Easter Newsletter from the Pier Trust

The trustees would like to thank you for all the support you have given us the last few months and we wish you a very happy Easter break.

There is a lot going on at present – it looks as if the planning permission for a retail village on the pier is going to be successful and we are now busy with bids for the money to build it. This is an exciting time for the regeneration of the pier. We have a vision that by next Christmas we shall all see the pier lit up like a ship with people buying their jacket potatoes, pancakes and mulled wine and browsing among the shopping units for gifts.

This spring, special thanks goes to the 87 members who replied either by letter or email to our last newsletter – many of you wrote up to a page on what you would like to happen on the pier, both short and long term. With this high level of supportive response - nearly 25% of our membership writing to us - we really feel that we now know what members of HBPT want from us and we promise that we shall do our best to implement your wishes. As trustees of a charity our first responsibility is to represent our members’ opinions.

Over the next four weeks, we aim to reply to everyone who sent in their views and answer any questions you put to us.

Best wishes, Doreen Stone, HBPT Chairman.

Bringing the Pier to Life in 2013

Do you or someone you know want to sell seaside goods? Looking for a prime outlet for quality crafts and produce? Where better than on the pier!

Come and talk to the Pier Trust about it. HBPT is inviting established and new businesses, individuals and groups to apply for one of its beach hut kiosks.

The 18 Pier Trust Retail Beach Kiosks for which we have put in planning permission will run up the right hand side of the leg and round the corner onto the platform. They will make a bright cheery shopping place much the same as the one at Whitstable Harbour but more fun and with lots more colour.

We envisage the beach hut village offering quality traditional seaside products including gifts, sweets and rock, ices, artwork, crafts, seaside gifts, toys, fish and chips, sea foods, farmers’ produce, plants, jewellery and books. However, the Trust is open to ideas and will welcome all enquiries for other sales.

Please drop a note with your contact details into the Pier Trust Gallery and Shop or email us on hbpt.office@gmail.com to discuss your enquiry.

The big advantage for the initial 12 – 14 units will be that they will be cleverly situated to utilize the existing canopy for extra protection against rain and wind with windshields in the gaps between the huts. This will provide shoppers with a sheltered walkway in all weathers. 

Despite the Trust’s reservations about the mini-golf – reservations which we sent to CCC when we first heard about the plans in mid-November - an attraction aiming to bring additional people past the beach hut kiosks is likely to make the units very viable. (Incidentally, we heard about the mini golf plans at the same time as we had just submitted our own business plans for the platform including a community stage, events marquis, café and seating.)

The retail kiosks will be decorated in traditional beach hut colours with lock-up counters and electricity. On the back walls, the huts will spell out HERNE BAY PIER .We also hope to remove, replace or decorate some of the unsightly blue panels dividing the leg of the pier.

The business plan we have now submitted is based on a monthly rental of approximately £275 per unit - less than £70 a week which includes electricity. Established businesses will also be liable for rates but new sellers with a small turnover will be rate free. As we have received a lot of enquiries from people such as artists who want to book a unit for a short term, we are currently reconsidering this.  For longer term bookings, even if the kiosk is available for 12 months, we shall only be charging for 10 months to take into account the weather conditions.

One beach hut will be reserved without charge for community groups and charities to book into.

The Trust has a lot of additional ideas for the pier area including temporary concessions, farmers’ markets, art weekends, antique markets and exhibitions. We are also still considering a ‘shared community use’ stage for live music and possibly a film or two…Jaws or Mama Mia - which one first?

Recent Events since New Year

Herne Bay Music Launch at King’s Hall 

We would like to thank Emily Edwards who contacted us last summer to discuss her and business partner, Carl Crane’s, plans to launch their Herne Bay Music with first proceeds donated to the Pier Trust. We were delighted that the musical evening of February 9th at the King’s Hall was such a success. More than 250 people of all ages attended and had a wonderfully well organised evening of music.

Trustees first met Emily, who is only 18 and still at school, when she presented a remarkably professional pitch to the Board last summer and we are glad we chose to support her plans. The managers of the King’s Hall transformed the ballroom and with the help of ex-trustee, David Shepherd, the evening was full of good humour and music of up and coming bands.

Well done, Emily and Carl, and thank you for the donation to the Pier Trust. It was a pleasure to work with you. Wait until we are ready for performance on the pier! We’ll have a venue to be proud of.

Gallery and Shop News

Come and see the new look Gallery and Shop – open now from 11.00am – 5.00pm from Friday to Sunday every week. Alan Beales, its manager, has filled it with gifts, cards, an exhibition of artists’ work on the theme of the sea front and pier. The gallery also displays pictures explaining the work currently being done on the esplanade and lots of information of the pier old and new. We are pleased to share the space with Herne Bay in Bloom who also have an exhibition of their work. If you wish to renew your membership, drop in for a chat, look at the pictures on sale or deliver a letter to us, you will be made most welcome by Alan and his team of volunteers without whom it would be very hard for the Trust to function. Another volunteer, Colin Barker, is heading up our new events team. If you would like to join either team, please pop into the gallery.

Junior News

In January, two of us spent a delightful afternoon meeting the year 6 pupils at Herne Bay Junior School. The children had, that morning, walked along to the pier and so our visual presentation which was full of pictures and questions about the history of the piers fitted usefully into their current local project.

During February, the pupils spent time drawing their ideas for the future pier cleverly using computer aided design software to remarkable effect. Some chose to construct models of their design concepts. We now have an exhibition of their work running at the Gallery and Shop in Central Parade. Come and have a look.

A Junior HBPT Club

Following our recent happy interaction with both the primary schools and Herne Bay High, we would like to start a Junior Pier Trust Club this spring. After all, continuing local pride in Herne Bay and a willingness to carry on developing the pier plans when we are finished will be in their hands in due course. We hope to involve the younger generation in events, performance and generating ideas.

Wine and Wisdom

On March 22nd we held our fourth Quiz Evening at the King’s Hall. As Peter was already booked, we were lucky to have Gideon Scott and his team in charge of the evening. Thanks Gideon. The food provided by the staff was also excellent. Thanks also to all who donated prizes for the raffle which included a fruit basket from Peter’s Produce, a cake from the Pantry, and an Egg basket from Mrs Cook. The auction of wood craft including a unique garden chair made the evening an excellent fundraising event for the Trust. 

The Pier Head

We have recently attempted to rescue our lights and equipment from the pier head but the weather conditions and rotting wood made this too difficult. However, another attempt will be made as we would like to use the equipment along the leg. There are also suggestions abroad that maybe the metal structure of the café can be rescued and reconstructed on the shore at the entrance of the pier. 

The Long Pier - a shared vision for members and trustees

The responses we received from nearly 90 members (not including ourselves) were full of ideas and strong opinions about the future of the long pier and the returns made very enlightening reading. They supported the Board’s reluctance to support siting a marina at the end of the pier and only 2 of the members’ responses voted for this option.

The letter from the marina engineer which appeared in both local papers had clearly impressed readers with its viewpoint and his expert experience. His opinion echoed the reservations which Marina Projects, a marina company sub-contracted by Gifford in the 2011 Report, expressed when they recommended the Trust to look at alternative options for the marina other than at the end of pier. The 2011 Draft Report stated that a marina a mile out at sea was not the recommended option. While fully supporting any other group wishing to work on a marina project, the Pier Trust will confine itself to re-establishing a pier as a community asset for all residents to enjoy. 

One of the previous trustees has passed onto us the valuable work she had done on what makes a pier successful – much appreciated as we are about to start researching and contacting the most popular pier trusts in UK. Herne Bay Pier will need a unique selling point to attract investment and bring in the visitors. Armed with the information in the reports and having subsumed the rebuild objective back into the Board, we shall be working hard this year bringing our existing pier back to life.

We have a busy year ahead but now the trustees and members have a shared vision.