The Pier Trust

The Herne Bay Pier Trust was set up in 2008 by Canterbury City Council who have appointed 11 founding trustees. They are currently the most active body promoting the (re)development of the Pier, and our best hope of getting anything done.

Vision

The preservation, renovation, reconstruction and enhancement of Herne Bay Pier and the surrounding area as a building of special architectural and historic interest.

Mission

The promotion and use of the Pier for recreational purposes and as a community and heritage building for the general use and benefit of all the inhabitants of and visitors to Herne Bay and the surrounding area.

Find out more at their website.

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HBM

Pier news: decking to be replaced for £140k

about 11 years ago

Pier Trust EGM Minutes

about 11 years ago

Opening of the Retail Beach Hut Village on the Pier

about 11 years ago

This really pisses me off

about 12 years ago

Easter Newsletter from the Pier Trust

about 12 years ago

Pier Trust Chair puts her case

about 12 years ago

Pier Trust Rebuild Group put their case

about 12 years ago

Pier Trust Chair criticises Pier Trust Rebuild Group

about 12 years ago

The Pier Trust does some explaining

about 12 years ago

Crazy golf scheme for Herne Bay pier looks set to be approved

about 12 years ago

Cycling on the Promenade

Hmmm... notifying and consulting the public - this means you, dear reader - is a "final technicality". And the notice is gibberish.

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Cyclists could soon be legally allowed to ride along the promenade between Herne Bay and Swalecliffe. Although many already do, it is technically forbidden by bylaws – but council officials are planning to scrap these to create a new cycle trail. The route of the Oyster Bay Trail has already been approved by the council's ruling committee. It will run along the prom between Hampton and Swalecliffe. Cyclists will have to use Central Parade to avoid the busiest areas by the pier and the bandstand – where the byelaw banning bikes will remain in force.

click it to big it

Council spokesman Rob Davies said:

"All the promenade bylaws prohibit cycling, but the council prefers to educate rather than enforce and tries to encourage people to be courteous and considerate. Nevertheless, if the circumstances required it, the bylaw is there if we need to take a stronger approach. The executive decided to take a balanced view. The route does not go along the busy section of promenade around the pier and bandstand, and here the bylaw will remain in place on the promenade. Outside this area, it is acceptable to allow cycling on the promenade, so the council is now going through the process of changing the bylaw to allow cycling. This is effectively a final technicality, and a period of public notification is underway."

The route will be finished in two phases – from Reculver to Swalecliffe and then from Swalecliffe to Whitstable. A direct cycle route linking Herne Bay High School, the railway station and the memorial park is also planned. The new byelaw would have to be approved by the Secretary of State.

Comments should be sent to Mark Coram, Communities and Local Government Byelaws Section , 3/J5 Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU or email byelaws@communities.gsi.gov.uk before April 1 2010.

thisiskent.co.uk 5th Mar 2010

Blacksole Bridge is a daily risk

Call for footbridge at crossing

A busy road bridge has been described as a "death trap" by a Beltinge walking group. Blacksole Bridge, which links Altira Business Park and Beltinge, has no footpath, but is the only pedestrian access across the railway line. Veronica Kemp, who organises the Beltinge Happy Strollers' weekly walks from the nearby Miramar Care Home, is greatly concerned by the risks pedestrians face on a daily basis as they cross the busy bridge. She said:

"When the business park was granted planning permission in 2003, among the conditions was the construction of a shared walking and cycling bridge. This was agreed to be done when 17,000 sq metres of commercial floor space had been completed, but currently only 2,500 sq metres have been completed."

Miss Kemp, of The Horshams, has watched traffic levels increase across the bridge since 2003.

"The bridge has been a danger to cross for years, but ever since more people have been using Altira Business Park and more buildings have gone up, the situation has got a lot worse. Why the council ever agreed planning permission before this was dealt with I can't imagine. I personally refuse to cross the bridge now that it has become so very busy, and before very long there is going to be a very bad accident there."

The park has also been earmarked as a site for hundreds of new houses to be built, alongside more commercial and retail premises. City council spokesman Rob Davies confirmed provision of a new bridge still remains a condition of the original planning permission for Altira Business Park's development. He said:

"The applicant has put forward a new proposal to provide traffic management on the existing bridge through a traffic light system, as an alternative to a new bridge. This would be a single file system for cars alongside a shared footpath/cycleway. The details are currently being considered by Kent County Council and the applicant's transport advisers."

HB Gazette 2010-02-25

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Visit www.SaveHillborough.info for more

Humberts Leisure report on the Pier

Herne Bay's museum and Kings Hall should be sold off to pay for the redevelopment of town's pier, a new report has suggested. The document, which was written for the city council by consultants Humberts Leisure at a cost of £10,000, reveals few developers are interested in working on the pier and suggests local firms may be the only hope.

The consultants recommend demolishing the pavilion building and using the empty pier structure as a performance or events space. A cafe, shops and entertainment venue could replace the hall, and collections in the museum could be relocated to the new pier. The report said the museum building may be worth as much as £200,000. Council spokesman Rob Davies stressed no decision has been taken as yet to accept the report's recommendations - which are likely to outrage campaigners still reeling from their failed fight to stop funding cutbacks to the museum. Campaigner Linda O'Carroll said:

"This suggests the council had no intention of saving Herne Bay museum and their review of its future counts for nothing. But we will continue to fight and at the moment we are investigating a lottery grant to help secure its future."

The consultants admit redeveloping the pier will be expensive, and the council may need to find new ways of raising cash to fund the project - such as providing more beach huts along the seafront. Other suggestions include running an indoor children's play centre and a Victorian-themed children's ride, offering studios to artists and creating a water sports base. Proposals for a cinema, bowling alley and housing were ruled out. The consultants did not rule out connecting the two ends of the pier with an aerial ride of cable car-like pods.

The report concludes council should  explore a long-term vision for the pier, "with a view to the reconstruction or restoration of the pier to its original length, or in a new form, in the longer term." Councillors have agreed to move the sports facilities to Herne Bay High School and the Herons Leisure Centre site. Cllr Peter Lee, who chairs the town's regeneration panel, said:

"I welcome the publication of this report as the next step towards the regeneration of the pier. Subject to the relocation of the sports facilities, the report demonstrates that the pier has a significant future as an important visitor attraction at the heart of the town's seafront. The report sets out positive and realistic options for consideration and I look forward to the debate in the town before the council takes any decisions."

HB Times 2010-02-25

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See the Humberts Leisure report.

See the Pier Trust's official response.

Herne Bay coastwatch under threat

These people volunteer to save lives. They now have to buy themselves a new home because Canterbury City Council sold the ground from under them. This riles me.

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They watch the coast to make sure those in peril are quickly saved. But now the Herne Bay National Coastwatch itself is under threat and must find £60,000 by October to stay afloat. The service, which monitors the shore and cliffs between Herne Bay and Reculver, is in jeopardy after their lookout on the Esplanade was sold by the council. Coastal Watch member Bob Eslea said:

"Canterbury City Council decided to sell the lease of the watch station. Our new landlords want to develop the building for their own use so that we will have to vacate in October 2010 when our lease expires. It has not been easy to find alternative premises with good views of the sea, cliffs, promenade and beach. The only possibility we have is to build a new watch station or face closure."

Bob says the organisation, formed in 1994 after two fisherman died in Cornwall because of a lack of coastal lookouts, needs good headquarters because it keeps an eye on events which may go under the radar. Bob said:

"Even with advancing technology the Maritime Coastguard Agency cannot spot the child on a lilo or dinghy being swept out to sea on the tide or a swimmer in trouble. They cannot watch over small fishing boats, jet bikes, yachts and other pleasure craft without radar reflectors; they cannot see the paragliders who launch from the cliffs or notice problems encountered by the public at large. There is a real need for National Coastwatch Institution stations."

Members are asking for money and fundraising ideas to keep the service alive. Member Roger Atkins said:

"It was a bit of a shock when we heard we have to move out of our present premises. We have to raise the money. It is the cheapest option to have our own dedicated watch station. We need to have eyes on the coast and we've had quite a few incidents where we've alerted the emergency services to inflatable boats drifting out to sea. We're considering all sorts of options including chasing big donors and looking at a National Lottery grant."

HB Times 11th Feb 2010

21st century Canterbury

As KCC unveiled its vision for the next 20 years Canterbury City Council has been doing the same. It has begun a six-week public consultation on its Local Development Framework, which should take the district to 2030. Bosses at the city council say the district is at a crossroads and a “window of opportunity” exists to shape it for the next 30 years. Officers have spent the past two years working on the first draft of the 120-page Local Development Framework.

It discusses plans for 10,200 homes, slip roads on the A2, university expansions - and a marina for the coast. Architect Peter Jackson has long been a campaigner for a marina at Whitstable and put together his own plans for a £16 million development in 2006. Council planning policy manager Adrian Verrell said:

“There is a shortfall of marina provision along the north Kent coast. Whitstable is likely to be the preferred option although traffic impacts are likely to be a major concern for the town centre. A new marina at Herne Bay may contribute to the regeneration agenda but this was not supported during the recent public consultation. However, Herne Bay has well-documented economic and social problems. A marina has the potential to provide jobs, strengthen tourism and provide a publicly accessible 'green space'."

The biggest challenge is to find space for 10,200 new homes. Planners have already allocated 6,000 which leaves 4,000 to find. The Council has broken this down to 3,200 in Canterbury (mainly in the south or south-west with limited infill in larger villages); 400 in Herne Bay and 400 in Whitstable. It is anticipated 70 per cent will be houses for families with 30 percent as flats. Mr Verrell warned:

“The housing stock does not offer sufficient choice to meet current needs. There is a need for family homes if we wish to attract a young, economically active population. The issue is likely to get worse as the population increases and we feel they impact of the high-speed rail link to London.”

He said houses are in short supply partly because of the number of second homeowners in Whitstable and the need for student accommodation in Canterbury. The University of Kent has said it will need 38,000 square metres for classrooms and 500 more student flats. Canterbury Christ Church University will need 13,400 square metres of space and accommodation for 300 students. Canterbury already has 25,000 students in higher education. More than 29 per cent of the area’s population is aged 16 to 34 - higher than the county average of 23 per cent. Kent and Canterbury Hospital has announced ambitious plans for its site which could lead to more traffic congestion.

The Framework calls for the completion of junctions on the A2 at Bridge, Wincheap and Harbledown and is investigating a fourth park and ride service. Planners are in talks with Southern Water to ensure sewers will cope and SouthEast Water has plans to flood Broad Oak to create a new reservoir.

Herne Bay Times 4th Feb 2010

21st century Kent

It looks like we need to revise the acronym for the world's emerging super-economies. From now on, it will be B.R.I.C.K. - Brazil, Russia, India, China, Kent. Grandiose visions, but is this what anyone asked for?

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Kent County Council leader Paul Carter has teamed up with architect Sir Terry Farrell to launch a vision of Kent for the next 20 years. The pair travelled round the county by train to launch the £100,000 blueprint which was put together by Sir Terry.  Cllr Carter said:

“With the development of the high speed train (HS1), change is coming and we must plan for it. It has made a huge impact in bringing Canterbury, Margate and Folkestone nearer to London. I don’t think residents have woken up to the massive transformation HS1 will bring us.”

His vision includes a third £1 billion Thames crossing which could rake in an extra £30 million in tolls a year; a busier Manston airport with a rail link to Gatwick; a new town in a chalk quarry at Ebbsfleet; a new city linking all five Medway Towns; and revived coastal towns. Cllr Carter said:

“Unlocking Kent’s Potential sets the scene for the next 20 years. Sir Terry’s document is the gold dust on top, in glorious Technicolor, of what could come. Kent has been through the most extraordinary change in the past 25 years. We will have massive housing growth when we come out of recession. In the South East Plan we have 20 per cent more households coming - 128,000 new homes between now and 2026.”

Sir Terry said:

“I believe more people will come to Kent because it is so well connected. Kent can regard St Pancras as its London station. You are now connected to a completely different part of London. I remember 30 years ago all the docks in London were operational. It’s astonishing what changes can happen in such a short time. We must link all the airports by high speed rail so people can get from one to another easily preventing the need for more airports. I would like to characterise Kent into three areas: the UK’s most varied and thriving coast; the 21st century Garden of England; and the UK’s most connected county.”

HB Times 4th Feb 2010

Wall of silence

The council taxpayers of Herne Bay have just received a reassuring message from the city council. Apparently the town’s museum is not being closed after all - it just will not be open to members of the public! Talk about semantic gibberish!

As a concerned council taxpayer, I wrote to some 16 Conservative Canterbury city councillors in early December, expressing my opposition to the proposal to close the Herne Bay Museum as part of the 2010/11 budget cuts. I asked the councillors concerned to consider alternative methods of making the necessary savings and urged those representing the town to put the interests of the community before those of their political party.

Out of all those councillors contacted, only two - Ann Taylor and Peter Vickery-Jones - have had the decency to come back to me on this matter. The remaining 14 have not even deigned to acknowledge receipt of my correspondence! They might not agree with my sentiments concerning Herne Bay Museum, but surely common courtesy dictates some sort of response - if only to say that my comments would be given further consideration.

I am not a political animal and, accordingly have no particular party axe to grind. I deliberately targeted the Conservatives for the simple reason that they are currently the controlling party on the city council and, as such, form the executive which dictates policy. As a retired local government officer who served a number of local authorities in Kent for more then 30 years, I have never had a particularly high opinion of elected members in general. Some are hard-working and do have the best interests of their local community in mind, but many would appear to be there only for their own personal egos.

Their failure to reply to correspondence would only seem to indicate their complete unwillingness to discuss matters with concerned council taxpayers and has most certainly done nothing to enhance my opinion of them. For most people, pursuing a sporting interest, hobby or pastime costs money Councillors have chosen their particular pastime as being local politics. Why should other members of the community subsidise them in the pursuit of this chosen hobby?

Are the council taxpayers of Canterbury City Council getting value for money for the majority of their elected representatives? Council leader Cllr John Gilbey has been quoted in the local Press as being of the opinion that the number of elected members sitting on the Canterbury City Council is excessive and I, for one, fully agree.

An immediate reduction by say some 20 members (with the resultant reduction in associated allowances and expenses) would save council taxpayers somewhere between £100,000 and £150,000 per annum - a not inconsiderable amount and certainly much more than the projected annual savings on the whole of the city’s museum services budget.

I wrote to chief executive Colin Carmichael more than two weeks ago expressing my frustration at having received no response from city councillors. To date I have not received any response from him either on this matter! Have other readers encountered a similar wall of silence from Canterbury City Council?

John Fishpool, Herne Bay
HB Gazette letters, 4th Feb 2010

Relaunch of The Ship

Centuries of Herne Bay heritage will continue when the Ship Inn opens its doors once more. The seafront pub has been closed since last summer but has a new man at the helm is Kings Caterers boss Tony Farrow. The dad-of-two, 46, has taken the keys to the 14th century building and is eagerly awaiting its grand reopening next Thursday, 11th February. With no TVs, no sport and only background music, he says he wants the place to befit the motto: The way pubs were, not the way they are. He said:

“There’s a good local pub and great sports bar around the corner, and a cheap place for the youngsters along the seafront. But that’s not what we’re after. We want this to be a place for the mums and dads of Herne Bay - for couples looking for a relaxing drink and a nice meal. We want the older clientele. We want ladies to be able to come out for a drink and not feel intimidated by a bunch of men at the bar. I can openly say we will be the most expensive pub in the town, but reassuringly expensive with complimentary nuts and olives.”

Tony was handed the keys in December and has spent three months and thousands of pounds refurbishing the pub. He said:

“The upstairs has been redone, we’ve had a complete redecoration and have a brand new kitchen, new furniture and new CCTV. I’m really pleased with how it looks. It’s taken a lot of hard work but we’re finally there. We wanted it to look fresher, but have maintained a lot of the pub’s original features. The place is steeped in history and we want it to stay that way.”

With Tony taking a back seat in the day-to-day running of the pub, he’s bought in Simon Wildon and former Wine Bar owner Tony Knight to manage the place. With opening day approaching, Tony says he’s confident his first stint in the pub game will be a success:

“Reopening the pub has created eight full-time jobs, and they’ve all gone to local people with experience. They’re a great bunch and I’m sure they’re going to do I very well. I really do think it’s going to work out well. We’re all very excited. It was a great opportunity for me and one I hope to I expand on in the future. We’ve always had a good  relationship with the town and I hope it continues.”

HB Gazette 2010-02-04

Historic Inn reopening

The Ship lnn is afloat again. After months of being boarded up, she’s ready to take on passengers. The man behind the transformation is 48-year-old businessman Tony Farrow, who has sunk thousands into the venture. He said: “I’d rather not think about the cost. It’s an awful lot. But Herne Bay needs a venue like this.”

He is steering the 285-year old seafront pub upmarket in a bid to win back custom from mums and dads. Mr Farrow who also runs Kings Caterers and is the main booker of acts at the Kings Hall, said:

“Herne Bay has a number of good pubs but not many for mums and dads. I want it to be reassuringly expensive. Our beers will be £3.20 a pint but we will provide complementary nibbles and olives at the bar. Herne Bay is screaming out for a pub like this. I want it to be like the way pubs were, rather than the way they are. We have put in beers like Bass, Flowers, Stella, Becks, draught cider and Guinness and taken out Sky TV, the pool table and the jukebox.”

Town manager Chris West has seen it and is chuffed to bits.

“I am hoping we are out of the worst of the recession and 2010 will be a good year: I’d like this to be an asset for the town and help it grow again.“

He has retained the old world atmosphere of the ancient timber beams, but decked the inside with refurbished furniture from the posh Hilton hotel chain. He has also taken on former Wine Bar boss Trevor Knight and newcomer Simon Wildon as managers. Simon has been head-hunted from Anchor Catering which supplies Kings Caterers. Mr Farrow said:

“He is new to the pub trade but really good with customers. All the bar staff are people who have helped me at Kings Caterers.”

There has been a building on the Central Parade site since 1383 and an ale house since 1725. The new venture, backed by Enterprise Inns, has created eight full-time jobs including three in the new-look kitchen. Mr Farrow who started his career selling food to pubs, took over the building on December 21. It reopens on Thursday February 11th.

HB Times 2010-02-04

Gilbey in fighting mood

A retired teacher from Harrogate has joined the fight to save Herne Bay Museum. Linda O'Carroll has set up a special page on the web encyclopedia Wikipedia and has approached the National Lottery for how to get a grant. She said:

"Although I live in Harrogate I grew up in Herne Bay in the 1950s and 60s and regard it as my museum. I was shocked to read that the city council wants to close it. It is a slap in the face for all Herne Bay people."

The council wants to close the William Street building to the general public to save costs and has plans to open up the ground floor to take school parties by appointment. But Linda said:

"Lottery staff have told me the Museum is an extremely likely case and that if successful would get full funding for its needs over the next five years. That the application would cost the council nothing. The Sheriff of Canterbury (Cllr Gabrielle Davis) is researching this but the application must be submitted as soon as possible."

She has also uploaded edited highlights of the council Executive debate to Youtube. She said: "It is an eye-opener." It includes leader Cllr John Gilbey saying:

"You just wonder if they have got any interest in the issues other than the big ticket ones that get them in the paper. It's really disgraceful. It's absolutely disgraceful that they can't see what this council is doing. But we will fight that. We will fight it tooth and nail to show them what we are doing. No question. After what we have seen this evening you wonder if they have any interest in the big issue other than getting into the newspaper."

Cllr Gilbey said later he had not meant to cause offence or single out any one group of campaigners. The Tory leader said:

"What I said was not about Herne Bay. It was about all of the protestors, all the people in there. The moment it was over they got up and walked out and didn't stay for the capital budget which is all about the building projects and other work we are doing. All the good news was in the capital budget. Of course we get frustrated – we just wonder if they have any interest in anything beyond their own little campaign and any understanding about everything else we have to do."

From: thisiskent

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Gilbey wants to fight... What? Blindness? Any protestor?

Hmmm... I do get the impression that Cllr Gilbey would prefer some version of democracy that involved much less interference from the general public, who selfishly focus on what affects them. Hopefully he's pleased about the YouTube coverage giving us all an opportunity to see some of what the Council does. I agree whole-heartedly that it is "absolutely disgraceful that [we] can't see what [our] council is doing". The vast majority of votes are carried on a show of hands, with no record whatsoever of how each councillor has voted. I think that's disgraceful, but easily fixed: a simple electronic voting system would let us see very clearly what our councillors are doing.

The resolute defenders of the Museum have set up their own little Museum-o-Vision channel on YouTube here.

Gale's View: London Array

That contracts have been signed for the construction of the London Array windfarm in the Thames Estuary is good news. Whatever your view of global warming - and I subscribe to the view that even if some of the science is a bit dodgy it is much, much better to be safe than sorry - it is clear that unless we take action now to invest in and harness renewable energy then our children and our grandchildren are going to find the lights going out in their hospitals and their schools and their homes.

There may be enough coal in the hills of West Virginia to power the United States for the next two zillion years but that is hardly a responsible or an acceptable way forward if we are going to save what is becoming an increasingly fragile planet. There is likely to be no silver bullet, no one single source that will supply our energy needs for the future.  We shall require a new generation of nuclear power stations and we need to get on with the building of them.  We will need 100% carbon capture coal-fired power stations and we need to accelerate the development of that technology as well.

But we also need to use what God has given us in the form of the wind and the tides and that is just one reason why Laura Sandys under-reported Marine Energy Summit, held recently in East Kent, was so important.  These will be the technologies of the future and our County can and should be taking a lead in their development. London Array will, when complete, be the largest windfarm in the world.  It will generate enough energy from wind to power all of the homes in an area the size of one quarter of Greater London and in so doing it will displace the emission of 1.9 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide every year.

London Array will also create jobs. While too many of the large contracts have, because UK Ltd missed the boat, already been awarded to other European Countries, there will be other jobs in construction and long-term maintenance and servicing that can benefit the economy of East Kent and it is vital that Members of Parliament, the County Council and the City and District Councils continue to work together to ensure that the consortium awards those contracts locally.

And talking of wind energy I notice that some of the hot air that emerged from the Chancellor’s Pre-budget report promised tax concessions for those who generate energy domestically and supply the surplus to the grid. I have one constituent (living in Birchington) who has been waiting patiently for many months to install a wind generator.  He cannot do so because the same government that is offering incentives has still to issue the necessary planning regulations to cover the domestic installation of wind generators!  Perhaps, around that Cabinet table, they might start talking to each other!

Roger Gale M.P.  (December 23rd 2009)

Gale's View: Town Centre

It has been a long and frustrating time in coming but at last serious proposals for the re-development of the centre of Herne Bay are out in the open.  We need a good mix of high-quality retail, leisure facilities and residential accommodation in the heart of the community to keep the town alive night and day; and I believe that these plans warrant and deserve the backing of the town.

We either see the continuation of the drift towards out-of-town shopping that has blighted other town centre retail outlets or we give support to an imaginative and creative plan that will breathe life into a seaside town that, if we are honest, has for historical reasons never really enjoyed the benefits of a "town centre". The creation of such a focal point will not only prove to be a magnet in itself but will help to revitalise business for those outlets that are, particularly at present, having a difficult time in the High Street and in Mortimer Street.

The proposed developer, Denne Construction, have a good track record (they are, by the way, one of the Kent companies that have blazed a trail in the creation of construction trade apprenticeships) and if Canterbury City Council gives this project the go-ahead then I think that we shall live to witness the realisation of a dream (see 1980s editions of the Gazette!) that some of us have adhered to for a long time.

The present Council's ambitions for the town have, following wide public consultation, been impeded by a government moving of goal posts and consequent delays in the approval and implementation of a cohesive local plan. We are, I think, now getting back on track and if we can dovetail the development of the Market and William Street Car Park sites with the regeneration of the pier and other improvements planned for the waterfront then in relatively short order, and notwithstanding a dire national economic situation, The Bay is going to be a very exciting place to be.

Roger Gale M.P. (November 25th 2009)

Programme 2009/2010

Here's the 2009/2010 programme, to give you an idea of the range of topics covered:

2009

1st October: A.G.M. Followed by: "Images from the archives"

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5th November: J & S Wagner: "Phantasmagoria" Magic Lantern Slides

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19th November: Mrs. Ann Winter: "People & Lives of the Railway"

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3rd December: Miss Jennie Burgess: "Smuggling in & around Birchington"

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2010

7th January: Mr. Ian Tittley: "History of the Natural History of North Kent"

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21st January: Lt. Col. M. Martin: "Britain on the Home Front in WW2"

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4th February: Mr. Mike Bundock: "Herne Bay fires floods & freezes"

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18th February: Mrs. Margaret Burns: "The History of Studd Hill"

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4th March: HAROLD GOUGH MEMORIAL LECTURE: Mr. Frank Turner: "The Maunsell Sea Forts of the Thames Estuary"

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18th March: Mrs. Irene Pellett: "Tiles & the Time Team"

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15th April: End of Season Social

To end the season, about 50 members enjoyed a social evening of fun, food and fellowship. John Fishpool and Valerie Millo arranged some quizzes to test our knowledge of history in general and Herne Bay in particular. For example, did you know that the Bun Penny was once the Royal Hotel, and the Herne Bay Windmill was situated on the sea front from 1825-1878 on the site of Sea View Square?

The buffet meal was enjoyed by all, and a vote of thanks was given to all who prepared it or helped in any way to make it a happy occasion. The society's latest publications were on sale: Herne Bay's Hotels and Public Houses and Mills and Milling in the Herne Bay Area. These can be bought at Herne Bay Museum.

Members now look forward to two coach outings during the summer.

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Teas and Coffees are available after the lecture meetings

Gale's View: Empty Shops

The Government has offered a three million pound 'bung', spread across a number of local authorities, to promote the re-opening of boarded-up shops and to revitalise some failing High Streets. Setting aside the fact that this very thinly-spread financial largesse is far too little, far too late and that it fails to recognise the extent to which unregulated out-of-town shopping development has already killed off many High Streets it also appears to be in direct conflict with the Governments own planning policies!

Towns like Margate and Herne Bay have lost good local shops as the business has moved out to supermarkets located along the old Thanet Way and, in Thanet, to Westwood Cross.  The effect of this shift in patterns, combined with Town Centre parking charges contrasted with out-of-town free parking, the lack of town-centre housing development creating local catchments areas and, of course, the disastrous effects of a recession generated by failed government policy and regulation have meant that many of the butchers, bakers and purveyors of candlesticks and ironmongery have gone to the wall.

As if that was not bad enough, however, we are now faced with Government-backed alterations to the planning rules that are going to reduce still further the powers of Thanet District Council and Canterbury City Council to control the spread of out-of-town development.

With the British Retail Consortium indicating that, nationwide, one in ten of town centre shops are now vacant and the cross-party Communities and Local Government Select Committee saying, in its recent report, that the Government's proposed changes will result in "many more out-of-town superstores" and "unnecessary risks to town centres"  it's hard to see a future for the High Street.

At a time when we have a record number of empty shops there has to be grave concern that Gordon Brown's plans will hit small retailers and worsen the problem of "Ghost Town Britain".  The prospect of a few quid offered to provide some murals on the window boarding is in keeping with the government's short-term cosmetic approach to problem-solving.  The result will be about as convincing as a film set - but sadly it will create far fewer jobs than even that kind of façade!

Roger Gale M.P.  (September 2nd 2009)



The ninth iffiest Pier?

Herne Bay pier is among 10 across England and Wales that have been identified as being at serious risk of demolition or collapse. The report from the National Piers Society, placed the town's iconic structure at number nine in a top 10 which also includes Hastings and Brighton West piers in neighbouring East Sussex. But staunch defenders of Herne Bay Pier's future have dismissed the survey as pure conjecture. Graham Cooper, chairman of the Herne Bay Pier Trust, said:

"There's absolutely no scientific basis for this. It's purely based on public opinion and we or the city council have not been contacted to ask what we think. The pier structure itself is not at risk of decay or collapse but, of course, the pier head is. The Pier Trust is here to make plans for regeneration and to look at ways of changing it for the future. Canterbury City Council have already engaged consultants to look into future uses."

The National Piers Society believe this week's list illustrates the continued decline of the landmarks across England and Wales. A total of 101 piers were all built between 1814 and 1957 and now just over half of those remain, with 10 closed to the public. Society spokesman Anthony Wills feels the future is mixed. He said:

"It depends on whether piers can rebrand themselves and on what kind of state they've got into. Most important is whether or not the owners, be they private or the local authority, are continually investing and maintaining the structure, rather than just looking at the money-making aspects above the decking."

Hopes are high for Herne Bay pier's future, with Mr Cooper confident it can survive after the relocation of the Pier Pavilion sports centre next year. He added:

"This survey hasn't really taken any context into account. Herne Bay pier is in council hands, not private ownership and if the will is there, which it is, then something can be done. There's 100 per cent commitment from both the trust and the city council to improve the structure for future generations."

Kentish Gazette 2nd Sep 2009

Gale's View: Blacksole Bridge

Blacksole Bridge has become an accident waiting to happen.  That is not only my view, it is a concern shared by the Bay's three County Councillors, David Hirst, Jean Law and Alan Marsh, and also by many of the City Councillors representing the Town.

The development of  new housing between the bridge and the Thanet Way, the opening of the Harvester pub and a new hotel and the re-location of the driving test centre - of which more in a moment - have led to a dangerous mix of increased pedestrian and motor traffic.  It is for precisely this reason that when the City Council granted planning consent for the development of Blacksole Farm it attached a condition requiring the construction of a footbridge alongside the road bridge over the railway.

The developer now wishes to have the planning condition lifted and traffic lights installed instead.  The reasons for this are not difficult to see: a footbridge will be expensive and traffic lights, installed by the Highways Department, will be cheaper.  Lights will not, though, make provision for the pedestrians and cyclists who now daily cross the railway at this point. I hope and believe that the Highways Authority (Kent County Council) and the Planning Authority (Canterbury City Council) will use all of the powers at their several and collective disposal to resist a cheapskate option that will not solve the problem.

I take no pleasure at all in saying that unless the footbridge is constructed in the immediate future we shall find ourselves faced with a serious injury or death.

Part of the traffic problem has been caused by the Driving Test Centre on Altira Park.  It was clear at the time that the proposal was mooted that the Driving Standards Agency was determined to blunder ahead without sufficient attention to the possible consequences for local car and pedestrian traffic.  Neither was any attention paid to the environmental impact of the additional mileage and cost incurred by instructors and candidates having to travel to Herne Bay from Canterbury and Margate to, first, learn the routes and then take the test.

In a parliamentary question tabled in November 2008 I asked the Department for Transport what estimate had been made of the effect of multi-purpose practical driving test centres on levels of (a) car and motorcycle mileage and (b) carbon dioxide emissions. The Ministerial answer from this Government was "none".  So much for "green government"!  Parliamentary correspondence on this issue has revealed that not only in the Bay but nationwide the opening of "Multipurpose Test Centres" has led to increased mileage and emissions, increased costs for those seeking to take and pass their driving tests and, as in the Bay, roads in the area clogged up by crawling learner drivers.

We have all, at one time or another, had to bear L-plates on our cars and have had to stutter through the gears and stall on hill-starts and three-point turns and have nothing but sympathy for those preparing, at vast expense, to put themselves through this ordeal.  I also have huge admiration for those brave men and women who, daily, take their lives in their hands as they coach nervous learners.  I do not believe, though, that the concentration of all of this effort at a Centre on a business park on a roundabout off a flyover adjacent to a busy dual carriageway and approached by a narrow one-lane road over a railway bridge on a sharp bend leading to a very busy pub is necessarily the best choice of site.  I wonder what genius dreamed up this lunacy and why nobody within the planning authority recognised, as some of us did at the time, that this might just not be a clever idea!

The air is now thick with the sound of chickens coming home to roost.

Roger Gale M.P. (May 27th 2009)

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Visit www.SaveHillborough.info for more

Herne Bay councillor charged with corruption

Canterbury city councillor Roger Matthews has been charged with corruption.  The 57-year-old, who represents Greenhill and Eddington ward in Herne Bay, has also been suspended from the Liberal Democrat Group following the shock news.  He is due to appear before magistrates on Thursday, March 26 alongside Herne Bay Golf Club owner Julian Brealy. Matthews said he plans to plead not guilty and will "have his day before judge and jury" at crown court.  

The father-of-two, who has lost his seat on the planning committee as a result of the charge, was arrested last July following an early-morning raid on his home in Beltinge Road.  Both Matthews and 50-year-old Brealy, who lives in Mandarin Lane, Herne Bay, were charged under the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act 1889, which relates to the acceptance of gifts and hospitality by councillors.  Speaking outside a council meeting just hours after leaving the police station on Tuesday, Matthews told of his "complete surprise" at being charged.  He said:

"I don't believe I've done anything wrong. I was honestly surprised to be charged and will clear my name in court. I will be pleading my innocence so the case will go to crown court where QCs and barristers will inevitably be involved. Unfortunately the people picking up the bill will be the state. The only people making money out of this are those in the legal profession."

Although not disclosing the exact allegation he faces, self-employed property manager Matthews confirmed it relates to his time on the planning committee. He said:

"I have never favoured anyone in a planning decision and never would. Some people may not be happy with some decision and that's when they start stirring the mud - and mud sticks. I'm not a dishonest man. I may bend at times, but I'm not dishonest. Loads of people have been interviewed by police, both councillors and former councillors. I haven't kept a low-profile . When you start sticking your head above the council parapet people start shooting at you. There are 15 or so members on the planning committee so I don't see how one man's vote or views can affect a decision. To the police I'm just a feather in their cap."

Matthews was elected as a councillor for Herne and Broomfield in 1995 and again in 1999. In 2003 he was elected to represent Greenhill and Eddington after Herne and Broomfield was split in two.  As a result of his suspension from the Liberal Democrat Group, Matthews has lost his seats on the planning, audit and overview and scrutiny committees.  They are due to be reallocated at a council meeting on Thursday, March 19.  Matthews can still represent his ward at full council and Herne Bay member's meetings, but only as an independent councillor.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Alex Perkins said:

"While Cllr Matthews can, if he wishes, remain a city councillor, henceforth he is not and cannot describe himself as a Liberal Democrat and no longer speaks for or represents the Liberal Democrats. He will now face a court to explain his actions and it would therefore be quite wrong for me to make any comment other than to reiterate that Roger has been suspended from the Liberal Democrat Group and from the party. I would urge everyone to remember that being charged with an offence is not the same as being found guilty of one."

Leader of the council Cllr John Gilbey said:

"It is most unfortunate that it has come to this. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. When I've seen Roger over the last few months he has seemed more and more confident, as if the whole thing had blown over or he knew something we didn't. It is my understanding that a lot of people were talked to by police but I wasn't personally interviewed. Roger is entitled to his day in court - and in this country we pride ourselves that anyone charged is innocent until proven guilty."

Brealy, the managing director of Hollamby Estates, Heron Helicopters and Herne Bay Golf Club, spent £1.5 million last year building lagoons to cut the risk of flooding in Herne Bay.  He will appear alongside Matthews at Maidstone Magistrates Court on March 26.  The Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act 1889 states:

• The acceptance of gifts and/or hospitality by councillors and staff must be treated with extreme caution.
• On each occasion a judgement must be made between causing offence by refusal and risking improper conduct by acceptance.
• Gifts offered to a councillor or to staff should be declined if they know or suspect the giver has, or seeks business, with the council.

thisiskent 11th Mar 2009

Muse. Um.

Here's a very British gem: the Herne Bay Museum.

Fearless and fervent, my woman and I swarmed into the Museum to see what we could find out about The Downs of yesteryear. The place is a treasure trove! If you haven't been recently, pop in and saunter around. From fossil teeth to bouncing bombs, they've got all sorts of goodies on permanent display.

There are also temporary exhibitions - all the ones I've seen have been well worth a good peer. Currently it's 'Inventions', with a few kids' own ideas: "a friendly robot to bring me sweets".

Met up with Craig Bowen who looks after the tardis-full of stuff filed upstairs, like a collie looks after a flock of sheep. He's actually divided between several museums, with Canterbury getting the lion's share of him (hope we get the useful bits!). Enthusiastic and very helpful, as was the nice lady on the front desk.

There's an almost magical, other-worldly, time-slip quality about the archives, as seems to happen when the present is dedicated to the past, so it didn't seem out of place when a paternal Victorian figure stepped through the mist of time into our little tardis, brooding and reserved. He looked like someone's long-lost great-uncle Septimus, and muttered 'pas devant les enfants', so we took the hint and scarpered.

I like the Museum a lot. It's a delightful and poignant venture, burnished by the care and love invested in it, and handsomely repays the time you spend there. Long may it thrive and prosper. I would hate to see it fall prey to the unthinking short-term destructive greed that was directed at the Visitor Information Centre. For instance.

A golden opportunity missed

Disappointing. Unsurprising. Recoverable.

CCC voted down the opportunity to flaunt themselves as 21st century cyber-starlets (see Radio Sausage). The world is a marginally less glitzy place as a result.

More to the point, they voted down the opportunity to let their constituents see them in action. Internet access is becoming much more widespread, and is almost universal among the 'young' (anyone who runs for a bus). These are the very people who must be engaged in the democratic process if we are to stand the slightest chance of not going down the constitutional toilet, as a district, a county and a nation.

In the hope it will make some difference, I am emailing ALL the Councillors a link to the Radio Sausage post, in which I offer to prop up Western democracy single-handed. With luck, we may get some interesting and productive comments.

Councillors: I mean it. I am very worried that you have become so enmeshed in process, procedure and petty politics that you have lost sight of your purpose. You must actively seek out, and then represent, the wishes of your constituents. This takes involvement and commitment from everyone. There is an absolute need for widespread involvement in a vibrant and transparent local democracy.

You won't earmark a few tens (or hundreds?) of pounds to increase accessibility and participation. Out of a budget of millions. That is shameful.