ESTATE DEVELOPMENT &  MAINTENANCE of the ESTATE ROADS

Housing Development on the West Cliff

How it all started

The Earl of Ilchester owned the majority of the land around West Cliff, and before the Great War there were no houses at all here apart from the thatched farmhouse that still survives, with its sheep and cattle keeping the Victorian golfers company.

To cater for those who wished to live a seaside life, the impressive row of three- and four-storey houses that form Pier Terrace beside the East Pier was completed in 1882, and it is tempting to wonder whether the plans for them faced the same mixed reception from residents that Quay West has received in recent years…

Beginnings of the West Cliff Estate in the Twenties…

After the War, three entrepreneurs named Glenning, Guppy and Trevett bought the land from the Earl where the lower Estate has now been built, and after putting up houses for themselves sold plots on for other people to develop. With each sale went covenants to ensure that the roads and drains (of which the three retained ownership as Trustees) would be maintained properly through a levy on all house owners to cover essential repairs. These covenants are still in force today on the lower Estate, with the roads and common areas held by Trustees on behalf of the Association.

…through the Nineteen Sixties…

The next phase of development in 1961 saw the extension of the Estate further up West Cliff Road. The Trustees agreed to give the prospective developers (Calverleys) access to this site via the existing lower West Cliff Road, on condition that similar maintenance covenants were imposed on the new house owners as were already in place for those on the old Estate.

Unfortunately, Calverleys went into receivership before formally agreeing to this, and the builder that took on the development refused to agree to impose the same conditions upon its customers. This leaves each house owner in the 1961 development in the upper part of West Cliff Road (from the post-box up to “White Wings” and No 17 West Walk) technically responsible for the maintenance of his or her own frontage.

…and into the Seventies…

In the early 1970s, T. A. Fisher & Co (Builders) developed the final phase on the West Cliff Estate (apart from some in-filling) by constructing Brit View Road and the upper part of West Walk. In 2008 the Association finally reached agreement with T.A. Fisher’s successor company for the purchase of Brit View Road and  the upper part of West Walk.

Road Maintenance – the current situation

The result of this piecemeal development has been that there are actually three kinds of property:

·         those on the old estate, where collecting maintenance payments from residents is backed by covenant

·         Those on the 1961 extension to West Cliff where the frontagers are technically responsible for their own maintenance, although the Association does perform maintenance here because most of the frontagers pay the annual subscription

·         Those on the upper estate (Brit View, upper West Walk) where the ownership and responsibility for the roads and main sewerage infrastructure now lies with the Association, but with no enforceable covenants for maintenance contributions. The extended lateral drain system serving the East side of Brit View Road and the West side of upper West Walk remains the responsibility of the house owners connected to it.

To simplify the administration of the estate, an annual subscription is collected from all 132 properties on the Estate and is applied by the Committee to those repairs that are the most urgent.

There has, from time to time, been a suggestion from some residents that the Committee should approach Dorset County Council to take over the ownership of our roads. This has been fiercely resisted by the majority of residents, on the grounds that the cost of bringing the roads up to a minimum residential standard would be prohibitive, that it would lead to parking by day trippers on the Estate or (even worse) no-parking restrictions imposed everywhere, and (with the removal of the lower gate) a very heavy traffic flow.

Sewers and Drains

Perhaps the most important issue for the Association is the ongoing maintenance of the drains under the Estate. The older properties in the lower Estate are, in fact, in the best position here because, as the drains were in place prior to 1936, the water company was forced to adopt and maintain them at no cost to the Association. The same does not apply to the 1961 and 1974 developments. The Committee has been in touch with Wessex Water to discuss the possible take-on of this later pipework, but the company has been reluctant to consider it due to the non-standard positioning of the inspection chambers (in private gardens) and the poor condition of some parts of the system.

There has been a recent Government Committee looking into the future of all private sewers – this reported in 2008. The latest news on this initiative can be found on DEFRA’s website, but in summary the Government proposes to force the private water companies to take on all private sewers, storm and lateral drains in the UK, with the cost being spread over all water rate payers. This is planned to happen in 2011, so in the meantime the Association remains responsible for the West Cliff’s upper sewerage system.

If something does go badly wrong underground, the cost of major repairs by contractors has (in the past) been very high for the Association. In the light of this the Committee believes that maintaining a suitable level of emergency reserve funding, and supporting a future forced transfer of the drains to Wessex Water, is the best strategy.

Local Government

Our Estate is in the parish of Symondsbury, for which we are required to provide two Parish Councillors (see the Committee members list for details). The rest of West Bay is part of Bridport Town Council for administrative purposes.

Your Committee – its Role

The Committee consists of unpaid volunteers elected at the Association’s Annual General Meeting in April. Each group of roads has a Road Representative who acts as the residents’ first point of contact if any problems arise. There is also a Minutes Secretary to record the outcome of meetings, and a Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary who manage the Estate’s business between them. A list of the current office-holders is enclosed with this leaflet, as well as a set of the Rules of the Association.

It is worth noting that the Committee restricts its activities to the maintenance of the Estate and directly allied matters, and does not currently get involved in neighbours’ disputes, boundary disputes or the enforcement of covenants.

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