Rye Town Council’s planning committee meeting could not make any decisions on Monday, November 11 because not enough councillors were present. Rulings on important issues, including the potential expansion of the George hotel, were postponed as the required quorum of councillors was not met.
Instead councillors were only able to have informal discussions on planning activities affecting Rye, much to the frustration of the members of the public present.
Representatives of the artists currently occupying the Rye Creative Centre, who are looking for alternative studio space after their leases expire, updated the committee on progress. While their hope is to stay in the Rye area no clear options are available at this stage. This will soon become urgent as none of the artists involved can work sustainably on the short term leases that will be offered, pending decisions on what is believed to be a potential housing development at the site.
The future of the performing arts centre, also located in the old school grounds and used for performances and exhibitions, is also unknown. It was noted that several classes that are currently provided at the site will require studio space, and other businesses also operate at the location.
Limited discussion also took place on the latest version of the local neighbourhood plan, with Rye residents encouraged to review the draft plan and make comments on the form provided on the Rye Town Council website. The deadline for comments is 4:30pm on Tuesday November 26.
Rye News continues to encourage residents to attend these meetings, as they offer an opportunity to influence the direction of development in the town. Whilst it was encouraging to see public attendance on Monday, it was equally very disappointing that the attendance was not matched by councillors.
The next planning meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, November 25 at 6:30pm.
Image Credits: Ian Taylor CC .