Local Plan: Letters

Bay is getting poor side of housing deal

What is going on? Canterbury City Council wants Herne Bay to have another 2,000 new homes built. How many Herne Bay people will live in them, and what does it do for the people that live here?

We have had our share of developments: Talmead, Neville Road, Barnes Way, Sea Street, Dence Park, two lots in Kings Road, and Town Court, just to name a few. Some of these have been built on brownfield sites and have made the town look better, more could be built this way, leaving our green fields alone, but of course Canterbury City Council don't get their big handouts for doing it that way.

Canterbury City Council has said Whitstable and Canterbury are last on their list for development, why? While they are getting the money, they do not want it there so we have to have it at Herne Bay. Herne Bay has become the dumping ground, and all investment goes to Canterbury.

Why is the money going to the Sturry crossing, how often do any of us in Herne Bay use that bit of road? I can only see Canterbury City Council are taking off us our green and pleasant land, and yet again giving nothing in return. Herne Bay roads are full of pot holes, I can't see much going on in the way of repairs, yet the money is needed for Canterbury. Two of these sites are farmland why are we taking away arable farmland and allotments to put houses on, don't we need to grow food anymore?

Shame on you Canterbury City Council!

Brenda Jones, Herne Bay

HB Times letters 30th May 2013

Local Plan: Developers' cash should stay in town

I was angered and dismayed to find that the draft Local Plan explicitly stated that developers' contributions (once called S106, now called CIL - Community Infrastructure Levy) would flow OUT of Herne Bay.

There was no mention of CIL money flowing out of Canterbury or Whitstable, and no mention of CIL money flowing IN to Herne Bay. So we were going to get screwed.

I decided to ask our beloved councillors what they thought. Only one of them answered. Cllr Peter Lee apparently has no idea how Herne Bay residents would feel about this, and will wait for the outcome of the consultation. Incredible. 

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Councillors have refused to back calls for cash raised from new housing estates planned for Herne Bay to remain in the town.

At a meeting of the town's area members panel, made up of city and county councillors, campaigners said contributions from developments included in the new local plan should be spent on projects in Herne Bay. Local resident Ros McIntyre said:

"There are five new estates planned for around Herne Bay but money from them is earmarked for a crossing at Sturry and a relief road at Herne. Why has improvement money been channelled from Herne Bay to Canterbury and why is there no provision for a bridge at Blacksole?"

Phil Rose, from the Friends of the Downs, asked councillors to raise their hands if they were against the scheme to divert the money to other projects, adding:

"Money that could and should remain in Herne Bay is already being earmarked for projects out of our town."

But West Bay councillor Peter Lee said it was too early to have a view. He said:

"We haven't had any consultation yet and we don't know what people's views are. I am sure there are plenty of people who use that road who will be all for it."

Panel chairman Gillian Reuby said the money would not all be spent on the road schemes - some was for affordable housing and education contributions. She added:

"The infrastructure isn't at Canterbury, it is at Herne for a relief road and Sturry, the route most people from Herne Bay will use to go to Canterbury."

HB Times 30th May 2013

Local Plan: Council must listen to the people

The city council is preparing to kickstart the public consultation on its blueprint for the future of Canterbury - at a time when concerns about the building of thousands of new homes remains high.

Members of the ruling executive meet tonight (Thursday 30th May), when they will be asked to formally begin canvassing people's thoughts on its plan for the district over the next 18 years.

It has already sparked huge controversy with its projection of 15,600 new homes across the district and a garden city on farmland on the outskirts of Canterbury. The public consultation is the first stage of the council's effort to realise its vision for the years up to 2031.

Among those questioning the draft Local Plan is the Oaten Hill and District Society, which is holding a public meeting next month to discuss housing development. Former Lord Mayor and society member Fred Whitemore said:

"We do not oppose some increase in building, especially if this is to build more affordable housing which will enable our young people to get on to the housing ladder. But a modest number would achieve that. And if the council pressed the universities to build more student housing on campus, that could and should allow the release of some of the general purpose housing currently occupied by students.

What matters most of all is that the voice of the people in Canterbury should be heeded by the city council. I hope that a great many people will come to our meeting."

Elsewhere in the Local Plan are proposals for the closure of the Sturry level crossing and the creation of a relief road linking the A28 Sturry Road with the A257 Littlebourne Road near Howe Barracks. Around 8,000 of the new homes are planned for Canterbury, with the rest in Hersden, Sturry, Herne Bay and Whitstable.

The Oaten Hill and District Society's meeting takes place at Kendall Hall behind St Mary Bredin Church, Nunnery Fields, at 7.15pm on Monday, June 10. Tory councillor Jeremy Bellamy and Lib Dem Paula Vickers, who both represent the Barton ward, are among those who have agreed to attend.

Consultation on the Local Plan is scheduled to start on June 20 and will last ten weeks.

HB Gazette 30th May 2013

Local Plan: Letters

Infrastructure is under threat

South Canterbury infrastructure is already overloaded with the current rapid rise in house building, with many of these houses unsold. Gridlock on pot-holed roads, sewage overflows and power cuts.

Once again the city council is being charmed by builders to give them precious greenfield sites to cram in maximum high-priced houses for their own high profits.

The farmland opposite Langton Boys' Grammar was sold to a builder some time ago and because the land can only be used for educational use, the builder has offered to build a new school - in return for consent to build on the existing Girls' Grammar School site, which has recently had a lot of ratepayers' money spent on it.

Add to this all the other proposed houses to be built in South Canterbury, stretching to the Bridge bypass, and this will result in a complete infrastructure breakdown. What a surprise that this proposal was not published until after the local elections!

Listen to your ratepayers who fund your salaries for once and stop this crazy plan to move the school.

J.C. Rogerson, Nackinqton Road, Canterbury

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A sad dismissal of community

I was very interested to read Bob Britnell's response to my call for  the Local Plan to be community-led and for a pause to allow for proper community input. I have always much respected Mr Britnell's straightforwardness and I genuinely believe he means well, but his rather dismissive assessment of community involvement is very sad indeed.

The Canterbury Society's recent and excellent document The Future of our City clearly illustrates that a very positive contribution can be made by community groups.

Also, the National Planning Policy framework actually requires substantial public engagement in the plan-making exercise. It clearly stresses that 'early and meaningful engagement and collaboration with neighbourhoods, local organisations and business is essential. A wide section of the community should be proactively engaged, so that the Local Plan, as far as possible, reflects a collective vision...'

Moreover, I wonder if Mr Britnell has actually read the final report of the Mori poll of residents which he cites, as it is fully in tune with the intelligent community and amenity societies that he seems to admire and yet decry.

As the summary findings unequivocally state regarding more house-building and the comparison with present rates of construction: "the majority support building in principle but most prefer same/slower pace".

This is directly at odds with the Preferred Option Local Plan which is premised throughout on the basis of a much higher level of house building.

Finally, it is my strong conviction that the most robust Local Plan will be a truly community-forged one.

Rev Paul Wilson, Clare Road, Whitstable

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An additional 4,000 houses planned alongside New Dover Road is a major issue for Canterbury and not one to be regarded as just too big a ship to be turned or for members of the public to be intimidated by rhetoric. It is apparent that central government sees house building as a way to stimulate the economy and is putting pressure on local councils to comply.

House building provides employment for the building industry during the course of construction and some maintenance work thereafter.

However, one would have thought a much better strategy would be to concentrate on the creation of industries that will produce income, provide long-term employment and manufacture goods and services that  can either be exported or that will  reduce the amount of goods being imported into the country.

Employees need housing but there is limited benefit to having housing without the creation of businesses for the employees to work.

What I would like to see is an independent detailed and factual environmental study of the impact of this proposed housing development. We saw recently with the Westgate Towers trial that what appeared to be a small change in traffic flows gridlocked Canterbury for almost a year, and since the trial ceased it is like someone has waved a magic wand.

Building 4,000 houses on the edge of Canterbury is not a trial that can be reversed and I feel it will take a bit more than bypassing the Sturry Road level crossing and a fast bus service into Canterbury to prevent permanent gridlock of traffic in and around the city. What is interesting is that in his report to the planning committee on the proposed crematorium near the University of Kent, council officer Cullum Parker drew attention to the potential impact of the site on traffic. I would suggest that if traffic from this site will pose a problem it will be nothing compared with the impact on traffic of 4,000 additional houses.

John Morgan, Church Lane, Kingston

HB Gazette 30th May 2013

Canterbury spouts nonsense, Herne Bay fountain of wisdom. Nobody surprised.

#FUCCC Our Council's Culture & Enterprise bureaucrats seem to think they know what Guardian readers are interested in (how?), but I put it to you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that Guardian journalists have a much clearer picture of what interests their readers.

In fact, they've already said that they'll be coming to Herne Bay to cover this summer's marvellous Duchamp Centenary celebrations... FOR THEIR READERS.​

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Arts festival will bring Guardian journalists to Herne Bay

Guardian readers may not be tempted by the town but the paper's reporters will be heading to Herne Bay this summer.

Staff from the art and travel section of the national newspaper are planning to cover the three-week festival dedicated to artist Marcel Duchamp and his links with the town, amid a storm over an advert that praised Whitstable and Canterbury but left out Herne Bay.

Tourism chiefs, who paid up to £10,000 for the full-page feature in the Guardian's travel section, say they were concentrating on the brands most likely to attract Guardian readers. But at a meeting organised by the team behind the August festival, they revealed the paper's journalists were looking forward to their visit.

The festival marks 100 years since Duchamp spent a month in Herne Bay, a period believed to be critical to his career. Volunteer Sue Austen, from Bayguide, which is behind the festival, said it could be a boost to the whole town. Southeastern trains have agreed to display posters on board. She said:

"It will hopefully encourage people to Herne Bay who have not been before. It will be covered by the Guardian arts section and Guardian travel section and is already listed in Coast magazine as one of the top things to do this summer."

Sue revealed both Kent County Council and Visit Kent had readily offered support, but said "conversations were ongoing" with Canterbury City Council, who have so far offered to waive the rent on the Kings Hall for a one-day conference to discuss the artist's work.

Steve Coombes, who stood in the KCC elections to raise awareness of the festival, added:

"Charlotte Higgins is the chief arts writer of the Guardian and we have been in enthusiastic communication about the Marcel Duchamp Centenary, by email and phone, since last October. The same is also true of the Times, Telegraph and BBC arts. Unlike the CCC dept of Culture and Enterprise, they were all thrilled by the idea."

Members of the Cartoonists' Club of Great Britain are also planning to take part, after Ralph Steadman created a one-off design for a promotional poster. They will create cartoons for toilets, pubs and other places and there will also be quotes from Duchamp in unusual places around the town and themed window displays from shops.

David Cross, who will be curating the gallery shows, said:

"We would like to make it successful to show them that Herne Bay can be - and has got to be - equal to Whitstable and Canterbury."

Other events planned include an open exhibition at Beach House from July 11 and introducing Mr D at Herne Bay Museum from July 16. Invited artists will show their work at galleries around the town from July 23 and there will also be an art bike trail.

Children can take part in workshops and add their own designs to postcards for a pop-up gallery, and live music, street theatre and chess games are also planned.

Jason Hollingsworth, from Bayguide, said:

"There is a huge cultural legacy to this. There will be a trail and a plaque on the house where he stayed in Downs Park."

For more information on the festival, or to get involved as a volunteer, visit www.iamnotdead.co.uk

Canterbury Times 24th May 2013

That Ad...

#FUCCC The current kerfuffle, which has been christened Guardiangate, was triggered by an ad that Canterbury City Council's Culture & Enterprise bureaucrats placed in the Guardian.

For those of you who were too busy knitting your own ciabatta to pick up a copy that day, here it is - sorry it's a bit blurry, but it's legible when you zoom in.​

Guardiangate Ad by HerneBayMatters

This really pisses me off

Tourism chiefs say Herne Bay won't tempt Guardian readers after leaving it out of national advert for the district

Tourism bosses have been accused of overlooking Herne Bay after promoting Whitstable and Canterbury in a national newspaper.

Officials at Visit Canterbury paid up to £10,000 for the full-page advertising feature in the Guardian Travel Guide, with a mention for the Canterbury Food and Drink Festival, Whitstable Oyster Festival, The Beaney, Roman Museum and the Marlowe Theatre - but not the Kings Hall or the Herne Bay Festival.

Deesons and The Goods Shed in Canterbury, Jojo's in Tankerton and the Sportsman at Seasalter are also given a plug, but there is no reference to any Herne Bay venue, with celebrity favourite Le Petit Poisson, the top-rated Oyster and Chop House and new restaurant Mushy Peas all left out.

The omission was raised at a meeting of Herne Bay Area Panel by Sue Austen from BayGuide, the team staging a festival to celebrate the centenary of artist Marcel Duchamp's stay in Herne Bay.

She was speaking to support their application for funding to help promote the festival in August and said visitors were expected from America and Europe as well as all across the country.

Showing councillors a one-off design by cartoonist Ralph Steadman, she said:

"What you will get for your money is this, a specially designed poster from an internationally respected artist to promote Herne Bay. What you won't get is a full page Guardian advert about Canterbury and Whitstable that nowhere mentions Herne Bay."

The first paragraph of the advertorial refers to the district's "perfect blend of heritage, culture and coast", and it goes on to recommend a stroll along Tankerton Slopes to savour "Whitstable's beautiful sunsets" - ignoring Herne Bay's beaches just a few miles away.

It praises Whitstable's "picturesque" appearance, the harbour and the retail village there - but not Herne Bay pier, due to have its own selection of beach hut shops this summer.

Jenny Cross, from the Friends of Herne Bay Museum, said she was disappointed with the advert. In a letter to council bosses, she said:

"We have a beach, huts, ice-cream, fish 'n chips, three art galleries, museum, festival, sailing club, yacht club, even half a pier! This summer we have a festival celebrating a hundred years since Marcel Duchamp, the most influential artist of the 20th century spent a summer in Herne Bay. Given all this, plus loads of independent shops and cafes, the least you could do is give us a mention!"​

I have no idea where this picture comes from, but it's Janice McGuinness

But Janice McGuinness, head of culture at Canterbury City Council, argued Guardian readers would not be tempted by Herne Bay. She said:

"With all opportunities to promote the district, including articles such as this, we always consider who our target market is. For the Guardian, the focus of this advertorial was on culture, heritage and food. The council's approach here was to focus on the brands most likely to catch the attention of the Guardian Weekend's readers and attract them to the Visit Canterbury website."

She said the website contained information about Herne Bay and the district's villages, and the town would be promoted "on other channels". She added:

"Our Visit Canterbury Team carries out an enormous amount of promotion for the district and Herne Bay features regularly in this work. We will promote the town and the forthcoming Duchamp and Herne Bay Festivals through other channels over the coming months when we highlight the excellent cultural programme happening over the summer in Herne Bay, Whitstable and Canterbury."

Canterbury Times 23rd May 2013

#FUCCC

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You can email Janice McGuinness on: janice.mcguinness@canterbury.gov.uk​ or Tweet her on @seahorsebella

Local Plan: Letters

Local Plan must be community-devised

I am writing as a local minister who is interested in fostering good community relations and also as an ex-policy planner concerned to see good environmental outcomes.

I was very interested to receive notification of the Canterbury district preferred option local plan and I attended and spoke at the Council Overview Committee at the Guildhall on May 13.

In preparation, I read the draft local plan and all the supporting documents in my spare time. I confess I fell asleep during at least one of the very many technical reports! However, I was delighted to read early on: "As a council... we are ambitious and will do the best for our people".

Can I graciously suggest that in order to fulfil that promise, our elected representatives and our public servants might find it helpful to ask themselves if the draft Local Plan actually reflects the emphases in the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on the need for the Local Plan exercise to be creative, collective and realistic?

I believe the local plan, which will run to 2030, should certainly be a "creative" production, as the NPPF puts it: "finding ways to enhance and improve the places in which we live our lives". It's good to embrace the future with hope and to be imaginative.

Let's allow the Canterbury City Council policy planners to dream dreams! But at the same time they and their political masters must not frame policies and proposals in a fashion that is remote from the populace they serve. The local plan process should definitely be a "collective" one! In terms of the NPPF again:

"Early and meaningful engagement and collaboration with neighbourhoods, local organisations and business is essential. A wide section of the community should be proactively engaged, so that the local plan. as far as possible, reflects a collective vision and a set of agreed priorities for the sustainable development of the area..."

Also, the local plan must be "realistic" if it is to succeed in terms of maintaining healthy communities in our district, promoting growth and ensuring sustainability. In his foreword to the NPPF, Greg Clark, the Minister for Planning, says "Local plans should be aspirational but also realistic". They should address opportunities for development and the environmental implications of planning choices. They should reflect genuine needs and local concerns.

At this stage, I have some concerns and misgivings. I'm concerned about the over-reliance on the ancillary reports produced and testing of possible scenarios carried out by private consultants. The local plan needs to be community-devised and community-led. Not simply informing us about what has been prepared for our benefit, but involving us in the framing of policies and proposals that will directly affect us.

As I read the draft local plan, I confess that I fail to even hear consistently the convincing voice of the professional planners offering coherent advice to us and deduce that they themselves may be struggling to reconcile the myriad consultant reports that have been commissioned to underpin the plan.

I'm concerned about the disconnect between the evidence gathered and the proposals contained in the draft local plan. The Mori poll of residents says "Don't use greenfield sites" and a commissioned study says "Protect and conserve" in south Canterbury yet the draft local plan says, in effect, "OK to use this grade 1 agricultural land for development". Supporting studies highlight congestion and the urgent need to surmount gridlock in Canterbury yet the draft local plan proposes a 4,000 home development that will inevitably add to traffic flows in and around Canterbury city centre!

Can I finish by suggesting that my fellow residents get ready for the forthcoming consultation exercise by looking at the draft local plan on the CCC website? Please look at the plan in the round, thinking about the various and some unique pressures on our district, as well as noting carefully how it will impact your own neighbourhood. Do participate fully when the consultation process begins in mid-June, so that the finished local plan document that goes before the Planning Inspector will be truly be the Community's Preferred Option Local Plan!

The Reverend Paul Wilson, Whitstable Baptist Church, Middle Wall, Whitstable

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Vision of 2031 is a nightmarish one

Canterbury City Councils' draft (surely daft?) local plan is a ill-thought out long-term project to make the district's over-population and congestion problem many times worse ("Visions of 2031: are we on right track?", Times, May 9).

If the Canterbury area is already suffering from a gridlock and pollution crisis, I dread to imagine what an extra 15,600 homes will add to this nightmare. Now, on a clear, warm day one can stand on the hillside at the University of Kent, look down over Canterbury and view the plainly visible omnipresent smog cloud which envelops our city.

As our population increases incrementally this current carcinogenic chemical fog will likewise be growing in size and toxicity every year. By 2031 air pollution is likely to be so catastrophic that respiratory/cardiovascular illnesses will have reached epidemic proportions whilst residents and visitors will be forced to wear particle filtration masks (commonly worn by people working around asbestos) as a matter of routine.

Canterbury City Council executives are systematically destroying the district by constantly approving the uprooting of what remains of our vegetation, house-building we don't need and the opening of countless small business-killing chain stores.

My vision of 2031: Paradise lost

Clive Wilkins-Oppler, Canterbury

HB Times 23rd May 2013

Local Plan: criticised for being developer-led

Residents' groups have united in opposition to the garden city vision for Canterbury, which they claim is "seriously flawed".

They formed a non-political alliance at a joint meeting last week, where every individual group raised concerns about the process, scale and speed of proposed house-building, which includes 4,000 new homes in south Canterbury.

Speakers questioned the motivation for the plan, its excessive targets, its lack of infrastructure provision and the timing of both its publication and the consultation period. Chairman Clive Church said:

Clive Church

"We share a common belief that this plan is seriously flawed. It is so obviously developer-led and it ignores the genuine long-term economic and social needs of the district as a whole. We also have serious concerns about the democratic process here in Canterbury since it allows a small number of councillors, 90% of who live well outside the city, to foist a series of completely unacceptable proposals on the city without allowing sufficient time for proper consultation.

We have no doubt that every part of the city will be badly-affected by these plans. The full scale of the extra housing proposed for Canterbury has yet to be revealed. We also have very grave concerns about the extent of the major infrastructure construction that will be needed notably the provision of water and sewerage services. We are concerned as well about the extra traffic congestion and air pollution which would ensue.

Equally we doubt the availability of the jobs needed to support the increase in population. Hopes that these can be provided by a 'silicon valley' style complex are, in our view, quite unrealistic for an area that does not have science-led universities.

Over the next few weeks individual residents groups will be examining the proposals in greater detail and will convene meetings of their members, at which council officials will be invited to speak. The new alliance will meet again in mid-June to discuss the views from these sessions and plan the next steps in its campaign of vigorous opposition."

HB Gazette 23rd May 2013

Local Plan: debate delayed by Council blunder

A special meeting about the controversial draft Local Plan had to be cancelled this week because of an administrative blunder by the city council.

The executive committee had been due to decide on Monday 20th May whether to put out to public consultation the document, which earmarks almost 16,000 new homes across the district. But an eagle-eyed resident spotted the council had failed to give 28 days' notice of the meeting, with embarrassed bosses forced to put back the debate.

The authority admitted it had incorrectly labelled the decision as "key" on papers sent out before the meeting, making it mandatory to advertise it four weeks in advance. But bosses have now taken advantage of powers they hold to give just five days' notice in cases of urgent business, meaning the meeting will be held next Thursday 30th May.

The error was raised with the council's democratic services department by Jon Linnane, of Old Dover Road, Canterbury, who is a member of the Langton and Nackington Road Residents Association. He said:

"The law is quite clear that a key decision needs 28 days notice and I raised it with them on the basis the decision was of high cost and covered more than one ward. They were aware of this on Tuesday, so why did it take until Friday to pull the draft Local Plan from the agenda?

It is laughable that a council which can't follow simple procedural rules has a chance of over-seeing this huge strategic development. We had leafleted 450 of our residents urging them to go to the meeting to express their anger and frustration at this uncosted, environmentally unfriendly and heritage-damaging plan."

City council leader John Gilbey claims there was no need to publicise the upcoming meeting. He said:

"I don't think this is a key decision because it's consultation - it's not that we're deciding to do this. We're putting it out there for the public to look at and have their say. As there is doubt, we will take the safe route and wait a week. I'm not happy about losing the time but I'm not prepared to take any chances."

HB Gazette 23rd Mar 2013

Herne Bay needs Duchampions!

The organisers of the Marcel Duchamp Centenary in Herne Bay are holding a public meeting on Thursday 23 May at 6pm at Beach Creative, Beach Street, Herne Bay (the building on the corner of Kings Road and Beach Street). 

With only 2 months to go before our first exhibitions open, we are inviting everyone in the district to come and hear more about our exciting plans and find out how they can be a festival Duchampion.

The list of events and activities grows by the week and it will be the biggest celebration of the town in years. It is inclusive and fun and there will be something for everyone, whatever your age or taste in art.

Apart from the International Symposium, about 40 recognised artists are contributing original works inspired by Duchamp’s moment in Herne Bay. As are a host of local artists.  There will be chess and music and philosophy in pubs and art bike trails and films and workshops and pop-ups and ready-mades and exhibitions about Herne Bay, both then and now. 

So we need people to Duchampion Herne Bay.  Lots of people. Perhaps you want to Duchampion the music at the bandstand or the cut-outs on the beach.  Maybe you want to Duchampion visitors around town, or pedal the bike cinema for a couple of hours, or put up cartoons in pub lavatories or Duchampion an exhibition or a workshop.  We need Duchampions at the station, Duchampions on the phone and Duchampions to organise other Duchampions. 

So if you’ve got any free time from now until August come and help celebrate Herne Bay’s unique contribution to the fun of Art and the Art of Fun.

If you can't come to the meeting next week, here are details of how you can contact us to find out more:

• Have a look at the Duchamp website: www.iamnotdead.co.uk​
• Contact Sue Austen at: sue@bayguide.co.uk​

The Brand New Heavies head for Herne Bay

The next big name confirmed to play the King’s Hall in Herne Bay is chart-topping acid jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies.

The band come to Herne Bay on Friday 5 July as part of their tour to promote their first new studio album in seven years, ‘Forward’, featuring original vocal collaborator N’Dea Davenport and new vocalist Dawn Joseph.

Over the years, The Brand New Heavies have been responsible for some of the UK’s biggest soul and R&B tracks among their 16 top 40 singles, including ‘Dream on Dreamer’, ‘Midnight at the Oasis’ and ‘You’ve Got a Friend’, and have sold more than two million albums.

Support comes from Bassment Project, a collective of some of the UK’s hottest musicians who have toured and recorded with artists such as Wretch 32, Jessie J, Rizzle Kicks, Dionne Bromfield and Incognito, to name a few.

Early booking is recommended as tickets are expected to sell fast. For more details or to book, go to the Canterbury Ticket Shop website or call 01227 787787.

CCC 17th May 2013

Pebble, pebble, pebble. That's treble pebble!

Hut 136 West Beach Herne Bay CT6 8RN

23rd-28th May 11-4pm daily

​Resident marvel Karen Simpson is at it again! Simple, creative fun for anyone and everyone - read on...

Please come along and Decorate a 'Pebble' for Karen's Community Art Installation "The People's Beach" which will be going on display at Reculver Visitor Centre in August.

​People will be invited to paint or draw on a Plaster of Paris "Pebble" on the theme "what the coast means to me".

All the Pebbles will form an Art Installation at Reculver Visitor Centre (Reculver Lane Herne Bay CT6 6SS) in August 2013 and Beach Creative (Beach Street Herne Bay CT6 5PT) in October 2013.

To find out more about Karen and marvellous works, visit: www.shoreisaloadofrubbish.com

Dakota flypast

As part of the Dambusters 70th Anniversary, Herne Bay was treated to this flypast. The plane is older than most of the people who watched, and in better nick.

Local Plan - Herne Bay, Bullockstone Road

It's unclear where exactly this development is proposed for. 

View fullsize

Local Plan - Herne Bay, Greenhill

This is the site just south of Briary School.  There isn't (yet) a detailed map, only the dotted pink outline on a larger map. This is shown below, where you can see the Greenhill site in relation to the Golf Club and Strode Farm sites.

View fullsize

Click it to big it

View fullsize

Local Plan - SNAFU

Canterbury City Council gaffe delays decision on draft Local Plan

A decision on whether a document earmarking almost 16,000 new homes in the Canterbury district can be put out to consultation has been delayed – because of an administrative error. The document proposes 15,600 new homes on sites in Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable before 2031.

Canterbury City Council was today forced to admit it did not advertise the fact its executive committee would be deciding on Monday whether to approve the draft Local Plan for public consultation. When making key decisions, councils are required to give a minimum five days’ public notice – something CCC overlooked in this case.

It means the decision will now not be heard until the end of the month, sparking criticism of the council’s handling of the process. Opposition leader Alex Perkins (Lib Dem) said:

“Let's just hope there is no one waiting in a brewery hoping to enjoy a party in the next few days.” 

City council leader John Gilbey (Con) admits the delay is frustrating, but claims there was no need to publicise the upcoming decision. He said:

“I don’t think this is a key decision because it’s consultation – it’s not that we’re deciding to do this. We’re putting it out there for the public to look at and have their say. If there’s any doubt then we will take the safe route and wait a week. I’m not happy about losing the time but I’m not prepared to take any chances.”

kentonline 17th May 2013

Local Plan: Whitstable councillor says - Get Involved

Campaign groups and residents are being urged to have their say on a document that will set out plans for the town's future development. At the first public discussion of the draft local plan on Monday, Whitstable Conservative Ashley Clark said it was vital that people got involved.

The town has been earmarked for 400 new homes alongside Duncan Down, between St Luke's Close and the Thanet Way, with a new junction off the Thanet Way. There is also a proposal for a green burial site on part of Duncan Down as well as more pedestrian access.

Cllr Ashley Clark

Mr Clark – who is barred from commenting on the Down plans because of his role as secretary of the Friends of the Downs – said:

"I don't agree with everything in this local plan. But this is not the end, this is merely the beginning. We are going to have a consultation but to do that we need something to put out to consultation, otherwise it would be like herding cats. Canterbury has got off lightly in the past. Whitstable has taken a lot of pain."

Studies commissioned by the council suggested most people's preferred choice for more developments was Herne Bay, then larger villages, then Whitstable, and last Canterbury. [click here to see why this is untrue]

But 70% of people did not support building on greenfield sites.

thisiskent 17th May 2013

MOD Shoeburyness - Forthcoming Activity Alert: 21-29 May 2013

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

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21, 22, 29 May 2013** - Gunfire and Explosions may be noticed.**

23 May 2013** - Gunfire may be noticed.**

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Note:

Local Gunfire = Gunfire that is likely to be noticed only by communities close to 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. **

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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.**

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

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Yours faithfully, Nicki

Shoeburyness Careline 0800 0560108 – this remains the official route for registering concerns about site activity. **

Nicki Uden - Community Liaison Officer, SHOEBURYNESS RANGE Tel: 0800 0560108 Email: nuden@QinetiQ.com

www.shoeburyness.QinetiQ.com http://www.QinetiQ.com People Who Know How

Local Plan: extra NHS funds needed for population boom

A top doctor says extra NHS funding will be needed for local health services to cope with an influx of more than 15,000 new homes in the district.

Dr Mark Jones, the clinical chairman for NHS Canterbury and Coastal Clinical Commissioning Group, says it would need extra government cash to deal with an estimated population increase of 40,000.

Dr Mark Jones

He was speaking after the release of the city council's draft Local Plan, which has earmarked land in Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable for 15,600 new homes before 2031. He said:

"We are aware of the development of the Canterbury Local Plan and will work closely with the council to address the opportunities and challenges the proposals present to the health needs of the population. The new health and social care structure enables the CCG to work closely with the council, and other partners, through the local Health and Wellbeing Board. NHS budgets are based on population size so we anticipate an increasing population will be supported by increased levels of NHS funding."

Dr Jones' comments came before a first public debate about the controversial draft plan. East Kent Hospital Trust spokesman Gemma Shillito said:

"The trust has had some early dialogue with Canterbury City Council. We recognise the need to provide additional facilities and housing in the city and now that the plans have been published, we will be looking in more detail to see what impact the plans may have on clinical services delivered at Kent and Canterbury Hospital."

A dozen speakers voiced their fears at a council meeting on Monday, complaining about a lack of consultation and the scale and location of the future developments. The Guildhall was packed for the meeting of the city council's overview committee, where residents spoke against numerous elements of the plan. The document recommends homes are built at a rate of 780 a year, including 4,000 in a "garden city" in south Canterbury.

But a proposal to send the plan back to the council working group to get more input from the community and a reduced rate of house building was rejected. The motion was put forward by Liberal Democrat opposition leader Cllr Alex Perkins, who branded the draft document a "developer-led plan" which local people had not been consulted on. He said building a vast housing estate in south Canterbury was only being proposed to pay for new roads. He said:

"The working group should work with local residents and associations for their vision of what they want in the district."

Cllr Nick Eden-Green, who was a member of the working committee, said he believed the huge scale of housing planned in south Canterbury was "undeliverable". He argued far fewer houses - about 550 a year - was appropriate and they should be built where there was most economic need, like Herne Bay and Hersden.

The city council's head of regeneration, Ian Brown, insisted the council wanted to create communities, not housing estates. He believed the sites in Herne Bay would launch regeneration in the town and fund relief roads at Herne and the Sturry crossing by-pass.

HB Gazette 16th May 2013