‘Plans for former Green Close care home resemble a block of garages’

While the sketches for the former Green Close care home resemble a block of garages (Sidmouth Herald, February 19), we must hope that our local planners will persuade Churchill Retirement Homes, which has bought the land, to come up with something more pleasing to look at and therefore acceptable.

With more elderly residents to Sidford, at least some 50-60, one would hope some use could be found for the existing shops, perhaps a chemist again.

The land marked for development at the end of Sidford seems to remain undecided and improvements to the crossroads are vital.

Would it also be too much to hope for, for the doctors’ surgery to be reopened, as nobody seems to have found use for this purpose-built building to date?

Many people without private transport are finding difficulty in attending the Beacon. In this area of Sidmouth, Tyrell Mead, one needs to stand and wait for the half-hourly bus to the triangle from Yardelands bus stop. The former shelter has recently been removed. Bus drivers could not see you if you where sheltering from sun or rain, and just drove by. This resulted in another half-hour wait for the next bus. Annoying, if you are in reasonable good health, but what if you have an appointment?

You also have to remain on the Exeter-bound bus from the triangle up to the Waitrose bus stop and do the same journey in reverse to get home.

A taxi, if you can’t wait for a bus, will cost you £8 for a single journey. It must be a sight more if you live at Sidford or Sidbury and rely on public transport.

So much money has been raised for our local hospital in the belief that we shall always have it for the community. Is that going to prove to be in vain too?

Sidmouth is growing, but our resources are depleting. Diminishing.

What can we do about it?

Mrs JH Downer

Sidmouth