Vote Herne Bay! Vote Duchamp!!

Vote for the Duchamp Festival in the Canterbury 4 Culture awards

Marcel Duchamp

Herne Bay arts and culture lovers are being urged to vote for the town in the Canterbury 4 Culture awards. The Marcel Duchamp Festival has been nominated for four of the top accolades, and the public has their chance to vote in the category of People's Award.

Last summer it commemorated the 100 anniversary of the artist famously writing on a postcard: "I'm not dead... I'm in Herne Bay." The festival ran for three weeks and was embraced by the whole town, as well as hitting the headlines in national media too.

It has been nominated in three other categories including the best cultural experience in East Kent, offering the best project to engage the wider community and being the best event to promote the area nationally and internationally. They will be up against projects including the Turner Contemporary in Margate, and arts groups in Canterbury.

Duchamp organiser Sue Austen said:

"To be up there with arts organisations like the Turner Contemporary shows that sometimes a bunch of amateurs can be as serious and as professional as the professionals. It was a fantastic effort to put on so many events and exhibitions in such a short time. It brought the whole community together, and showed if everyone does a little, we can all achieve a lot. The nominations show we are a cultured town, so we're looking for lots of support from people in Herne Bay."erbury 4 Culture awards on Thursday, June 12

Fellow organiser Steve Coombes is spearheading the campaign to win the People's Award. He said:

"This was huge news for Herne Bay last year. This is the first time Herne Bay has had so many nominations, no town has ever got as many as this. It's really a feather in the town's cap."

You can vote in the People's Award by visiting www.thecultureawards.org

kentonline 2nd June 2014

Bun Penny: progress at last

Bun Penny pub sold for development

The burnt out Bun Penny could soon rise from the ashes after it was sold for redevelopment. The derelict building - one of the town’s most complained about eyesores since it was gutted by fire in September 2011 - was under offer last month and the sale has now been formally completed.

Estate agent Peter Goodwin, from Wilbee and Son, handled the deal and said it was the start of a new era for the building. He said:

“The new owners are local but they do not want to be named for the moment. But they are very pleased it is now completed and they are hoping it will not be too long before work can start.”

New hoardings are due to go up on the site, on the corner of William Street and Central Parade, on Wednesday and a planning application has been prepared. The proposed scheme would see the former pub demolished and a new building in its place, with luxury flats on the upper floors. Mr Goodwin said:

“The idea is to have commercial on the ground floor, ideally a family restaurant. That is what the new owners will be targeting and I think it is something that Herne Bay needs. The council have been very supportive and everyone is now hoping they will be able to rubber stamp the application so it can go through quickly.”

The site has attracted complaints since it was first burnt out, and councillors have insisted since July 2012 that it was “a priority”. Business leader Nigel Hancock, of the Bay Independent Retail Group, set up a petition calling on Canterbury City Council to tidy up the site and officials were discussing taking action to force the owners to act. Mr Goodwin said:

“The owners have been very helpful in making sure the sale goes through smoothly and they pleased it is all finalised now. It has taken a lot of work and a lot of negotiations and I want to formally thank the old owners and the council for their help and support. Everyone is keen for the site to be brought back into use and we are all now hoping the council will feel able to continue to support this so work can start soon.”

HB Times 6th June 2014

Anyone for tennis? A councillor wants you to pay first...

Tennis courts at Herne Bay’s main park are to be given a facelift – but players could be forced to pay to help recoup the cash, a leading councillor said.

West Bay councillor Peter Lee, who is responsible for Canterbury City Council’s finances, said officials should try to recover some of the £3,000 investment by charging people to use the courts in the Memorial Park. The funding is from £15,000 given to the town last year by developers as part of the conditions of their planning permission. Cllr Lee said:

“If we are going to spend so much money we should look at getting some money back. I am floating the idea that we should perhaps be looking at having keys for these courts and charging for them. If we are going to improve them by putting money into them we should be trying to recoup that money in some way.”

But panel chairman Cllr Jennie Edwards, who represents Reculver, said introducing charges could actually add to the cost. She said:

“We could make it a concession but if you have to pay someone to open it up and look after it, it negates the point. I would be happy to see Herne Bay having no payment to use the courts because that is how it has been done for very many years.”

Up to £10,000 is also to be spent improving the play area at Burton Fields and the rest on the new QEII coastal park, funded as part of the town’s People’s Millions lottery bid.

HB Times 31st May 2014

The Oradour 70 Exhibition

Oradour Poetry Evening Saturday 7 June 7.30pm

As part of the Oradour 70 exhibition at Beach Creative Galleries, Beach House, Beach Street, Herne Bay, CT6 5PT (June 4-17) there will be an evening of poetry, music, humour and drama.

The event is free (limited seating) and will last approximately 2 hours, with an interval, starting at 7.30pm.

The emphasis will be on war related poetry and will look at many aspects of war from different viewpoints and different poets - some famous, some not. Among the poems being read will be some by Ian Sabey, an Australian born in England, he served in the allied forces in World War II. He wrote his poems while a prisoner in Austria and they give a rich and moving account of that experience. His daughter, Christina Carr will be In the audience on June 7.

Oradour 70 is a collection of photographs, by Alan Porter, of the French village Oradour-sur-Glane, the scene of a massacre on 10th June 1944 that left 642 villagers dead. The ruins of the village now stand with poignant dignity and a strange beauty as a permanent memorial. The exhibition explores what we can learn from such war crimes.

Alan's photographs are accompanied by poems by John Grant and artwork and an installation by Mandy Troughton.

June 4 - 17 2014

Open every day from 10am - 4pm

Fun day to open Herne Bay market

The new Herne Bay market will be officially opened this Saturday (7 June) by the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Ann Taylor, as part of a fun day.

The city council-run market in William Street and Mortimer Street is open from 8am, with live music from 10am and the opening ceremony at 11am. There will also be face painting, special offers on every stall, a prize draw and family entertainment.

In addition, there is a free find a monkey game (go to the museum in William Street to enter) and the first 100 visitors to the market will receive a free reusable shopping bag.

The market moved to its new home in William Street and Mortimer Street on 3 May following many years at the King’s Road car park. Some minor tweaks to the layout of the stalls and the position of others have been made and it has now settled into its new location well.

Executive member for markets, Cllr Andrew Cook, said:

“We’ve had excellent feedback from the traders since the move was made and many people are saying how great the atmosphere now is in the town centre on Saturdays. Everyone involved is looking forward to the fun day and official opening this weekend and we hope to welcome lots of new customers too.”

Herne Bay market has 32 stalls selling a variety of fresh and local produce and gifts from eye-catching green and white gazebos and is open every Saturday between 8am and 4pm.

The move aimed to increase footfall to the market and town centre and give it a more professional and uniform layout. It also frees up the market’s former home in the King’s Road car park for redevelopment.

CCC website 02 June 2014

Final consultation for draft Local Plan

Six weeks of public consultation on the final draft version of the city council’s Local Plan gets underway on Thursday 5 June.

This is the version of the plan that will be the basis for a public examination carried out by an independent inspector later this year. Full details and all the documents will be on the council’s website at www.canterbury.gov.uk/localplan.

Last summer, the council held 10 weeks of consultation on the preferred option plan. Nearly 7,000 comments were submitted, which covered a range of issues across the whole plan.

There was support for large parts of the draft plan, particularly policies relating to landscape, heritage, tourism and open space. The main objections related to the overall strategy and the development proposals, including the growth strategy for the district, amount and location of development, specific site allocations, capacity of local services and the ability to deliver the necessary infrastructure, and environmental issues.

As a result, the council has made some changes to the draft plan, partly to reflect additional information and comments that were received, and partly to ensure that the draft plan is consistent with national guidance (such as the National Planning Policy Framework) and evidence collected by the council over the last few years.

In the consultation starting this week, people will be able to comment on any aspect of the draft plan. But at the public examination, if anyone wants to object to parts of the plan, it will help the inspector if they can identify in their comments why they think the plan is not ‘sound’. Advice on how to go about making a comment is available on the council’s website.

Consultation is also taking place at the same time on the draft District Transport Strategy and Open Space Strategy. These are integral parts of the Local Plan and back up the whole plan process. Council Leader Cllr John Gilbey said:

“We have reached this point following several years of hard work and consultation, producing a Local Plan that we believe provides development in the most sustainable locations. And I am particularly pleased that we are proposing that several areas of the district should have Local Green Space protection.

This is now the final period of consultation before the public examination when the plan receives rigorous independent scrutiny, so I would urge people to make their views known over the next six weeks.”

The consultation will close on Friday 18 July. Copies of the plans will be available to view at the council’s offices in Canterbury and Herne Bay, in libraries across the district and at Whitstable Museum from 5 June.

A number of public information evenings are being held during the consultation period for people to learn more about the plans. They will take place starting at 7pm at:

• Monday 16 June – Herne Bay High School
• Wednesday 18 June – Spires Academy, Sturry
• Wednesday 2 July – Kent County Cricket Ground

CCC website 03 June 2014

MOD Shoeburyness - Forthcoming Activity Alert: 2-13 June 2014

Dear Resident,

Detailed below is advance notification of activities which may be noticed in your neighbourhood. All of the limitations and stipulations outlined below apply.

• Date:: Reason for Notification
• 2, 3, 5, 6, 9,10,13 June 2014:: Explosions may be noticed.
• 4 June 2014:: Gunfire and Explosions may be noticed.
• 11 June 2014:: Explosions may be noticed earlier than usual, 08:00.

Note:

Local Gunfire = Gunfire that *may *be noticed in the immediate neighbourhood of MOD Shoeburyness.

Gunfire = Gunfire that may be noticed by communities in the vicinity of the Thames Estuary.

Explosions = Explosions that may be noticed by communities in the vicinity of the Thames Estuary.

MOD SHOEBURYNESS WEBSITE

This information was correct at the time of publishing. The most accurate and up to date information can be found on the MOD Shoeburyness website at www.shoeburyness.qinetiq.com, why not visit and save it to your favourites for quick access.

I hope that you find this information useful. Please feel free to pass it on to your neighbours.

Hundreds storm out of Pilgrims' Hospice meeting

Hundreds of furious people stormed out of a public meeting with executives and senior staff at the Pilgrims’ Hospice in Canterbury last week.

Tensions ran high throughout the two and a half hour meeting, as hundreds of members of the public, and former healthcare professionals, stood up to oppose the decision to close the Canterbury hospice’s Inpatient Ward in 2016. Many of the crowd had lost family and loved ones in the ward.

Members of the public speaking afterwards were already calling the meeting a “catastrophic failure” for the executives, with little to no evidence that anyone was convinced by their arguments.

Hundreds of people stormed out of the meeting when Doctor Richard Morey, the chair of the hospice’s Board of Trustees, told the assembled crowd that they were treating the meeting as “mostly a presentation; an opportunity for us to explain to you what our views are”, as opposed to a public consultation to change plans going forward.

Vicki Radford, whose 41-year-old husband died in the ward, and is a leading voice in the online campaign to stop the plans, said she was disappointed by what she’d heard.

“I wasn’t at all convinced. They didn’t come here to listen to us. They will continue to do what they want, and they will continue to lose funding because of this. We will definitely be continuing our campaign.”

HB Times 2nd June 2014