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.

Altira

Sounds like a star, works like a black hole.

One point three million pounds... vanished.

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By the north-east Kent coast, in the fine town of Herne Bay,

nestling between the railway line and the A299,

lies the undersubscribed Altira Business Park.

It has a potential 46,450 m² of commercial space.

The contractual trigger for building a new Blacksole Bridge is having 17,000m² leased. They have leased some plots - Premier Inn, DSA, etc - totalling about 2,500m², but are still short of the required 17,000 m² . Otherwise we would have a new bridge.

Mind you, in their soft focus vision of the future when the business park looks full, there's no sign of a new bridge. An oversight, presumably.

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Visit www.SaveHillborough.info for more

Nothing to do with jollies...

Andrew is the patron saint of Greece, Prussia, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, and sports-themed regional promotion. At the St Andrews Open (a golf thing) our plucky council workers will be promoting us for all they're worth, but it may be a waste of their time and our money.

Row over Council's £40,000 trip to golf Open

Later this month, staff from the city council will travel to St Andrews in Scotland while The Open Championship golf takes place in a trip costing Canterbury's taxpayers £40,000. The city council insists staff will be working hard to promote Canterbury in a way which it hopes will benefit the district many times over when Sandwich hosts The Open at Royal St George's this time next year. However, one prominent hotelier questions the need to promote the city when Canterbury's hotels and bed and breakfasts will be full when The Open comes to east Kent next year. David Sharma, the owner of Howfield Manor Hotel in Chartham, says promoting the city on what will be its busiest week of the year is a waste of public money.

FOR

Council spokesman Rob Davies said:

The city council has made a total contribution of £40,000, spread over two years, towards the cost of staging the Open golf in east Kent next year. This spending has nothing to do with jollies and hospitality, as some people were suggesting during our budget consultation last year; and everything to do with maximising what is a great opportunity to promote the area to a worldwide audience in much the same way as the Tour de France was.

The three staff from the city council will join people from Visit Kent and other east Kent councils at St Andrews. They will be working 16-hour days for 10 days, have no access to watch the golf and will be staying in a rented house 50 miles away from St Andrews to keep the costs down. The team will have a huge, east Kent-branded stand featuring a range of images of the area in order to promote it as a great place for golfing breaks and holidays, to make sure we get the best possible legacy from the Open golf coming to Sandwich.

We will also have the same presence at the 2012 Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes. In short, this trip will see our staff working their socks off for the benefit of the local economy and to get the maximum return for our £40,000 contribution.

AGAINST

David Sharma, who has run Howfield Manor since it reopened in autumn 2008, said:

There will be no accommodation available anywhere near Canterbury while the golf is on, so what is the point of going to St Andrews to promote accommodation? Even hotels in south London will be full during the tournament. This trip has all the hallmarks of a jolly for those people going. And given that there are going to be cutbacks in public services, going up to Scotland to watch the golf seems even more wasteful.

If the council was genuinely interested in promoting tourism in the district then it should look at trying to encourage people to come to Canterbury during the week when things are much quieter - not during the busiest week of the whole year. We don't need them promoting us when we get the business, we need it during down times. I'm going to be fully booked during the golf. I'm just bewildered about this on two counts. First, as an accommodation provider I question the need for it and secondly, as a council taxpayer I'm angry public money is being used for it.

HB Gazette 8th July 2010

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As I have mentioned elsewhere, one of my many hideous personality defects is that I just don't 'get' golf. This leaves me doubly perplexed when trying to assess the commercial logic of sending people to the other end of the country to work stupid hours for a fortnight. I'm assuming that the £40k is simply to buy our exhibitor's pass - feeding and housing our ambassadors at the other end of the country is extra. Thrilled as I am that Council employees are prepared to work 16 hour days promoting Canterbury (District, not just the City, I hope), they don't have to go to Scotland to do it.

The Open will be coming to Sandwich, regardless of the Council's presence and efforts at St Andrews. Hardened golf fans will already have decided whether to come to the Sandwich Open. Of those who are undecided and persuadable, I'm guessing only a minority will be at St Andrews. It seems like a lot of time, money and effort to catch those few waverers - a half-way decent ad campaign in the golfing press would probably do the trick.

If Mr Sharma is correct, the whole area will be fully booked during the Sandwich Open anyway, so people would end up in the bridal suite, or an over-priced broom cupboard, or in the middle of nowhere - hardly the most attractive way to be a visitor.

Key concept: "return on investment". Is anyone at our Council measuring this? Does anyone have any figures for previous years?

Heron I heart

Modern take on ancient objects

Artists from the CT6 contemporary art group have taken their inspiration from objects in Herne Bay museum for their latest exhibition. Their display, which runs until Saturday September 11 2010, is linked to the BBC/British Museum A History of the World project and features the work of 12 town artists.

Among those is Mandy Troughton, one of the co-organisers, who is exhibiting her model white heron. The exhibition has been called Art from Artefacts and has been inspired by the objects normally on show in the museum. Visitors will be encouraged to have a look at the original piece which inspired each art creation. The exhibition is free and may be seen Monday to Saturday, 10am-4pm and from 1pm~4pm on Sundays.

Tying in with the exhibition is Canterbury museum service’s Relic Trail which lasts until the end of the year and covers the district’s three museums. This is also free and was inspired by the BBC children's Relic programme.

HB Gazette 8th July 2010

Empty promises: just rinse and recycle

Kitewood, the creators of Altira Tumbleweed Park, want to recycle their unused "Blacksole Bridge commitment" as a lever for winning another planning consent, thus reducing their average costs to half-an-imaginary-bridge per consent.

The photo accompanying the Gazette article shows the outline of the area covered by the planning consent Kitewood want. It's huge.

The tilted angle gives a foreshortened view, which doesn't really do credit to Kitewood's territorial ambitions.

click it to big it

In refusing to build the new bridge at Blacksole, Kitewood are entirely and exactly within the letter of their contract with CCC. The bridge-building is triggered by  a certain level of occupancy, and to my mind CCC were completely daft to allow this clause anywhere near the contract. (Apart from anything else, it's open to abuse. In some Mediterranean countries, construction tax is levied only when the building is complete: result - a lot of 98% complete, but fully functional, buildings.) The new bridge was (rightly) viewed as a necessity to ensure our safety in the face of increased traffic. The level of traffic started increasing from Day One of Altira's development, so it would have made sense to build the new bridge right at the beginning.

What boggles me (and I only learned it from this Gazette article) is that Kitewood have already trousered a £1.3m up-front subsidy! Despite their best efforts, they've not met their occupancy targets, and that presumably hurts them in the wallet. But they're under no contractual obligation whatsoever to build the bridge. Yet. They've got their (our?) £1.3m, and nobody has mentioned giving it back. They're laughing! They must have thought our negotiators were idiots. I do.

And now Kitewood are offering to enter into a legally binding agreement (just as they already have for the Altira development) committing them to building a new bridge IF (and only if) they are given planning consent for a very large development. In Kitewood's shoes, I would be falling over myself to strike deals with Canterbury - win a million quid and do sweet F.A. is a great start! It's very easy to paint Kitewood as being the bad guys in this long and sorry tale, but they are actually just playing by the rules that CCC set and signed up to.

I'm afraid the villains of the piece appear to be those officers/members in CCC who drew up, and signed off, the dismally flawed S106 agreement. They really screwed up.

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Safety fears over delay for planned pedestrian bridge

Developers have been accused of "holding a gun" to the heads of city councillors in a row about a pedestrian footbridge in Broomfield. At a special meeting on 7th July, Kitewood - which owns the Altira Business Park in Margate Road - said it would build a new bridge over the nearby railway crossing within a year, but only if it was given consent for a 700-home development in Hillborough. Kitewood director Michael Dolan called for councillors and planning officers to support the proposal, describing it as a "trade-off".

The unofficial meeting, which dismissed the idea of traffic lights on the current Blacksole Bridge, was called by Bay councillor Peter Vickery-Jones following years of concerns over safety. Due to a condition agreed by the city council, Kitewood - which negotiated £l.3 million off the purchase of the land to pay for the bridge - is not obliged to build it until 17,000 square metres of the site is occupied. Mr Dolan told the meeting this could take as long as four or five years. He said:

"There is not the money in the pot to build the bridge now but it’s not for want of trying. There has to be the generation of wealth first. And for that there will need to be planning consent for further developments. I can promise we will enter into a legally bound commitment to press forward with this bridge if we receive support for the housing scheme at Hillborough. The uplift in the value of the land will provide funds to build a new bridge within a year. And you can have any lawyers you want draft that commitment up and we will sign it."

Bay MP Roger Gale slammed the situation, saying:

"A harsh man would say Altira have already had their money as £1.3 million was knocked off the asking price for the land. The reality is someone at the city council put this ludicrous condition into the plans which says you will have your bridge when 17,000 square metres is occupied. But that could be in four to five years, in which time one or two people could be killed. And if that happens the county council, city council and, most importantly the developers should be held accountable. You could say it looks like they’re holding a gun to our heads. They are saying 'we will give you our undertaking to build the bridge if we get consent' - and there’s the gun."

Kitewood confirmed it is committed to building the bridge when the 17,000 square metre limit is passed. City councillor Peter Vickery-Jones said he was disappointed with the Kitewood proposal, but understood the reasons for it:

"There has to be an opportunity for the developers, and I'm all for getting the situation resolved as early as possible. I would hate to think something would happen on that bridge and I hadn't done my utmost to address the problems. But this proposal is undeliverable. Every planning application has to be judged on its own merit. It's a shame we've found ourselves in somewhat of a hostage situation."

HB Gazette 8th July 2010

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Unthinking so-and-so's

The seafront of our seaside town has been blighted with a sprouting of parking meters. A bad move, for bad reasons, with unintended consequences and a hidden fact. Canterbury City Council installed 13 parking machines along the seafront and switched them on June 28. They will operate between 8.30am to 6pm every day from April 1 to September 30 with no overnight charge. The machines are solar powered and can be paid for by cash, council parking cards or mobile phone. Council spokesman Rob Davies said:

"The council has introduced these measures to improve traffic management. The aim is to put long stay parkers into off-street car parks elsewhere in the town and encourage regular turnover of spaces on the seafront. These days, it is usual to pay for parking in seaside towns. It happens everywhere else around east Kent - all the Thanet towns and Sandwich and Deal for example - and this move to introduce charging in Herne Bay brings the town in line with others."

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So having a constant turnover of 17 and 70 year olds slewing their cars to a halt by the meters and then lurching back out into the road within a couple of hours is going to "improve traffic management". How exactly?

So Herne Bay was a little bit different from the other nearby coastal towns, and in a good way - everyone likes free parking. CCC decided that this small but distinctive advantage must be eliminated. Have a look at the vox pop piece to see some reactions - unsurprisingly, some people find it makes Herne Bay a less attractive place to visit. Thank you, CCC, for nailing the lid down.

So where are the signs pointing our visitors to the long-stay off-street car parks? No sign of them anywhere near the Marine Parade parking meters, which is where you would expect them to be, given Mr Davies' argument.

So while the users of all the other sports centres in the district get their parking charges refunded by the sports center they are visiting, the good people of Herne Bay who park on the seafront to use the Pier and gym won't. Part of the reason is that the sparkling new machines don't produce two-part tickets with counterfoils, so the gym bunnies will have a 10 minute, 650 metre trudge to and from the WIlliam Street car park, come rain or shine. Congratulations, CCC, for once again giving HB the short end of the stick.

So here's the rub: the parking fees from the Marine Parade parking meters don't even go to our beloved Canterbury City Council - the fees go to Kent County Council. Marvellous!

HB Gazette 8th July 2010

Vox pop: parking on Marine Parade

New parking machines have been installed along Herne Bay seafront. Residents have welcomed their introduction, hoping that it will reduce the number of cars in the area. But they have also prompted fears that they may have a negative impact on tourism in the town. Until just over a week ago it had been free to park cars along Marine Parade but the council has introduced a series of pay machines along the waterfront. It now costs 60p an hour to park along Marine Parade and parking is limited to two hours. However, visitors to the seaside town were less than happy with the new parking arrangements.

Mrs Mason, 89, said:
"There are advantages to this because I have neighbours who have year-long parking permits and they sometimes can't find spaces. Now, they don't have that problem."

Daniela O'Brien, 23, agreed:
"I live in Beacon Hill and I don't like the idea of people coming down and just parking here all day. At least this way they have to pay and there's a limit to the amount of time they can stay."

Gerald Davies, 69, from Medway said:
"The information about how to use the machines wasn't very clear. We have got used to coming to Herne Bay and not having to pay. Now we are restricted to two hours."

Derek Fisk, 73 from Dartford, said:
"I feel like I have wasted my time. I drove here for a day out and two hours parking is not enough. I think people will either ignore these parking meters or they'll be put off from visiting the town."

Frank Hunt, 74, from Gravesend, feels the same:
"I'm confused. The instructions are not very clear at all, not to mention that last time I visited Herne Bay parking was free so this is an extra inconvenience. You can't make a day of visiting here any more so there's no point in having a day trip out. I just use the parking spaces for nipping to shops now"

HB Gazette 8th July 2010

Hobby politicians

Well, here's a thought - "Councillors are transient amateurs whose chosen hobby is to play at local politics" - and as a result, it is the councillors (not the rest of us) who should foot the bill.

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Gesture wanted from councillors

Once again the Canterbury Times has highlighted that old chestnut of the allowances and expenses paid to Canterbury City Councillors ("Councillors pocket £386k", June 17). Former Royal Marine Commando and war veteran Albert Parris, from Herne, is not the only local council taxpayer to be dismayed and infuriated by these amounts, which total more than £386,000 and individually range from almost £32,000 down to the much more modest basic allowance of just £4,710.

At a time when local council taxpayers are set to experience cutbacks in services, and local authority staff face redundancies, it would be a welcome token gesture if all 50 local councillors refrained from claiming their allowances/ expenses, thus substantially increasing the amount of money available in the council’s coffers to maintain local services and jobs.

Councillor McMahan is very quick to defend the allowances claimed by his colleague Peter Vickery-Jones but scores an own-goal when he states: "We pay council officials more than councillors claim." In saying this, Mr McMahan entirely misses the point - the fundamental distinction between officials and councillors. Officials receive a wage or salary for carrying out a given task in accordance with a written contract of employment. They are the permanent paid employees of the local authority.

Councillors, on the other hand, are transient amateurs whose chosen hobby is to play at local politics. It is not their livelihood. Everyone is entitled to a recreational sport, hobby or pastime but for most people, whether they choose to play golf or to collect stamps, this costs them money. Is it fair then that council tax payers should foot the bill for some 50 "elected representatives" to indulge in their preferred passion for local politics?

To all those councillors who are so quick to defend the allowances/ expenses claimed, backed up with heart-rending statistics concerning the number of hours of "work" they put in each week on council business, I would repeat the following words, attributed to former US president Harry S Truman: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

John A Fishpool, Dering Road, Herne Bay

HB Times letters 8th July 2010