Seafront Parking

HB Gazette 9th September 2010

Unemployment in Herne Bay

HB Gazette 9th September 2010

Kevin Griffin

HB Gazette 9th September 2010

Secret Festival?

It appears that leaflets for our imminent and marvellous Festival were accidentally printed on thin sheets of Unobtainium. Our own dedicated Tourist Information Service seems to be rationing them. Presumably they've been cleaned out by people swarming to a quiet corner of the off-the-main-drag Council Offices.

To: customer.services@canterbury.gov.uk
Subject: HERNE BAY FESTIVAL NO LEAFLETS AVAILABLE
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:17:20 +0100

COMPLAINT

There are no brochures available in the Town for the Herne Bay Festival.

Having been to the HB Council Offices I could find nothing, not even a poster. I went to the Benefits Counter and had to ask for a brochure, given begrudgingly. No promotion of the Festival or Herne Bay just a hand over of the leaflet. Is this not OUR NEW VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE WE WERE PROMISED WOULD BE A VAST IMPROVEMENT ON OUR PREVIOUS VIBRANT AND INFORMATION DEDICATED VIC??

I went to the Library and the Museum who both advised they did not stock the Herne Bay Festival Brochure or had run out. They were not sure which was the case. They did however send the woman asking in front of me to the Council Offices saying "they should have some there" (well unless she had the foresight or premonition to go the benefits counter she will not have secured what must be considered the elusive and very limited editions of the festival Brochure).

I even went to the Canterbury VIC and guess what NO HERNE BAY FESTIVAL PROGRAMMES NOR A POSTER, NOT EVEN A HINT THAT CANTERBURY DISTRICT ARE CELEBRATING HERNE BAY. This is not the first time I have reported this problem It is the third year, possibly the fourth year I have reported the complete lack of effort of the Council. I believe that it is time you put Tourism for Herne Bay into the hands of a competent Tourism Agency.

I would ASK FOR YOUR WRITTEN REPLY WITHIN 14 DAYS

Kim Hennelly

CCC's Notable Achievements in Herne Bay

Marks out of ten for achievement? Here's what CCC proudly list on their site as their achievements in Herne Bay since 2005. I'm not churlish by nature, but it doesn't seem like a lot.

Notable Achievements in the Regeneration of Herne Bay

1. In 2009, Parklife, a new Youth and Children's Centre opened in Memorial Park. The new facility has proved very popular with local residents and includes a health clinic, youth activities and IT suite. The project, delivered by Canterbury City Council and Kent County Council demonstrates a successful example of partnership working and achievement.
2. The Council agreed a lease with a local business for the let of a vacant unit in the Herne Bay Bandstand. The unit has since become a thriving ice cream parlour with a corner allocated to tourist information with two large notice boards, a stand, a desk and computer.
3. In 2008, a successful community workshop was held to discuss the issues and opportunities for the regeneration of Herne Bay. Feedback enabled a greater focus on the preparation of preferred options for recreation, leisure and community, local economy and tourism, image and environment. The majority of proposals received overwhelming support in the public consultation prior to the drafting of the Area Action Plan.
4. The Council has identified the bus depot on the High Street as one of four potential opportunity sites that form a Central Development Area. Stagecoach has agreed to move, releasing the land for redevelopment. The site is now to be marketed to potential development partners as an exciting opportunity for a new mixed-use development in Herne Bay.
5. In 2007, the decision was taken to move the Pier Sports Centre from the end of the existing pier to the Herne Bay High School as part of the Building Schools for the Future scheme and to an extended herons centre. This proposal will enable the pier to once again be a unique attraction for the town and has led to the formation of the Herne Bay Pier Trust Herne Bay Pier Trust; a local community organisation to promote the future of the pier.
6. The Council working alongside both Sustrans and East Kent Partnership secured the necessary funding to complete the missing coastal section of the National Cycle Route link. The first section of this new cycle path was completed in March 2008, with the completion of the second stage due in 2009.
7. A partnership led by Canterbury City Council has delivered environmental improvements to both Beach Street Alley and William Street. These have enhanced the character, appearance and use of the pedestrian routes that link the High Street to the seafront.
8. In 2006, the Herne Bay Town Centre Partnership was established. The partnership is a voluntary organisation made up of local businesses and community groups, whose aims are to help regenerate the town through better joined up marketing and promotion.

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• Item 2 is, of course, CCC's slippery gloss on the dismal loss of our Visitor Information Centre. Cheek!
• Item 3 refers, I think, to the one-day HB Regeneration exhibition at the King's Hall.
• Item 4 is in limbo.
• Item 5 is now starting.

Town Development - consultation

Roll up, roll up! This is probably your last chance to influence the Master Plan, so have a look and then have your say. Not only can you have a close look at the William Street development plans, if you choose the day carefully, there will be someone to explain it all.

Herne Bay Central Development Area, Draft Master Plan Consultation

The council is committed to regenerating the Herne Bay Central Development Area as the main way of driving a stronger economy for Herne Bay as a whole. The Central Development Area encompasses the King's Road and William Street car parks, extending north to the High Street. It also includes parts of Beach Street and Hanover Street, as well as William Street and Queen Street. The result will be a thriving mixed use development.

The council has been working with our partners Coplan and Denne to draw together all of the previous consultation comments to produce a Draft Master Plan. We now wish to consult on this to ensure that we have accurately captured the views of local residents and businesses. When we have considered all of the comments we will look to finalise the Master Plan and hopefully consider a planning application for the central development area in early 2011.

You can view the draft Master Plan at Christ Church, William Street, Herne Bay at an exhibition lasting each day from 10am to 4pm, from Monday August 16th until Sunday September 26th 2010 (except Wednesday mornings and Sundays). You can also view the Draft Master Plan at Herne Bay Divisional Office, Herne Bay Library; and the main city council offices. A summary of the Draft Master Plan, which you can take away with you, is also available at all of these locations. We have produced a questionnaire but do feel free to write in or email your comments to janet.davies@canterbury.gov.uk if you prefer.

The council and Coplan will be holding two sets of Question and Answer days at Christ Church, William Street. These will be from 10am to 4pm on Monday 16th August, Tuesday 17th August, Wednesday 18th August; and Wednesday 1st September, Thursday 2nd September and Friday 3rd of September. We will also be available from 10am until 8pm on Wednesday 1st September and from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 11th September. I hope you will find time to drop in and view the exhibition or indeed to come along on one of the Question and Answer days. If not do please have a look at this website where you will be able to gain all of the information: www.canterbury.gov.uk/hernebayprojects

Comments can also be left at the Corporate Trailer which will be based by the Clock Tower, Herne Bay on Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd, Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th August. The Trailer will have be staffed and have copies of the Draft Master Plan available for reference. I look forward to receiving your comments on the proposals for the Central Development Area at: janet.davies@canterbury.gov.uk

Blacksole Bridge solution?

Here's a thought: our beloved Council might be able to pluck victory from the jaws of self-inflicted defeat by the careful use of some of its special powers. Not super-hero special powers, you understand, but good old-fashioned statutory powers.

Applying some judicious pressure to our friends at Kitewood (masters of Altira) might just encourage them to get cracking on their promised bridgework. It could be argued that it would be perfectly reasonable of CCC to set about resolving this knotty problem by slapping a compulsory purchase order on a strip of land running from the end of Mickleburgh Hill through to the roundabout in the middle of Altira Tumbleweed Park.

click it to big itThis 200 yard new road (and bridge) would provide a clear run through for traffic to and from the Thanet Way, and provide the option of making the existing Blacksole Bridge and the curve of Margate Road pedestrian only (or pedestrian and bicycles). Smooth-flowing traffic, and safe passage for people - what's not to like?

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Visit www.SaveHillborough.info for more

Now & Then: William Street car park

Now & Then: an occasional comparison of past and present (and sometimes the future). This time we're hovering over what is currently the William Street car park.

1931

The area is grassed, with the cricket pitch in the middle being home to the Cheerful Sparrows (the local cricketers).The Hospital Fête is in full swing, throngs of people amongst the marquees, tents and stalls - a good time being had by all, I guess. Most of the buildings in the High Street (at the bottom of the picture) and William Street (left) are still recognisable, but the terraces in Queen Street and Kings Road (top) have now gone.

I've been told the cricket ground was turned into allotments during the Second World War as people Dug for Victory, and was never properly reinstated as a field/green/ground/pitch. At some point it fell into the clammy grasp of the Council, who immediately responded with their own version of TLC - Tarmacked Long-stay Car park.

2010

The cricket pitch has gone, leaving just a few patches of grass in municipal shapes. A lot of space set aside for cars. A few noticably chunky buildings - the Kavanagh and swimming pool, Morrison's, and the blocks of flats on the High Street, Queen Street and King's Road.

2014-ish

The roofline of the High Street and William Street is unchanged, but now contrasts with the large blocky shapes that have appeared on and near the old car park. An architect once explained to me that the commonest mistake in town centre developments is for the new to be "out of scale" with the old.

Modern construction techniques mean that it is now possible to make windows, walls and roofs bigger, taller, longer and flatter. Modern construction economics mean that big, simple shapes are cheaper to build, which is why we're getting big simple shapes that are "out of scale".

P.S. any more information about the history and background of this once-lovely patch of land would be most welcome. 

Mixed reception for development plans

Ambitious plans for a £35 million regeneration of Herne Bay town centre have been met with mixed reactions. Scores of people packed into the Salvation Army Hall on Tuesday as Bay councillors gave their views.

The scheme, led by developers Denne Construction and regeneration experts Coplan Estates, includes a supermarket, shopping centre, homes, multi-storey car park, hotel and a medical centre. It could be complete as early as 2014. Concerns have been raised that the development will draw people away from shops in Mortimer Street, but that suggestion was shot down by finance guru Cllr Peter Lee. He said:

"There's no point in establishing a new shopping centre and killing off the old one. The objective is to make one complement the other. Currently, only 31 per cent of the money that comes into the town is actually spent here. Why should people come from outside Herne Bay when we can't even get the people who live here to shop in the town? It's taken a long time but we are determined to get it right for the future of Herne Bay"

Fellow councillor Robert Bright, owner of Lisa B's furniture store in William Street, said:

"As somebody who does own a small shop in the town, I think a new retail centre with several well known shops will bring people into the town. That means more people in Mortimer Street, more people in William Street and more people in my shop."

Lib Dem Ron Flaherty praised the proposal, but said:

"On the plans it says medical centre. But that's only a couple of words on a map at the moment. The city council has got to take the initiative because doctors will sit back until the heavens open. We need to get them all together and look at what's possible. We could do what Whitstable did at Estuary View under the guidance of Dr Ribchester."

Not everyone was behind plans to redevelop the proposed site. Student tour operator Diane Nutter claims losing the coach parking in William Street could cost the town dearly. She told the meeting her company brings 6,250 students to the town every year, arriving weekly from February to November. The coaches park in William Street car park five days a week and the drivers stay in rented accommodation or B&Bs on the seafront. She said:

"I'm all for the principle of the development, but having to park the coaches well outside the town is simply not viable. In all we bought well over £600,000 to the town last year and that doesn't include the money spent in Whitstable and Canterbury. I feel the loss of important long-stay parking facilities in Herne Bay will have a devastating effect on the town."

Bay councillor Roger Matthews also rubbished the proposed development:

"This started off as a redevelopment of the town centre, but now it's moved. We've already got a shopping centre in Mortimer Street that nobody can get at. That's what we should be concentrating on. There are other sites in Herne Bay, but they're not council owned and would have to be purchased. That's the problem."

County councillor Jean Law hit back at Cllr Matthews, saying:

"This is a fantastic proposal. Does Cllr Matthews really believe we've lost sight of William Street and Mortimer Street? Why does he think we've spent the last 18 months working with Chris West and Herne Bay Town Partners to make it look better to improve it? There's room for both."

HB Gazette 29th July 2010

Fourth Pier: Eden-on-Sea

Herne Bay could end up with two giant domes on its pier, just like Cornwall's award-winning Eden Project. The idea is the brainchild of graphic designer Dave Parish. He submitted his plans to a secret meeting of the town's Pier Trust last week, and says feedback has so far been positive. He told the Times: "I am very optimistic about the plans."

The Pier Trust is so taken by them that they are allowing Mr Parish, of Carlton Hill, to present them to the public on the pier on Saturday August 21 - the first day of the Herne Bay Festival. Mr Parish, 60, said:

"I'd like the emphasis to be on the environment, the community arts, leisure and tourism. It would be an environmental project influenced by the Eden Project but on a much smaller scale. There are still a lot of questions which need answers, but I often use my intuition and I feel this would work for Herne Bay if the money can be found. It would give Herne Bay the first green pier."

He added that it might make an ideal new home for the town's museum, which the city council is downgrading to save money. One of the climate-controlled geo-domes, made from glass, glass-fibre and the same hard-wearing transparent plastic material used by the Eden Project, would be called the Palm Dome. Mr Parish says it could be used for theatre, concerts, stand-up comedy, tea dances, wedding receptions and festivals, and have its own restaurant. It would feature cacti, palms and tree ferns, making it useful for school educational trips.

The transparent panels would protect visitors from rain, wind and sea but produce spectacular sea views. It would be linked to the second dome by a courtyard and tunnel. The Play Dome would feature a children's all-weather play area with entertainment such as Punch and Judy shows, clowns, magicians, a bouncy castle, ballpond cage and helter skelter. There would be a coffee bar and an area for teenagers with table tennis, pool, air hockey and internet access. The complex would be powered by solar panels and two wind turbines. There could be a floating platform for anglers and plenty of deck space screened from the wind. Mr Parish says there would be no need to extend the current pier superstructure. An illuminated walkway and viewing platform could run over the top of one or both domes.

Today's pier is all that remains of Herne Bay's third pier, which was once the second longest in the world. The Pier Trust, set up to rebuild the pier, needs new members.

HB Times 29th July 2010

Town says it with flowers

Blooming bollards have brought a sea of colour to Herne Bay - thanks to its In Bloom committee. They installed flower baskets of red and white geraniums over the town’s bollards in the High Street, with help from city council contractors Serco and money from the county council, just in time for the South and South East England judges to call on Tuesday.

Wooden and three-tier planters were provided by Town Centre Partners. The city council provided plants and compost for the permanent town brick planters. Newhouse Nurseries at Dunkirk prepared the containers. In Bloom spokesman Pam Hobbs said:

“Everyone on the committee worked so hard. Shops and businesses have been excellent, too, as they have had to water the flowers.”

Judges started their inspection at the Appleseed Landscapes project at the entrance to Kent Enterprise House. They were then taken to Herne to see the village’s 700th anniversary flower bed; Herne Junior School; Beacon Hill; Sea View Road to the Downs; the Girl Guide centenary garden near the Kings Hall and then to Hampton via the High Street. Judges met foreshore manager Tom Hawkins at the pier then walked the seafront to meet town coordinator Chris West at the Beach Walk dry garden. He took them to see the basket tree in William Street donated by Denne Construction & Coplan, who also provided a water bowser, which is kept by Peter Goodwin, of Wilbees estate agents. The judges also visited Memorial Park before finishing at Richmond Court.

It was a race against time to get the garden at the entrance to Kent Enterprise House ready for the judges. Bosses only received permission from Kent Highways to use the area next to The Links roundabout on Thursday - giving them less than five days to finish the project.

Workers from the Appleseed Landscapes charity pulled out all the stops to complete their entry for Herne Bay In Bloom. Gardeners went straight to work digging and removed turf for the spiral design. Compost from Viridot; made from green waste from the district, arrived on Friday. By Monday it was all dug in, just as the plants arrived from council contractors Serco. By the end of Monday all were planted according to the design.

All that was left on Tuesday was for the edges to be completed and conservation features to be installed. Insect boxes were made by the Hambrook Marshes team and nailed to wooden posts around the flower bed. Homes for stag beetles were built using wood from Hambrook Marshes.

Alien pods invade. Town calm, oblivious.

click it to big itOfficially alien, inert but somehow threatening, Satan's Smarties have been popping up all over. Once you've got your eye in, you realise that they've been hiding in plain sight. Cunning. Looking like larger-than-life models of microscopically disgusting nano-life, they are the pupal or chrysalis stage of a ladybird. Not just any old ladybird, though: the Harlequin ladybird - an invasive species that arrived from the continent in south-east England in 2004 (its range expanded north from continental Europe as the climate warmed) and has already reached the Midlands and Cornwall.

It's voracious, gorging itself on blackfly and eating other ladybirds out of house and home. It's spread has been mirrored by a fall in number of some of our native ladybirds. (Native ladybirds have Union Jack tattoos on the underside of their wing-cases, to help with recognition.)

Ecological dilemma: let nature take its course, or trample them underfoot and make ladybird wine?

www.ladybird-survey.org

Electric Ferret: looks harder, finds more

I recently commissioned Zorba the Geek to find a better way to search CCC's bewildering website. Behold the fruits of his labours: the Electric Ferret. Take it for a spin...

Click the CCC logo and search their website for your name, or your street name, or whatever. Then click the Electric Ferret, and run the same search. Now play 'spot the difference'. Top tip: if you're searching for a phrase, put it in double quotes - Beach Street would find all the beaches and streets, but "Beach Street" would find just that street.

Politician calls for depopulation. World trembles.

The Lib Dems have accused you of being a climate change denier. Is that true?

It's not. And denier is an insult because of Holocaust deniers. As a geologist I know about ancient climates and where the atmosphere has been going for hundreds and thousands of years. Yes, there is an impact that man is having on the climate but there’s not much we can do about it, because we're looking at the symptom and not the cause, which is that there are too many people on the planet using up the natural resources. While people are trying to save trees, they aren’t looking at the population issue. Man is affecting the planet on such a scale because of sheer numbers, and that's what needs focusing on.

HB Times interview with Cllr Gilbey, 15th July 2010

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If you would like to find out more about the thoughtful elimination of the human race, and Cllr Gilbey isn't available, have a look at The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. They advocate phasing out the human race by voluntarily ceasing to breed, arguing that "crowded conditions and resource shortages will improve as we become less dense".

Myself, I think that smarter actions, rather than fewer people, would be a better way of being "less dense".

Politician calls politician "political". Nation laughs, yawns.

You have ferocious exchanges with Lib Dem leader Alex Perkins. What do you think of him?

Alex is the opposite of me, in that he's totally political and everything he does is with an eye to the next election. I speak as I see and try to be honest, with the objective of getting things done, and Alex can be economical with the truth sometimes. On a personal level I have no problem with him, and I admire the fact he can talk the hind leg off a donkey and sound plausible. He has difficulties with his group, because they are all split and my group isn’t.

HB Times interview with Cllr Gilbey, 15th July 2010

Crime-watching

A CCTV camera has been installed on Herne Bay seafront to deter beach hut vandals - but only for six weeks. The temporary measure was put in place after concerns about vandalism and arson attempts were expressed. The seafront at Western Esplanade has long been a target for anti-social behaviour and criminal damage, with countless crimes reported in recent years.

The council has knocked back hut owners’ pleas for a permanent camera, blaming a lack of money in the budget. But last week it installed one of its three mobile cameras on a lamppost in Western Esplanade. It’s hoped the device - which was used at the same site last year - will deter would-be vandals and yobs from causing havoc during the summer holidays. Herne Bay Beach Hut Owners’ Association chairman Andrew Cook said: 

“We certainly welcome it back. As soon as it went up last time the aggravation stopped, and as soon as it was taken down it started up again. But we would like to see two or three permanent cameras along this stretch. If I had my way they’d cover all the way along to Hampton. I’m positive in thinking something could happen.”

Police community officer Mike Keam - a designated beach watchdog - added: 

“It’s good that we have the camera here. It will certainly act as a deterrent. If people are stupid and want to do something in front of it, we get to see what they’re doing and catch them.”

The camera will be operated by city council CCTV staff, who will alert the police to any illicit activity The council’s mobile camera chief Ray Aziz said: 

“We try and put the cameras where they are needed. The idea is that it acts as a deterrent and also as a monitoring resource for the council and police. We hope its presence will provide beach hut owners with some reassurance.” 

Mr Aziz said a permanent camera could cost between £10,000 and £25,000. The proposal will be discussed in September by councillors overseeing the budget.

HB Gazette 15th July 2010

Crucial bridge must be built soon for safety's sake

How dare Kitewood try to hold the city council to ransom. As MP Roger Gale said, they have already had £1.3 million knocked off the asking price for the land at Margate Road, they agreed a bridge would be built, whoever agreed to the condition that this wouldn't be built until 17,000m² is occupied should be ashamed of themselves.

They obviously don't walk or drive along Margate Road and over Blacksole Bridge, or they would see for themselves how dangerous it is, both for pedestrians and vehicle drivers. I drive this way almost every day and have had several "near misses", with cars swerving to avoid pedestrians that can't be seen on the blind bend - bad enough during daylight, but night time is far worse, especially as people walk home after spending the evening at one of the two restaurants. The majority of pedestrians do their very best to make themselves as small as possible to stay safe but it's such a dangerous section of road, with no room to manoeuvre if vehicles are coming from both directions at the same time.

Mr Dolan of Kitewood says "there is not money in the pot to build the bridge now", but presumably they had the money to purchase the land at Hillborough and it would appear they also have the money to pay for the building materials and labour costs involved in developing that site, should planning consent be given. I would like to see the council stand firm and turn the tables on Kitewood and play them at their own game, withhold even considering planning permission for Hillborough until the Blacksole pedestrian bridge is built, but as the agreement was that Kitewood will build the bridge when 17,000m² is occupied, I guess they couldn't do this legally. Kitewood, however, could make a goodwill gesture and build the footbridge now.

I also hope the council ensures that, before they allow development at Hillborough, the infrastructure is in place to support 700 new homes. It's bad enough to allow building on such a scale, but are there sufficient schools, health facilities, safe road links, mains water and sewage facilities that can cope adequately with the extra burden to be placed upon it? And I would hope there will not be another ludicrous condition in the plans that favours Kitewood and doesn't consider the safety of the people who occupy that area, current and prospective. Hopefully a resolution will be found very soon, that will value the safety of people above financial gain, for a change.

Christine West, Beacon Avenue, Herne Bay
HB Gazette letters, 15th July 2010

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Visit www.SaveHillborough.info for more

No build. Pre-billed.

Heart-warming, really. Our Councillors are falling over themselves to give this developer money and great deals. Latest wheeze: use the "people's project" label to coax a better price from Network Rail, so that Kitewood can build the Blacksole crossing for less.

We still don't have the bridge we've paid for. The councillor thinks that if we re-invent this shambles as a "people's project", Network Rail will offer a discount. And that we would be able to pass that discount on to Kitewood without Network Rail noticing or minding. So that Kitewood could build the bridge for less than they've been paid. And keep the change?

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"Community" Bridge at Blacksole

A footbridge alongside narrow Blacksole bridge could be built within a year if a building project wins planning permission, a developer has suggested. Property firm Kitewood is legally obliged to build a separate pedestrian walkway once enough of its nearby Altira business park is in use. However take-up at the site has fallen short of the 17,000 sq m target to trigger construction of the much-needed footbridge.

Campaigners say the improvements are vital since the building of housing between the bridge and Thanet Way the opening of a pub and hotel and the relocation of the driving test centre, which has led to more pedestrians and traffic.

Kitewood bosses say if their proposals to build housing and industrial units in Hillborough wins support from the city council, they would spend £2 million on a walkway alongside the bridge and build a replacement overpass. This figure includes the £600,000 fee to Network Rail to build over the railway line.

Without the 40-acre Hillborough project, Kitewood claims there is no commercial reason to splash out on a new bridge until the threshold at the Altira site is met which could be five years away. Speaking at a meeting called by ward Cllr Peter Vickery-Jones last Wednesday, Kitewood director Mike Dolan said:

"If supported by planners, Kitewood will immediately undertake a legal obligation to build a new bridge within one year. It is the grant of this consent for this development that will create value to fund the bridge."

Cllr Peter Vickery-Jones wants to set up a community trust to make it a people's project:

"Kitewood can afford to wait until the market picks up, but the dangerous situation on the bridge cannot wait. The only alternative is to adopt the bridge as a community project and there are a lot of people committed to this.

I have already invited an independent bridge company who will come back with costings. Then we can approach Network Rail in the hope that we can get the wayleave figure of some £600,000 reduced as it is now a community project.

I am hopeful that the current indicated cost of the bridge of £1,350,000 will be reduced enough by the community approach to make it an attractive option for Kitewood to fund the bridge."

Herne Bay Times 15th July 2010

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Caveat: it's not always clear when Cllr Vickery-Jones is speaking in his official capacity, and when he's just sharing his own private thoughts out loud. Even when the paper quotes him as "Cllr V-J... ", it can turn out that what he's saying is not official at all, just the musings of one man's mind. So he could just be flying a kite, or this might actually be the official policy. I would love to know which, but the last time I asked this particular councillor a straight question, he took 6 months to fail to answer it at all, so perhaps you, dear reader, would care to ask Cllr Vickery-Jones whether the "people's project" is now Council policy.

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Visit www.SaveHillborough.info for more

Beacon Hill

The Problem:

The new road markings at the western end of Beacon Hill have created a potential accident blackspot. Cars can now park on the north side of Beacon Hill from the point where the "pavement" (path) peters out - this is the beginning of the (unenforceable?) 20 minute restricted waiting zone for people visiting the Barnes Wallis statue.

Unfortunately this has unintended consequences. Drivers coming from Herne Bay and turning right to go (uphill) into Canterbury Road have their view of the traffic coming down Beacon Hill blocked by any cars parked by the statue. If they are turning left into Beacon Hill, they then have to swing out to avoid any parked cars on the corner by the statue. The result is that drivers coming down Beacon Hill are confronted with oncoming traffic suddenly appearing on the wrong side of the road!

A Solution:

This is easily remedied by extending the "No Parking" zone on this corner - perhaps as far as the footpath leading to the King's Hall - which would take no more than some paint and a sign.

Friends of Herne Bay Museum

The Friends of Herne Bay Museum is a non-profit making group dedicated to keeping a museum, freely open to all, in the town for residents and visitors alike.

In late 2009 there was a threat to turn our museum into an education centre, open only to groups and schools who booked in advance and paid for the service. We won a stay of execution because thousands of people spoke up. It’s our museum and we need to keep speaking up for it, so that it will survive and thrive.