A T last month's meeting of the Bridge Trust the trustees voted some £175,000 to "good causes" in the area.

I am often surprised at how little is known by local people about the trust and its work — and have myself, as a trustee, given talks to local groups to try and explain its beginnings and its history. Simply put it was probably formed when the first wooden bridge was built around 700 years ago — I say probably as we have no records earlier than 1555 and no really extensive archives before the 1690s. Some years ago I transcribed all our extant 18th and 19th century minute books which contain a great deal of fascinating material on the history of both the Bridge and the town. I mention this as I am now actively considering preparing my typescript for publication. I should add that along with our annual September/October grants we make many smaller grants throughout the year to many deserving groups and even individuals. Whenever I give a talk on the trust I always end by saying how lucky Bideford is to have the trust — and every year that passes only reinforces that view. You may know the trust only through the little plaques on our buildings but without the trust Bideford would be immeasurably poorer.

TESCO'S application to build a new store at East-the-Water is back on the agenda and even allowing for the unsettled, not to say chaotic, state of the economy the development looks likely to go ahead sooner rather than later. Tesco have written to all councillors setting out their ideas about an Employment Regeneration Partnership they might be introducing at their new store. The scheme aims to employ local people who have been unemployed for six months or more. Interested persons will attend an eight to 12 week training course, which is funded by the Government, while they will continue to receive benefits. The aim of the course is to build personal confidence and provide some basic retailing skills. Individuals can then formally apply for a job with Tesco and, if they successfully complete a further six-week training course, are guaranteed a job in the store. If it goes ahead — and it is not definite — then it will be the 22nd such "Partnership" with the most recent, in Birmingham, having seen some 63% of the new supermarket's staff coming through the scheme. Given the number of Bideford's long-term unemployed this sounds an excellent idea and represents a real chance for locals to get jobs — even if one has to wonder how many shop workers in the town might be added to the unemployed totals if competition with Tesco leads to the closure of their places of work? I would hope that the partnership is made a part of any planning permission granted for development of the store — plus other so-called Section 106 commitments by Tesco to help fund various infrastructure improvements in the town.

THERE are a few glaring eyesores in Bideford — the boarded-up building in Queen Street, the crumbling cement poster sites in Old Town — and number 6 the Quay (next to Mr Chips). Many months ago now I initiated moves to have something done about this latter problem — and I am happy to say that there now appears to be some movement. At my pressing, Torridge were going to take enforcement action against the absentee owner, but this has been put on hold following the apparently reliable news that a new owner is going to buy the building and, presumably, refurbish it. Described by me in the past as being like "a rotten tooth in the middle of a smile" it will be good if this long-standing black spot can be cleared up. I should add that if the sale has not gone through by the end of this month then the enforcement process will begin in earnest.

I ASSUME

readers noticed the article a few weeks ago which reported how Torridge was the fastest growing district in the South West over the last decade with our population rising by 1,000 a year in that period. In the next few weeks the Government will decide on how many new build houses are to be allocated to the area. Two years ago we had some 22,000 houses in Torridge — mainly in the Bideford-Northam area — and between 2006 and 2026 some 10,700 new houses are proposed. To put this into context Torridge has seen peak figures of around 400 extra houses per year being built — so if this rate were continued we could theoretically get around 8,000 new dwellings — most of them almost certainly in the existing towns. Given the current standstill in building, which depending on the severity of the recession could last several years, it can be seen that the building rate would have to really accelerate if the proposed target is to be met. At a recent council meeting reservations were expressed by councillors. Geoff Lee, for example, said that all we ever seem to get is more houses — but little infrastructure to go with them. David Lausen said that many newcomers had a sort of fantasy idea about services in the area that were just not there, which they only realised after moving here. Andrew Eastman queried the difference in views between Torridge's officers who wanted the 10,700 figure and the South West Regional Assembly and Devon County Council who opposed them. Len Ford said the figures were based on "a thriving economy" but times were changing and he reckoned the area already had enough houses — it was just that many were second homes and standing empty. The most intriguing statement came from Roger Johnson who reported on a recent meeting he had attended with the county council where it was made plain they are pushing for just 7,000 new houses — and if they had known Torridge was going for the higher number they would not have rebuilt Bideford College on its present site as it would probably be too small if the numbers of new houses sought by Torridge are allowed. Not a glowing example of joined up thinking in local government.