HB Exhibition at King's Hall

There was commerce, campaigners, councillors and charities crammed into Herne Bay's Kings Hall for the town's annual business expo exhibition. It was opened by the Lord Mayor of Canterbury Ian Thomas on Wednesday. The city council's senior projects manager, Patrick Rynne, who helped to arrange the event, said:

"There were 46 businesses and 22 projects represented in the hall, with more than 500 visitors at the exhibition. Herne Bay should feel justifiably proud of the interest the town is attracting. This really highlighted the success stories we are seeing."

Herne Bay Pier Trust unveiled a multicoloured model of an extended pier. The trust's deputy chairman, Andrea Leach, who works tirelessly to raise funds for the charity, said:

"We are very excited about the summer on the pier platform and have some good events lined up. It was great to see the public's enthusiasm."

Herne Bay Coastwatch members, who scour the seas from the Old Bathing Station at weekends, were among those scouting for volunteers. They need spare hands to man the station on Fridays as they prepare for the summer season.

But there were also awkward moments. Coplan Estates, which is managing the stalled Herne Bay Central Development regeneration plan, was placed opposite new group Beach Creative. Beach Creative is dedicated to turning Beach House into a thriving artists' colony after the building – earmarked for demolition under the Coplan scheme – was given a reprieve.

The developer's Colin McQueston admitted:

"Three months ago things looked like they were stuck but we are tweaking the proposal and are at last beginning to have some renewed interest."

The artists looked on politely, wondering whether their new home will survive the summer.

thisiskent 30th Mar 2012

Herne Bay's growth threatened by Canterbury's greed

Herne Bay's future centres on tourism - it's a business model that is tried and trusted, it's well-understood and it's sustainable.

It makes sense to make the most of the most obvious quality Herne Bay has - the fact that it's a nice little town by the seaside.

Tourism is not isolated from the rest of the local economy, quite the reverse. Our vistors - whether coming for a day trip, a weekend, or longer - generate business and spread wealth at every turn. B&B room tabs, restaurant bills, pub rounds, shop tills, even parking meters.

Money, time and effort spent encouraging tourism in Herne Bay is not expenditure, it's investment.

But Canterbury City Council seems to think differently. Rather than investing in promoting Herne Bay's tourist offering, they insist on charging people who want to promote our town and encourage tourism.

Any B&B or hotel owner who wants to promote their business on Canterbury's tourism website has to pay £275, plus £10 per room, plus VAT to get the most basic entry - bare bones facts plus 25 words of text. Times are hard and margins are tight, so this is beyond the budget of most of these small businesses.

As a result, anyone looking at Canterbury's tourism site could be forgiven for thinking that Herne Bay has just 2 B&Bs - one on Western Esplanade, and one in Herne. A stroll along the seafront will take you past many excellent B&Bs that don't get a mention.

Canterbury seems to have forgotten that it is in everyone's best interests to encourage tourism and foster a thriving local economy, rather than to grasp every chance to take yet more money from the local Council tax payers. Instead of acting as an agent of promotion, our Council has cast itself in the role of advertising agency.

Canterbury's short-term greed could be the death of our town.

Council demolition failure

Now this is interesting. Firstly Mr McMahan doesn't say where his figure of £750,000 comes from - is this what CCC have actually paid the contractors? - but I really like his idea that money generated from the demolition could have been re-invested in the Pier.

Secondly, the Council spokesman (Wormtongue, as I think of him) seems to be having trouble with numbers when he says "... it was discovered that the amount of asbestos in the building was understated and its removal was more problematic than first envisaged. The council has incurred no extra cost ...".

In June of last year, the local press reported that the cost of demolition was £243k more than the budgeted £425k because of the asbestos revealed by a structural survey. As Cllr Vickery-Jones said at the time:

This is a huge increase but there is no alternative.

Hmmm... "no extra cost" or "a huge increase" - which do you think best describes £243,000?

So our Council got a fixed price deal and handed over the value of all the scrap to the contractors, at a time when most metal prices seemed to be rising steadily (apparently due to demand for raw materials in China pushing up prices globally).

Are any of CCC's bean-counters going to figure out how much we lost out as a result? I doubt it. They won't bother to find out how costly this mistake was, and as a result will probably repeat it.

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Counting the cost of pier demolition

Pulling down Herne Bay's Pier Pavilion has cost tax-payers £750,000 and left the town with nothing in return, claims former city councillor Vince McMahan. He says a clause in the demolition contract means contractors have been allowed to strip the pier of valuable scrap metal and pocket the cash. The dad of three stormed:

"It beggars belief. It is a slap in the face to the people of Herne Bay that firstly the cost shot up to £668,000 because the council didn't realise there was so much asbestos there. And then the deal means the company can keep the scrap.

The whole building was clad in aluminium, which is worth a lot of money now. With scrap metal prices soaring, the council should have insisted the money was recycled to, say, the Pier Trust or ring-fenced for the town's regeneration."

Council spokesman Rob Davies insisted:

"We held a competitive tender for the demolition contract to ensure we got the best possible price. The salvage and sale of recyclable materials such as metal, steel and timber are being carried out by the contractor but it is important to stress that any money made from this was included as savings to the council in the tender price.

It also makes sense on a practical level because, if the council had kept these materials, it would have incurred substantial transport and storage costs. The council let the contract on a maximum price basis, where the risk of any cost increase was transferred to the contractor.

This decision was a very good one as, when the building envelope was opened, it was discovered that the amount of asbestos in the building was understated and its removal was more problematic than first envisaged. The council has incurred no extra cost but has allowed the contractors extra time to deal with these difficult issues.

We are forecasting that the demolition works will be completed by mid-April and that the post-demolition works will be completed in time for the summer season."

The row erupted as the council was blasted by former Pier Trust bosses for failing to back the group. Former treasurer and accountant Jason Hollingsworth, 40, from Victoria Park, who stood down from the Trust three months ago, said in a joint letter with former chairman Graham Cooper:

"In our view, the trust has never been effectively or adequately supported by the council. Indeed, that is at the core of why so many trustees have stood down. Throughout 2011, the Herne Bay Pier Trust participated in a joint working group with Canterbury City Council but from our experience the key difficulty was getting clear and consistent answers from the council as to its plans, ideas and funding."

Former chairman of the trust's business group Michael Khoury said:

"We worked out that a pier platform reaching the old pier head would cost £11 million, not £60 million as some claimed. The council has spent more than half a million pounds just knocking the building down with nothing left. Where's the vision?"

Pier campaigner Kim Hennelly asked the city council's deputy head of culture and enterprise Dawn Hudd outright about the council's intentions and received this reply:

"The council does not have any current intention of rebuilding the pier itself. Our corporate plan pledges to improve the seafront and the current pier platform. The Herne Bay Pier Trust was set up so that a business plan could be developed by the trust working with the people of Herne Bay.

The council is supporting this process by helping the trust to develop its business plan during this year and deliver events and activities on the pier platform for the 2012 season. We expect the trust to pursue rebuilding or extending the pier if it considers that to be right."

thisikent 23rd Mar 2012

Herne getting famous for beating Tesco

The sleepy village that  triumphed over Tesco as people power forces chain to abandon pub conversion

The charming village of Herne seems an unlikely spot for an awesome display of people power. But the extraordinary resolve of its residents has just seen off the might of Tesco. Villagers won a David and Goliath battle with the store chain over what they saw as a threat to their way of life.

Heart of the village: The pub, with church next door, that Tesco aimed to convert

At the centre of the struggle was the Upper Red Lion, a recently closed pub next door to the handsome 14th century church of St Martin. Tesco wanted to turn it into a store – and the villagers were appalled. For one thing, it would have ruined the view at weddings. For another, it would spell doom for their Village Stores, Herne’s only shop, which is on the other side of the pub and has been keeping the community on the Kent coast in bread, milk and newspapers for more than a century.

Soon after word of the proposal for the Tesco Express leaked out, an emergency meeting was called by the parish council at the community hall in January. More than 500 turned up – too many to fit in the hall so the meeting had to be moved to the church.

Fightback: The campaign leaders. Villagers vowed to fight the plans and formed a campaign group

The parish council vowed to fight the plans and campaign group Herne Against Tesco – HAT – was created. When rumours spread that Tesco was thinking of extending the pub at the rear, residents put a spanner in the works by getting the pub listed. Then there was a protest when, despite a downpour, 700 men, women and children marched through the village on March 4.

Five days later, Tesco, which had not even got as far as putting in a planning application, abandoned the scheme. St Martin’s celebrated by ringing its bells. Vicar Elaine Richardson had feared the church would miss out on the 130 weddings, christenings and funerals it conducts a year if the store opened.

Tesco signs on the store would also ruin wedding pictures and the atmosphere. Reverend Richardson said:

‘There’s something about the big boys just thinking they can push their way into the High Street or a village like ours. It’s awful.’

Thiruvalluvar Kumanan, 45, who runs the Village Stores, which includes post office, said:

‘If it was something the village needed, then fine. But we felt they were just trying to bully their way in.’

Chairman of the HAT campaign Frank Holden, 55, said:

‘We were preparing for a long fight. It’s a victory for the small people.’

Tesco picked Herne – which is distinct from the nearby town of Herne Bay – as potential site after analysing data from its Clubcard scheme and consulting residents. Pubs are attractive because they are already licensed to sell food and alcohol so do not require an application for a change of use.

Tesco said it felt there was ‘a demand for a shopping choice in Herne’ but added that ‘highway constraints’ meant it would not pursue the pub conversion.

mailonline 24th Mar 2012

NHS Bill Risk Register

This document is floating around the Interweb, being described as the much sought after, but long undisclosed, Risk Register associated with the Government's proposed NHS reforms.

It might be, it might not. Have a look and see what you think.

Herne Bay rejects Manston night flights

As you probably know, Manston airport recently presented Thanet District Council with a proposal for scheduled night flights. TDC eventually organised a brief public consultation. Manston airport is obviously outside Canterbury's feudal realm of control, but TDC agreed to let CCC have an input to the consultation...

The agreement was that CCC would be sent copies of all the submissions made to the consultation that came from the Canterbury district. CCC could then collate the replies, mull over the contents, and then base the Council's response to TDC on what Canterbury residents had said.

230 people from the Canterbury district responded to the TDC consultation, and 80% of them opposed the night flight proposals. You can see the all the responses, or at least CCC's brutal summaries of them, HERE. And this is CCC's conclusion (you can find the full report HERE)...

Conclusion

Whilst in principle supporting the continued role that Manston Airport can provide in the economic well being of East Kent, the City Council considers that the potential for adverse impact on residents of this night-time flying proposal is not justified. The Council will therefore wish the method of operation to be kept to the current one and that further discussions are held regarding the monitoring of night-time flying activity.

Pier pressure

At long last Canterbury City Council has described its vision for the future of our Pier. In a word: short.

Some of the trustees of the Pier Trust have been angling for a new Pier for years, if not decades. All of the trustees have given generously of their time and expertise. They have drawn together a wealth of national and international experts to produce first rate proposals and business plans which they presented to our Council.

CCC dismissed them, and now we know why.

The Council was instrumental in setting up the Pier Trust, providing £5,000 of funding in the first year. This £5,000 was important, as it allowed the Pier Trust to register for charitable status. In exchange for the start-up funding, CCC insisted on having two councillors on the board of trustees.

In an ideal world, these two councillors would have provided a direct line of communication with the Council, thus speeding up the decision-making and smoothing progress. More recently, however, they seem to have been used as a way of keeping an wary eye on the Trust, dampening expectations, and limiting options.

The inevitable frustration with lack of progress led to some of the dedicated and hard-working volunteers resigning from the Trust. Unsurprising - there's a limit to how long anyone will bang their head against a wall. And the Council had the nerve to publicly badmouth the Trust and the trustees.

And now we know why. The Council, our Council, never intended to rebuild the Pier.

The Pier Trust's clearly stated objective has always been to rebuild the Pier. The Council's representatives on the board of trustees didn't support the Trust's goal, but undermined and stifled it. We've seen how effectively Canterbury City Council has been when raising money for projects in Canterbury (Beaney, Marlowe). No such efforts were made for this project in Herne Bay.

Click HERE to read an excellent response to the Council's criticisms of the Trust, and a few well-placed criticisms of the Council. The splendid Kim Hennelly cut to the chase with her characteristic directness, and asked Cllr Gilbey (Leader of the Council) whether CCC ever intended to rebuild the Pier. Here's the reply:

Mrs Hennelly

I am writing in response to your email of 7 March 2012 regarding the future of Herne Bay Pier and the council’s intentions in this regard.

The council does not have any current intention of rebuilding the pier itself, our Corporate Plan pledges to improve the sea front and the current pier platform.

The Herne Bay Pier Trust was set up so that a business plan could be developed by the Trust working with the people of Herne Bay. The council is supporting this process by helping the Trust to develop its business plan during this year and to deliver events and activities on the pier platform for the 2012 season. We expect the Trust to pursue rebuilding or extending the Pier if they consider that to be right.

Regards

Dawn Hudd CMgr, MIED
Deputy Head of Culture & Enterprise
Canterbury City Council

So there you have it.

The Council is happy to knock down the Pier - which needed to be knocked down because it had been so cheaply maintained over the years that demolition became cheaper than continued patching. The Council is happy to splash down some tarmac and let us have "events and activities" on it.

But if the Trust wants to rebuild the Pier, they're on their own. I think the Council, our Council, should have made that clear from the very beginning.

Home and dry - hosepipe ban coming

After two of the driest winters on record water companies are introducing a hosepipe ban. Households across the county will have to live with a hosepipe ban until at the least the end of the summer.

The water companies’ restrictions to be introduced on April 5 will mainly target domestic users. Customers will be prevented from using hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars, patios and boats, and from filling swimming and paddling pools, ponds and fountains. Anyone caught breaking the ban faces a £1,000 fine.

Five companies that supply the county are imposing the ban on the same day. Southern Water, South East Water, Veolia Water South East, Thames Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water, all say they are introducing the bans after the area became a drought zone last month.

The measures come after two of the driest winters on record. Experts say only heavy non-stop rain for weeks will ease the problem. Veolia Water South East head of operations Gavin McHale said the ban was an essential move to conserve a scarce resource and help ensure a secure supply during what could be a continuing and severe drought:

“In the Folkestone and Dover area we have no surface water from rivers or reservoirs to draw on and we rely on boreholes which take water from chalk and gravel aquifers. These natural aquifers need to be recharged each year during the autumn, winter and spring. Forecasts show the drought is likely to continue we need to move quickly to conserve our limited water resources.”

South East water says two of it key reservoirs at Ardingly in West Sussex and Bewl Reservoir in Lamberhurst, which it shares with Southern Water, are still below 50 per cent capacity. The companies are urging all their customers to use water more wisely and local authorities have to develop plans to make plants in parks and gardens more resilient to drought. A spokesman for Swale Borough Council said:

“We have massively reduced our reliance on watering over recent years, cutting back on bedding and replacing with more sustainable planting such as shrubs, bulbs and herbacious plants. We do not have hanging baskets and have a very limited number of troughs and planters. Bedding is generally watered to establish rather than throughout the season.”

A garden sprinkler uses more than 1,000 litres of water an hour, enough to supply six people for a whole day.

Howard Davidson, Environment Agency south east regional director, said:

“We will be watching to ensure water companies follow their drought plans, and expect them to demonstrate they are doing everything possible to reduce water demand including stepping up their publicity campaigns.”

The ban has been crticised by environmental groups and unions who say it is a sign of lack of long term planning in the water industry. Graham Warren of Protect Kent said:

“CPRE have consistently campaigned for a new wide-ranging water resource management strategy for the South East, incorporating sources of supply with the capacity to sustain Kent and the region as a whole under drought conditions, which records suggest to be of increasing frequency and duration.”

yourcanterbury 19th Mar 2012

Olympic torch a distant twinkle

Well, if you're one of the many doing your best to ignore the Olympics, then you have much to thank Lord Coe for. He has carefully engineered the Olympic torch route so that it will come no closer to Herne Bay than Upstreet and Sturry (on 19th July).

Looking at the map of the route, it does seem rather odd that they're happy to make a diversion after Faversham to visit Challock (pop. 843), but didn't divert to Herne Bay and Whitstable (combined pop. 65,383) on their way to Canterbury. Hey, ho. 

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Communities across Kent now know the exact street-by-street route the iconic Olympic Torch will take through their towns - for the full details and national route see the Olympic 2012 site.

Hundreds of people are expected to line the county’s streets to welcome the Olympic flame as it passes through Kent between July 17 and 20. Celebrations are planned for overnight stopovers in Dover on July 18 and Maidstone on July 19.

Chair of LOCOG Sebastian Coe said:

“Today we bring the Olympic Torch Relay to life. The flame symbolises the Olympic spirit and its journey around the UK will bring the excitement of the Games to our streets. Now the people know the route the Olympic flame will be carried along and the Torchbearers for their community, they can start planning how they might celebrate and make it Kent’s moment to shine.”

yourcanterbury 19th Mar 2012

WEA Course: Egyptology

Ancient Egyptian religion has always been a source of mystery and wonder to Westerners. Why was a special god chosen to represent the Nile? What was the relationship between the gods?

ln this day school we will explore the racy, sometimes amusing stories associated with the gods which ultimately shaped, sustained and directed Egyptian culture in every conceivable way.

Course: Egyptology Day School

Tutor: Christine Humber

Timetable: Saturday 19th May 2012, 10.30 am to 3.30 pm

Location: St. Andrew’s Church Hall, Hampton Pier Avenue, Herne Bay

Fee: £15.00 - payable in advance please - includes lunch and refreshments. Prior booking essential.

Contact: Jenny Bennett (01227 372281) email: Jenny_Bennett@tiscali.co.uk

Flying start for Farmers' Market

Market was a fairy tale despite missing stalls

The butcher did not turn up, the baker was in fine form and the candlestick maker continued to prove elusive. But Herne Bay's first farmers' market got off to a fine start – bar a few minor teething problems.

The market, held in United Church hall on Saturday, March 3, could now be extended to three weekends per month. Organiser Vanessa Hill said:

"It was a solid start. A butcher who had promised to do a stall didn't turn up but we had game, fruit and veg, cakes, fantastic breads and homemade pies. I do want to have the traditional butcher, baker and candlestick maker, so if anyone makes good candles, they should get in touch."

Mrs Hill is also talking to Pier Trust bosses about staging summer markets on the pier platform. The next farmers' market is on Saturday, March 17.

Call Mrs Hill on 07740 586010 if you are interested in having a stall.

Herne Villagers won, Tesco nil

Tesco scraps plans for Express store in Herne

Tesco has dramatically pulled out of plans to open an Express store in Herne, the Kentish Gazette can reveal. The supermarket giant today admitted it was not pushing forward with the controversial scheme, blaming highways issues in the village.

The news marks the end of a fierce five-month campaign waged by villagers against the company, which wanted to open in the empty Upper Red Lion pub. More than 700 marched in protest at the plans on Sunday, sending out a clear message that a new store was not wanted. It followed two public meetings held at the village church which were attended by more than 500 people.

Tesco spokesman Carol Leslie said:

"We always try and work positively with local councils and local people before we submit any applications. Taking on board all the feedback through our consultation and discussions, we have decided that we will not be pursuing a store at this particular site. Our Express stores are extremely busy and popular and we really wanted to invest in the village but it was clear there were lots of highway constraints for us in Herne."

Frank Holden, chairman of Herne Against Tesco, was thrilled with the news. He said:

"It's extremely good news. The biggest issue we always had was the health and safety dangers of putting a supermarket on that site. We're very pleased with the outcome and it moves us onto stage two, which is about pushing forward and looking at how we could become involved in the future use of the Upper Red Lion."

Tesco revealed it was pulling out on the same day permission was granted for a new Express store in Sea Street, Herne Bay.

thisiskent 9th March 2012 - by Joe Walker

See you soon...

Here's an excellent little video, produced on a shoestring by the resourceful and talented Gerald McCarthy, who says:

Often referred to as the 'Riviera of Kent' Herne Bay, a thriving seaside town in the 'Garden of England' enjoys one of the warmest climates in the UK. Offering a huge range of watersport opportunities,such as sailing, wind surfing and an extra wide launching ramp for jet-skis and pleasure-craft of all types, as well as miles of beautifully kept coastline for that gentle walk or bike ride.

Sample some of the best fresh fish and chips for miles, or, for the discerning visitor why not try one of our Michelin Star or other excellent restaurants or bars.

Come and visit us soon... see for yourself!

Often referred to as the 'Riviera of Kent' Herne Bay, a thriving seaside town in the 'Garden of England' enjoys one of the warmest climates in the UK. Offering a huge range of watersport opportunities,such as sailing, windsurfing and an extra wide launching ramp for Jet Skis and pleasurecaft of all types, as well as miles of beautifully kept coastline for that gentle walk or bike ride.

Anti-Tesco march at Herne on Sunday

More than 1,000 campaigners are expected to swamp the tiny village of Herne on Sunday and march through its streets in protest against Tesco’s plans to open a store in a former pub. The demonstration plans were revealed after villagers gained police permission to stage the march.

Villagers should meet at the Cherry Orchard at 11am. The march starts at 11.30am and will go through the village to Curtis Wood Park.

Frank Holden, who is helping spearhead the campaign against a Tesco Express in the former Upper Red Lion pub, said:

"Tesco will be keeping an eye on our activities. We want the company to be sure that a supermarket is not wanted in our village. The more resistance it encounters the more difficult it will become. A high number of objectors indicates fewer people willing to shop at the store. That will call its viability and ability to make a profit into question."

The supermarket chain sparked outrage when it armounced it wanted to convert the pub next to the Grade 1 listed church into an Express store and create 20 jobs.

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The Tescopoly Alliance was launched in June 2005 to highlight and challenge the negative impacts of Tesco's behaviour along its supply chains both in the UK and internationally, on small businesses, on communities and the environment. The campaign also advocates national and international legislation needed to curb the market power of all the major British supermarkets.

Marvellous Movie of Vintage Views

The opening of the film, which pensioner Mary Harris found among her mother's belongingsPensioner Mary Harris’s find of a 90-year-old film showing the Herne Bay festival has aroused a lot of interest, and now bosses at the Little Theatre in Bullers Avenue are planning to show the clip, which vividly brings back to life the town as it was in 1922.

Historian and curator of the Herne Bay Historical Records Society Mike Bundock will be giving a talk before the screening. He said:

"I'm planning to give a  talk about the town from 1899 - when the third pier was built — to the early 1920 and finish with the film, which I have yet to see and am eagerly awaiting a look at."

Mike Bundock’s talk is titled Herne Bay - The Edwardian Era To The 1920s and will take place at the Herne Bay Little Theatre, Bullers Avenue, Herne Bay, on Saturday, March 3, at 7.30pm.

Admission for the event is £3 and booking is recommended via the box office on 01227 366004.