location and was shocked to hear it being denied at a public meeting.
He said both the tourism and the town centre management boards supported the project, which could bring much needed business, particularly to the Quay area.
"It was made clear that location at Baiter was the only way of achieving that result. I also formed a strong impression that negotiations with developers were based on that location," he said.
However, Conservative Cllr Don Collier said: "The proposal from the company is Baiter. We haven't made our minds up, we are looking at it. There will be loads of debate about it. It's not being done in smoke-filled rooms."
Jim Bright, strategic director for Borough of Poole, said: "The council has not pre-determined a location for the Solar Pyramid proposal.
"Harbourside Park is a potential location and was used during initial testing to see if the project could be viable in a Poole setting. Other locations will be considered as part of more detailed assessment of the prop-osal."
- The Daily Echo's website has received a huge response to this story and to its web poll.
We asked if you backed the pyramid.
As we went to press 469 people had voted of whom 26 per cent (123) were in favour and 74 per cent (346) against.
Your Say YourBournemouth Echo
accountability, Chichester says...
7:53am Fri 16 Nov 07
rebus, Corfe Mullen says...
8:41am Fri 16 Nov 07
You have to ask yourself why nobody else wants it...
Charlie, says...
8:43am Fri 16 Nov 07
Charlie, says...
8:47am Fri 16 Nov 07
And stop referring to "council-owned land" - the council owns nothing and has no money of it's own. It's all just administered by the council for the people of Poole with money provided by taxpayers.
clairenpoole, Poole says...
8:59am Fri 16 Nov 07
Tru Belle, purbeck says...
9:53am Fri 16 Nov 07
Razor blades . Is Poole drowning in spare cash,money to fritter away??
Foundations 65 metres
deep? Do you want to end up with a new harbour then when the sea starts to rise.
People of Poole , act now in loco parentis for the rest of the residents of Dorset, please make sure this piffling scheme does not become the worst blot on the landscape yet. The seaside and the beauty that Poole offers is enjoyed by everyone.
godzilla, hamworthy says...
10:02am Fri 16 Nov 07
Charlie wrote:HEAR HEAR charlie where do these people got off ignoring the objections to the people who acutally pay them.
Sounds like councillors elected by US and permanent staff all paid by US to do the best for US, have already agreed to have this monstrosity somewhere in Poole, whether we like it or not. Absolute arrogance!
John, Poole says...
10:18am Fri 16 Nov 07
Phil wrote:What do you expect other than a hare-brained schemed when a man named Leverett is excited by the proposal?
Why bother spending £40,000 of our money on a feasibility study when it's obvious that the pyramid isn't wanted by the public? If only they'd asked us in the first place! Councillors would do well to remember that we employ them to govern for us, not over us. If they've got any sense (I doubt it), they'll scrap this hare-brained scheme immediately and stop wasting our money looking into it.
Can't wait to see what other ideas come from the Mad Hatter's Party!!
JIFFY, POOLE says...
10:23am Fri 16 Nov 07
tony foster, Bournemouth says...
10:25am Fri 16 Nov 07
snoff, Poole says...
11:54am Fri 16 Nov 07
accountability wrote:or Chichester!
It would look good ..........in Derbyshire!
Markmag, Boscombe says...
12:31pm Fri 16 Nov 07
accountability, Chichester says...
1:24pm Fri 16 Nov 07
snoff wrote:....or the Isle of Wight? Anywhere but Poole!
accountability wrote:or Chichester!
It would look good ..........in Derbyshire!
You may have missed it on the previous thread but it was going to be in Derbyshire before Poole's enlightened councillors snatched it from their grasp ....obviously more money down here. Yours!
Tru Belle, purbeck says...
3:05pm Fri 16 Nov 07
Why was this giant facsimile of a razor blade off loaded from Derbyshire? Who else had been offered it? The fact that it needs a hole 65 metres deep may be the answer. Derbyshire rock is probably alot harder to cleave into than the mud that lies under Baiter!!!
Poole people, ask your council what the devil they are thinking off ,frittering hard working tax payers money away like this!
Fonty Booth, says...
4:12pm Fri 16 Nov 07
accountability, Chichester says...
4:29pm Fri 16 Nov 07
Fonty Booth wrote:LOL. Nice one!
Locate it at Burley by the donkey shed, the donkeys can rub their backs on it, Grockles can wonder at it, ELM wont even notice it he will be behind the bus shelter, bless.
snoff, Poole says...
5:09pm Fri 16 Nov 07
accountability wrote:I agree, the idea is a bad one which I feel will go no further than an being just that - an idea.
snoff wrote:....or the Isle of Wight? Anywhere but Poole! You may have missed it on the previous thread but it was going to be in Derbyshire before Poole's enlightened councillors snatched it from their grasp ....obviously more money down here. Yours!accountability wrote: It would look good ..........in Derbyshire!or Chichester!
accountability, Chichester says...
5:23pm Fri 16 Nov 07
Shedmans Friend, Bournemouth says...
6:27pm Fri 16 Nov 07
Bournemouth has the Imax - let Poole have some attention!!
accountability, Chichester says...
8:07pm Fri 16 Nov 07
Shedmans Friend wrote:It always looked as if Poole had learned from all Bournemouth's many past mistakes until this barmy notion surfaced.
Whinge Whinge whinge!
Bournemouth has the Imax - let Poole have some attention!!
This is not whinging. It's taking one of the the actions open to taxpayers to make their views known. It's a shame there are not more people pushing to speak their mind BEFORE the inappropriate spending of public money instead of wringing their hands and bleating about it when it is all too late.
The-bleeding-obvious, Bournemouth says...
8:41am Sat 17 Nov 07
Fonty Booth, says...
9:44am Sat 17 Nov 07
definately not 'Baytor' but 'Stonehenge' I dont envisage any complaints at all.
Peter, Highcliffe says...
11:13am Sat 17 Nov 07
Your councillors should be jailed for embezzlement.
John, Poole says...
3:10pm Sat 17 Nov 07
The Harbourside Park is a much loved and very well used OPEN space and should stay that way. There is insufficient access to/from the park for any attaction of this scale.
We already have the white elephant of Dolphin Quay on Poole Quay, which was built without any additional car parking provision for the shops. If/when this at last gets going (hopefully!!) parking at Baiter will be one of the few local options available.
Final point is that all the new development currently being built on the old Gasworks site will lead to more usage of the open space at Baiter. The very last thing that we need is an ugly Pyramid on our doorstep reducing the open area available.
Why isn't Poole Council planning policy joined up and properly thought through?
Tru Belle, purbeck says...
4:56pm Sat 17 Nov 07
If this thing, that needs foundations of 35meters deep, is erected somewhere, will it become a target for metal thieves then ??
ColinLambert, Parkstone says...
5:31pm Sun 9 Dec 07
CONFUSION: Residents of Harbourside Park did receive letters telling them their area had been identified as a "potential" location
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Phil, Poole says...
7:51am Fri 16 Nov 07