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

Pier Trust EGM Minutes

I couldn't make it to the EGM on 10th July, so I asked the Trustees what had happened, and what the results were of any votes that were taken. I got conflicting reports as to whether anything had been sent to some or all of the members. I hadn't received anything, and neither had several other paid-up members.

I knew that one of the motions to be voted on was the election of Trustees. I asked who the Trustees of the HBPT now are. There was no answer. I find this astonishing and disappointing.

The Board should have published the Minutes to the membership within days of the EGM - that's simply courtesy. Given that they hadn't published the Minutes, the reply to any member asking for the identity of the current Trustees should  have been to rattle off their names. Instead, I was told that my request would be considered.

However, the day after threatening to raise the matter of Secret Trustees with the Charity Commission, the Minutes and the identity of the Trustees appeared on the HBPT Facebook page. The Minutes are reproduced below.

The current trustees are:
Doreen Stone - chair
Aileen Barker - membership and lots more
David McCormick - Health and Safety and Events
Lynn Faux-Bowyer - Treasurer
Andrew Cook - CCC appointed trustee - Company Secretary
Joe Howes - CCC appointed trustee - external liaison

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The EGM Minutes

HERNE BAY PIER TRUST
Minutes EGM 10th July 2013 Christchurch Hall Herne Bay

Present: Doreen Stone (Chair)
Aileen Barker
Lynn Faux-Bowyer
Joe Howes
Andrew Cook
David McCormick
Members as recorded on signing in sheet.

Agenda item 1:
Doreen Stone began the update announcement with the fact that the Pier Opening day was attended by the National Piers Society which is very supportive of what was being organised. They also suggested that they may consider holding their next AGM in Herne Bay.

(The meeting was interrupted by the arrival of Andy Newell, former member and trustee. When he was asked to leave because an EGM is open only to members, a member on the floor made a proposal, which was seconded, that the Meeting be suspended until he left followed by a unanimous vote in favour. He did leave and the meeting resumed.)

DS continued with the update – The Trust had been granted a Planning Permit for 18 Retail Huts (an initial 12 to be followed by a further 6). She announced that the Trust had applied for the Lease of the complete platform area now it had been confirmed that the Golf Application would not operate this year. The £2k loan money had generated 1.5 jobs on the Pier so far and one hut owner was already considering employing extra staff to meet demand for teas/cakes etc.

HBPT needed an income of £65,000 to move to the next stage of managing the platform. Work by CCC on renovating the decking where the next 6 huts are to be built would begin in Oct. She suggested the Trust should now plan for an all weather building/structure on the platform which, if it included a heritage and information centre, maybe with a sea- themed attraction? One of our members has suggested approaching RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) to hold a design competition for students of architecture for Herne Bay Pier.

Agenda Item 2: Election of Officers.
There were 2 applicants – Aileen Barker & David McCormick. They both spoke to the Meeting and the voting took place.
Ds informed the meeting and listed the Proxy votes she had received – a total of 24 supporting her choices and 1 against the motions.
Total number of votes possible (incl proxy votes) = 42.
Results: Aileen Barker total in favour - 41
David McCormick total in favour - 41.
Both candidates unanimously elected as HBPT Trustees.

Volunteers- have become essential to the running of the Trust and there was a suggestion from the floor that maybe a 2nd tier of 'management' to work alongside the Board should be considered. This was agreed and that the trust should ask the Charities Commission for advice on this.

Agenda Item 3: This motion was to confirm the ruling in the Articles of Association and the Memorandum of Association the Board of Trustees can operate within the constitutionally specified number of Trustees required at any one time with a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 11. This was agreed – 41 for and 1 proxy against.

Agenda Item 4: That the Articles of Association be amended to state that the term of office for non CCC appointees is 3 years and that they must stand for re-election after that period; trustees to be permitted to hold position for a maximum of 3 consecutive terms. This was agreed 41 for and 1 proxy against.

The Chair, Doreen Stone, thanked everyone for attending and hoped they would spread the word on the positive progress of the HBPT. Meeting closed @ 19.55

After the meeting closed some points were raised for Board discussion eg
More notices about activities on pier such as:
- Boards with Hut Vendors names listed
- Large Chalk Boards with notices
- Press releases on regular basis showing how new businesses were being supported and new employment created by the Hut Village
- The importance of integrated community involvement to raise the profile of Herne Bay.

Barriers to progress

Years of waiting, thousands of pounds, and one snafu after another.

Following relentless pressure from Andy Lawrence, our councillors raided the Herne Bay Opportunity Fund for £3,000 to pay for the barrier across Mortimer Street (instead of getting KCC Highways to pay for it), and CCC put the job out to tender.

They awarded the job to a fencing company (!), who turned out not to have the right paperwork to allow them to work on Highways projects. Oops. Further delay while they find another contractor.

The next contractor installs the two gates that swing closed to form the barrier. A Council official comes along with the padlock that will lock the gates shut. Oops. It doesn't fit. More delays while they search for a padlock that's the right size. Ta-dah! A padlock is found that will fit the gates... everything is ready.

Self-promotion

Oops! There's still something missing, a magical ingredient without which the expensive new barrier cannot possibly be used - a photo opportunity for local councillors. There is an election coming, after all.

Our lovely new barrier will be unveiled today (23rd March), by councillors Andrew Cook, Joe Howes, Jean Law, and Peter Vickery-Jones, with the paparazzi in attendance.

Free parking - is it worth the money?

It's hard to tell whether this scheme is gibberish or not.​The money to pay for this free parking experiment is coming from the "Opportunity Fund" - £10k set aside by CCC for the Herne Bay councillors to spend on local projects.

I had fondly imagined that this would cover stuff that wouldn't easily be funded from any other part of the Council structure - the Christmas grotto at the Bandstand, a grant for the Umbrella Centre, that sort of thing.​

It appears, however, that it can be used for things that I would have thought came under the Highways budget (the new barrier in Mortimer Street) or CCC's traffic budget (this proposal). It looks and feels to me like the Council simply recycling the same money - CCC gives Herne Bay money which is then returned to CCC to cover the revenue that CCC loses through Herne Bay’s free parking experiment.​

Andrew Cook gave us a breakdown of where the money will be spent: £400 for advertising, £250 for recalibrating the machines, leaving £800 for the parking. I think his maths is a little out - £750 would be left to cover the cost of lost parking revenue.

One of the councillors, I think it was Peter Lee, revealed that the horrid little parking meters scattered across town are cleverer than I ever expected. They are linked in to some evil central parking brain, and chatter away all day long, boasting about how much money they’re taking.

Surely this takes all the guesswork out of estimating how much parking is making the Council, and how much free parking would cost them. Nonetheless, Andrew Cook says in the press article that it will give them "a clear idea of what it costs to do free parking". Peter Lee says the money being asked for is "a fair estimate of the income lost". CCC already know what the experiment is likely to cost - the parking meters have told them.

What they haven’t explained is how they will know if the experiment has succeeded, or what their criteria for success might be.

How is this going to be assessed? If someone arrives at 9:15am and leaves at 10:30am, how will anyone (or the parking meters) know they were ever there? Will there be a Council officer standing there every April morning, counting the cars in and counting them out again?

Peter Lee refers to the possibility of free parking being “self-funding” - what on earth does that mean? Presumably, he thinks that the £800 of lost parking revenue might pop up somewhere, somehow.

So what’s actually happening here - is our Council simply using some rather unsubtle money-shuffling to give the appearance of trying to help our town?

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Free parking trial for Herne Bay town centre approved by councillors

Shoppers will be offered free parking on weekday mornings next month in a bid to tempt them into Herne Bay. Councillors agreed to spend £1,400 on a trial of free parking between 9am and 11am, Monday to Friday, in the Kings Road car park where the market is held on Saturdays.

The money comes from Herne Bay Area Member Panel’s opportunities fund - a pot of £10,000 a year for community projects that benefit the town. It will pay for advertising, changes to parking meters and for any lost revenue from car parking charges.

Dylan Hampshire, of Cockett’s Mattresses, suggested changing the time and copying other town’s ‘free after 3pm’ schemes. Andrew Lawrence, who runs the Speciality Food Store in Mortimer Street, said both mornings and afternoons were difficult for traders:

“From 9-11am is a dead zone, as is the last part of the day. After 2.30pm, Herne Bay is dead. We are suffering then. We could probably open from 11am to 2.30pm and then close our shops and go home because we have so few customers.”

He said local people refused to pay anything for parking, and seafront charges also put holidaymakers off.

But West Bay councillor Peter Lee said parking was free for most of the year in Central Parade. Heron councillor Andrew Cook added:

“This is an excellent project that both residents and businesses have been pushing for. It will give us an accurate idea of what it actually costs to do free parking.”

Critics argued that the money was effectively going back into the council’s pockets, to replace the income lost from parking charges during the trial. But Cllr Lee, who is responsible for finance on the council, said it was important to be able to tell how much revenue was lost. He added:

“We can repeat it in the future if we can prove it can be self-funding. This is a fair estimate of the income lost.”

Officials also vowed to investigate another suggestion of extending the free parking in town centre streets from one hour to two. The Kings Road car park scheme will start in April.

thisiskent 12th Mar 2013

Andy Lawrence stops the traffic in Mortimer Street

Local hero Andy Lawrence has been putting himself at risk, trying to keep Mortimer Street safe from idiot motorists. Drivers who are too stupid to read the traffic signs, or too selfish to take any notice, are driving along the street when it should be treated as a pedestrianised zone.

There's a simple and cheap solution (a lockable barrier across the road) but our Council has been dragging its heels, so Andy has taken to enforcing the traffic regulations himself. One local councillor who accepts there's a problem - Cllr Andrew Cook - wants to make sure the majority of traders want the barrier.

Cllr Cook sits on the Council's ruling Executive and holds the portfolio for Community Safety, and for Health, amongst others. Community Safety, and Health, is being endangered because the traffic regulations are not being enforced. (Where are the police and the newly empowered traffic wardens when you need them?)

The law isn't being enforced - presumably the powers that be would plead budget cuts. I had thought the Conservatives were the "Law and Order" party. There's no need to carry out a survey to find out whether the law should be enforced - just make it impossible to break that particular law. Install the barrier. Now.

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Pedestrians are being put at risk by drivers ignoring traffic restrictions in the town centre, traders claim. And they have accused council bosses of stalling over a cheap solution that would make the town centre safer.

Officials are considering a plan to install a lockable barrier at the bottom of Mortimer Street, costing £1,500. It was suggested at the start of the summer, but no progress has been made. Meanwhile, a shopkeeper who was manning temporary signs reminding people of the closures says he is not prepared to continue because of the abuse from motorists. Andrew Lawrence, 43. who runs the Speciality Food Store in Mortimer Street, said:

"I did it for four weeks. but no longer for my own sanity. I’m not insured and I don't work for the council. So if there was an accident or I dropped the sign on someone, who would be responsible? People get very emotional when told they can't do something, and I've been told they are coming through whether I like it or not, because they have always parked there or driven up the road."

The dad-of-five, who has run the shop for four years, met councillors and other traders to discuss the problem and councillor Peter Lee came up with a design for a lockable barrier that could be lifted and lowered. He said:

"Four shops would hold the key it would be locked upright at certain times and lowered to provide a physical barrier. Deliveries could still get through, and it could easily be opened in an emergency. The best bit is that it would only cost £1,500 - a tiny amount for a council that has £1 million of taxpayers' money sitting in the bank. But it seems they don't care about the people who are in danger from the cars whizzing up here at speed - only about keeping their cash."

Town centre manager Chris West was due to present a report on the issue to Herne Bay councillors at a meeting on Tuesday night, and said he planned to consult businesses before proposing a more permanent solution. Councillor Andrew Cook said it was important to get all traders’ views before proceeding. He said:

"I don't think there's a single councillor who would be against this, but we need to make sure it is what the majority of businesses want. I stood out there with Andrew for ten minutes and saw six cars go up there, and none had a legal reason to do so. But everything has to go through the correct procedures and the bureaucracy that goes with that."

Cllr Cook suggested an interim solution may be possible if someone else could be found to take over responsibility for the sign.

HB Times 13th Sep 2012

Pier review

Well, it's all kicking off over at the Pier Trust - name-calling, playground threats, hair-pulling, you name it.

Once upon a time, the Herne Bay Pier Trust had a nice little Facebook site which people would saunter over to from time to time, to find out what was new, and add their words of wisdom and encouragement.

How times change.

Reading between the lines as much as I dare, my guess is that our beloved Council has decided that the whole Pier Thing needs to be more tightly managed and controlled. Murmurs of unquiet, mutterings of discontent, and opinions that diverge from the Unquestionable Truth have all emerged in the local media recently, much to the annoyance of our Controllers.

The solution seems to have been to seek greater direct control, and to this end Cllr Cook (one of the nine or so Trustees, and one of the two councillors appointed by the Council) was annointed an Adminstrator on the Trust's Facebook site. And that's when things started to go awry.

Within the Herne Bay Pier Trust Facebook site, a new page was set up called, er, "Herne Bay Pier Trust". Hardly confusing at all. This new page, let's call it HBPT2, then started writing stuff, and replying and commenting, just as a real person would. One of the first messages gave a clear indication of what was to come:

"Facebook comunication is being Hi jacked by activists stick to being positive about the Pier please, and offer help dont just moan."

HBPT2 then went on over the next few days to speak as if it had the knowledge, authority and support of the Trustees, indeed it spoke as if it was the Pier Trust. Those who questioned the Unquestionable Truth were dubbed snipers, gripers, downers, and (gasp!) "activists". The identity of HBPT2 remains a closely guarded secret - HBPT2 has been asked to reveal itself, and has refused.

Anyway, it's Cllr Cook. I don't know if this was meant to be a light touch on the rudder to steer the Trust along the Council's preferred course, but he's managed to rile a lot of long-standing Pier supporters - do pop over to the Trust's Facebook site and have a look at the swirling confusion and anger he's left in his path.

So what's next? The ex-Trustees who invested hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds' worth of effort in the Trust will still be dismissed as grumbling malcontents. The Council will beam approvingly on those who toe the line unquestioningly. Criticism will be branded as negativism. Cheery, shallow words of encouragement will be plentiful - substantive commitment, support and promotion won't.

A lot of people will work bloody hard to make the most of what little we're being given to work with, and my heart swells with pride in anticipation of what we will probably achieve. But please don't forget - if our Council had shown the same commitment to Herne Bay as it has shown to Canterbury over the last five years, we would have our Pier by now.

News from the end of the Pier

Herne Bay Pier Trust Newsletter

Spring 2012

Hello members,

Well, we have had a lot of coverage about the future of the pier in the local press over the last few weeks – some of it correct and some… rather misleading. So we thought our members would like to have the facts from the horse’s mouth.

As the editor of this newsletter and a new Trustee elected last September, I have no political associations or any past history with the Pier Trust so I promise you that what appears below is an open and honest communication to our members of where the Pier Trust stands, what we are doing and why we have chosen this way forward.

A small group of ex-Trustees are currently expressing their disagreement with a majority vote by the Board that we should work in partnership with the Canterbury City Council – a decision made after much debate and consideration of the pro’s and cons. They may ask the Chairman in the near future to call an EGM because they are questioning the Articles of Association drawn up when the Pier Trust was first set up as a charity which includes two council appointed Trustees on the Board. We have invited the members concerned to discuss these issues informally with the Board but we have already had one decline.

This summer is an opportunity to fulfil our first mission statement “Reclaim the Pier for the People” and we can best do this working with the Council. If we succeed to manage the pier efficiently, we have no doubt that they will hand the pier over to us in 2013 for the Rebuild stage. If we are forced to call an EGM, at a time when we are so busy trying to show what we are capable of, we would value your support please.

We have included various appeals for help in this newsletter as we would also like as many members as possible to play a part in developing our pier and working towards a longer future,

Thank you,

Doreen Stone

Wine and Wisdom

Our first Wine and Wisdom will take place at the King’s Hall on April 20th at 7.00pm with one every month thereafter. The King’s Hall caterers will be providing food and soft drinks – please bring your own bottle of wine. We are seeking really good quality raffle prizes to surprise you. Peter war will be our question master. To book a seat or a table of 8, at £8 a head, ring 01227 374420

Where we stand in the Trust…..

The first thing to state is that all 11 Trustees want, as much as all the members, to see a long pier stretching out to sea where we can walk out across the sea, turn round and look back at our lovely and often under-rated traditional seaside town. That is the reason we all joined the Pier Trust and are expending much of our spare time on it.

However, the challenging task of rebuilding of the pier has to be tackled in phases. It is totally unrealistic not to recognise that rebuilding one of the longest piers is a massive challenge with many pitfalls. We have to plan, cost out and find funding for every phase thoroughly and raising enormous sums of money in difficult financial times is not going to be easy. To achieve our ultimate goal of a long pier, we shall need something in the region of £20million and £40 million if it includes a marina and traditional pavilion(s).

When we hopefully take over management of the existing pier in 2013, it will be because the Trust has proved this year to the current owners that it has fit managers who can raise an income of over £56,000 a year just to maintain and run it. Currently, CCC spends this sum just to keep the under structure in safe order. If we are able to achieve our business plan this year, we are confident that we shall be able to take over the pier and its next phase next year.

So, we really do need members’ support – both in practical and professional skills and in volunteering to help - to run the lively programme of events we have planned and raise enough annual income to show we are competent to run the pier by ourselves. Come and play a part in winning back the pier….

Members’ skills register

If you have particular skills such as catering, entertainment, management, stewarding, first aid, van transport, design, container gardening, sales, accounting, computing, decoration or if you can just spare a few hours to help us supervise the events ……. Please get in touch with our chairman, Julian Jennings on….. or write to him to The Pier Gallery, Central Parade. Let’s make the pier a community effort – please join us this summer. We promise not to overwork you or take liberties! We welcome help from all ages.

The Trust’s Business Plan

Three weeks ago, a group of Trustees, met with the specific officers and councillor who have been given the pier in their remit and we presented the Pier Trust’s 2012 Business Plan to them. The meeting, despite previous reservations on our side, went well and we came away with a positive feeling that a new type of partnership has begun. The new brooms at CCC are as keen as us that we succeed and will give us a lot of support, e.g. to facilitate planning permission, legal requirements, risk assessments, leasing terms, concessionary arrangements, as well as the current structural maintenance of the pier. That is why for this first summer, we have voted that this is the best way forward - working together with the Council.

The business plan has taken a lot of hard work fleshing out ideas, costings, income, funding, health and safety and feasibility. The two local councillors, Joe Howes and Andrew Cook, whose position as appointed Trustees has been the root of much opposition, have actually put hours of work, way beyond the call of duty, into supporting Trust decisions.

Incidentally, the so called criticism by CCC of the Trust’s plans made an interesting headline in the local press based purely on one word in an executive report amid many other positive ones. The CCC officer chairing the meeting told us she had not even been contacted by the reporter and had made not a single critical statement.

A Brief Summary of the Business Plan

Phase 1:

Once the pavilion has disappeared within the next two weeks, we need CCC to have a good quality multi-purpose surface put down. Until the demolition is complete, we are not allowed to go onto the pier to see what we will be left to work with. The Council have promised to make good the surface and work with us on preparing the pier for public safety. It may be that the varying floor levels left by the pavilion will prove useful as the basis for seating around the arena. We shall see in the latter half of April.

To meet the public preference for a traditional pier (see our survey results) we are hoping to add some attractive touches – rows of flags with solar uplighters, planters with the kind of plants Herne Bay in Bloom Society consider will stand up to the sea air, bunting made by the Herne Bay High Schoolchildren, a sun deck and café which so many residents requested as a must in the surveys. A recent TV advertisement for Homebase which featured a pier is an inspiration for ours.

The designs and events we are planning have all been based on the results of our public consultation exercises culminating in our stand at the Business Fair mentioned above. We have been very conscious that it is the pier belongs to the people of Herne Bay and we need to follow the peoples’ mandate……

Finding out what the people want on their future pier

The Trust has received the Herne Bay residents’ views and aspirations from a variety of sources –

• the survey printed by the Herne Bay Times in November,
• the same survey returned via the Herne by Trust website, and still coming into the Pier Gallery
• all the people we met at the Christmas Grotto ( we had 3000 visitors - Santa gave 650 presents to children)
• Trustees talking to local groups

The results show the following preferences of local people:

Results of surveys

• You would like a traditional pier with children’s rides, retro amusements, a big wheel or a helter-skelter, a sun deck and café, ice cream, sweets and sea-food stalls, child/parent telescopes and boat trips.
• The most popular activities or events you would like to see – farmers’ market, musical performances, film, roller-skating again, fishing, exhibitions, antiques market, dancing and bands
• Many good suggestions included a sea world centre, an eco information centre, an underwater viewing facility.
• Many wanted to see boat trips back again, angling from the pier, quality retail beach huts, sporting activities.

Therefore, on the strength of your replies,

During the summer, supported by CCC we are planning a series of events and activities.

• A film on the pier on a large screen in July – with dancing demos, music, refreshments
• A series of sports weekends in July and August for youngsters with demos and training from top professional footballers, cricketers and more
• A farmers’ market (s) – a very popular request
• A Spirit of the Sea music event in August – bands competitions and gigs to coincide with the Herne Bay Festival
• Maybe also an antiques market
• Concessionary roller-skating days during the holidays
• Concessionary sales tables of refreshments, traditional sweets and candy floss

Wine and Wisdoms

We are raising funds and will be running Wine and Wisdoms to cover each event. The first Wine and Wisdom will take place at the King’s Hall on April 20th at 7.00pm with one every month thereafter. To book a seat or a table of 8, at £8 a head, ring 01227 374420

The Beach Hut Village

During this year, the Trust will be applying for planning permission to build a row of traditionally decorated seaside beach hut sales booths. The income from these – maybe up to 14 of them – will bring in useful funds. Similarly concessions to selected traders running the café, ice-cream and sweets stands, candy floss, pancake and shell-fish stalls will also bring in funds.

If you are interested in renting a hut next year or applying for a concession to provide refreshments, please contact us. Either write to the Chairman, Julian Jennings, at the Pier Gallery, Central Parade. or email us via this website.

All of these plans will be a steep learning curve. The Trustees have already met the Fire Service for advice, consulted our insurance company, started to cover legal requirements such as necessary risk assessment and health and safety issues. We are also sourcing free training courses in crowd management, stewarding and first aid skills.

Again if you are trained in any of these skills please contact us. Your skills will be most welcome.

Also, if you have personal contact with any company who might be willing to sponsor an event or a flag, please let us know. All sponsors will be acknowledged – major sponsors will have a permanent plaque on the pier. Maybe you know a celebrity who would help us with publicity for the charity or open one of the events.

Phase 2 :

Looking further ahead, beyond 2012 – the Trust envisages gradually building on the pier– lengthening it seawards section by section. The diagrams you may have se en in the papers were early concepts presented to us by Trust member, David Parish. The idea was to have two covered all-weather areas – one for children’s activities and the other as an all-weather multi-purpose area for all year round skating, performance and exhibitions – and maybe weddings! These covered areas would lengthen the season for pier activities into the winter months. The further we go out, the better the fishing too! This stage will be open to much further public consultation.

Fishing permits, weddings, performances, exhibitions, markets would bring in further much needed income for building further out to sea.

For Phase 2, the Trustees are exploring many sources of funding – government, local, European, Lottery, private, corporate. The search is definitely on! All information is welcome to add to our trawl for big money.

Phase 3: The Long Pier

The Trust and CCC have already paid £19,000 for a long-term report on the feasibility of a long pier and/or marina and has committed a further £8,000 through sponsorship for a professional economic study on the options outlined by the first report and its economic impact on the town.

Despite the Trustees working on the short-term phase and 2012 events, a dedicated Rebuild team of Trustees are concurrently committed to overseeing the rebuild of the long pier.

How we organise ourselves

As well as these two sub-groups of Trustees, each of the 2012 events listed above has a lead Trustee working with his/her team on each event. We now have a very well structured organisation. Anyone who has time and would like to join any of the teams working on one of the events listed above will be most welcome – we need all the help we can get.

What else have we been doing?

Santa’s Grotto

Thank you for your support of Santa’s Grotto which was open for three weekends up to Christmas Eve in the bandstand. We had 650 children queuing under the snow from the snow machine to receive their present from Santa. We had children’s entertainers there and the face-painting went down well. It was a good opportunity for the trustees to meet the members and discuss the plans.

During the school days we had hundreds of schoolchildren singing during the lunchtimes and in the evenings Trustee David Shepherd organised a variety of quality musical events. Over the three weeks we had over 3000 visitors.

The Schools’ Art Project

Sponsored by Southern water and KCC, Sue Austen and Lynn Faux-Bowyer ran a massive project which involved five local primary schools. They arranged art workshops with an artist and the children produced hundreds of lively, imaginative and beautiful paintings on the themes of the seaside, the pier and sea creatures.

Herne Bay High pupils expressed their feelings for the seaside and the pier through dozens of imaginative sculptures. The project culminated in an exhibition in the Pier gallery and the new art gallery at the King’s Hall judged by Southern water, a local artist and MP Roger Gale. Prize-giving took place on 23rd of March. The project enabled us to meet and gather views from children, parents and teachers about the future of the pier.

The Pier Gallery

The Pier Gallery has become a hub for information and fund-raising. Friendly volunteer staff will make you welcome at weekends and there is always a lively exhibition of paintings and art on show. The latest exhibition is …..(Andrea to flesh out please)

Going Green

The Trust has raised a significant amount of funds through its recycling can campaign. The can collection points will be augmented by a paper-recycling collection point. New can bins are being placed in the Memorial Park near the toilets.

Pier Trust reveals extension plans

Campaigners have unveiled plans to extend the pier and build a new pavilion. Members of Herne Bay Pier Trust revealed details of the scheme – the brainchild of graphic designer Dave Parish – ahead of a crucial council meeting to debate the pier's future after council officers claimed the lack of a clear plan for the site meant that "difficult decisions" would have to be made.

In a six-page report due to be discussed by the council's ruling executive on 2nd Feb, council officer Dawn Hudd raised a number of issues. She said:

"Communications with the trust have been contradictory and we are now at a point where difficult decisions need to be made about any programme of activity this year. A clear understanding needs to be obtained of any planning limitations for the site. Given the Pier Trust's lack of experience and its own admission about its capacity… significant input from council officers will be required."

But pier bosses hit back, and said they were reviewing several options, including a row of beach hut-type stalls, a cafe, a local-information stall and an area for angling. They hope to attract private funding for their plans. Spokeswoman Doreen Stone said:

"We have been working hard for the future of the pier through our two appointed councillor trustees, Andrew Cook and Joe Howes. The trust sent its business plan to the council before Christmas. We have agreed to present a final business plan in mid February. On the main platform, we have suggested a multi-purpose floor, which could be used for skating, musical events, comedy, dancing and live performances. A local designer has presented rough drafts of two domes to cover the activity areas and the trust is currently planning several events this summer."

Council officials have warned any events need to be planned urgently, as most will need a premises licence, which takes 56 days. Health and safety issues, planning limitations and how to get power and water to the pier platform also need to be considered.

Councillors will be told tonight that they have four options, including leaving the site empty and closed off once the pavilion is demolished in about six weeks' time, keeping full control of the pier and putting activities in place, or keeping control of the pier platform but helping the Pier Trust and other organisations to organise events.

They were expected to choose the last option, and request an additional £40,600 from Canterbury City Council on top of their current budget for the pier of £75,000. The increased budget will include £18,000 for insurance, £10,000 for gates, £5,000 for a tide gauge and £10,300 for navigation lights, as well as £20,000 contingency money.

Heron councillor Andrew Cook told the Times:

"The council and the Pier Trust are working very closely to ensure activities are put in place. We will be presenting those at the King's Hall business and community exhibition on March 21. Local designer David Parish has presented us with a exciting model of a Victorian building with modern elements as a possible cover for the pier platform, which is quite exposed.

We are looking at the feasibility and finances of putting something like this in place; if not this summer, then during phase two, possibly over a platform doubled in length. Realistically, the pier platform is likely to open for its first event to coincide with the Queen's Jubilee."

HB Times 3rd Feb 2012

Herne Bay Beach Hut Day

Herne Bay famous faces John Altman and Nicki Chapman had a stiff challenge on their hands as guest judges at the annual beach hut competition. A fiercely contested event saw owners get right into the festival spirit with an array of colourful designs and themes for their huts.

Former EastEnders star John and TV personality Nicki were joined by Jenny and David Cross from the Friends of the Herne Bay Museum in the judging as the number of entries exceeded expectations. Organiser Andrew Cook was overwhelmed with the response:

“The sun came out to shine and many hut owners frantically dressed theirs in time for judging. Competition was fierce and the quality was higher than ever before, some owners came from as far away as Yorkshire to enter. We had to give out some additional prizes to make the judges’ lives a bit easier. Jill Bell eventually took the honours for best dressed hut with her Mrs Sweeney Todd theme. It was great to have both Nicki and John there as they are firm believers of what Herne Bay has to offer and the town’s future potential.”

Kentish Gazette 16th Aug 2011

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Click here for the Beach Hut Day photo gallery

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Herne Bay to be colonised by time machines

Two Dr Who Tardises could be installed on the seafront and at the library in the hope that Dr Who fans will be drawn to the town. And enthusiasts could find they are bigger than they look, as the plan is for them to be working police boxes to allow people to contact emergency services.

Furniture maker Jason Onion revealed his sci-fi vision at a meeting of Herne Bay councillors on Tuesday and was rewarded with a round of applause. The 35-year-old moved back to Herne Bay from Cornwall and is eager to make a positive contribution for the community. He said:

"This seemed like a brilliant opportunity to tie in with the programme's 50th anniversary and do something good for the town."

His unusual idea would also be a celebration of Anthony Coburn, the first writer of the show who lived in Herne Bay. Jason hopes to incorporate internet wi-fi connection and a 360 degree CCTV camera in the top light to deter vandals. Councillors voted unanimously to refer the plans to city council's ruling executive committee. Andrew Cook, councillor for Heron said:

"This is a great idea. We should seize this opportunity for Herne Bay."

Jason plans to build the Tardis himself and suggests that reclaimed wood from the pier could be used. Ultimately the police box would be auctioned off in 2013 on the show's 50th anniversary and proceeds would be donated to charity.

HB Times 23rd Jun 2011

Onion's Tardis

A life-sized Tardis on the seafront could be a real draw with tourists, according to a Bay councillor. Tory Andrew Cook, who represents Heron ward, raised the issue for discussion at Tuesday's meeting of the town's councillors.

The unusual agenda item came up after local prop-maker Jason Onion, 35, suggested the town go Dr Who mad and put a Tardis on the seafront. He said it would be in recognition of BBC scriptwriter Anthony Coburn, who lived and worked in the Bay and conceived the idea of a police box as a time machine.

Mr Onion said a 9ft (2.7m) blue box would be a good excuse to coach the country's Dr Who fans down to the Bay. Town manager Chris West said he thought it was a great idea. He said:

"Anything that serves to draw more people down to the town can only be a good thing. I understand that he's donating a full-sized replica to the library along with some original scripts for the series so we could have what amounts to a very nice exhibition!"

Mr Cook said:

"It's an unusual idea but as a councillor I'm here to facilitate ideas and give people a voice. It's up to my colleagues to agree or disagree as they see fit. But if you think how many Dr Who fans there are – you can't go into a shop in the country without finding Tardis merchandise – out there, it could be a great draw as there seems to be a genuine link to the town."

The first four episodes of Doctor Who were written by Mr Coburn in 1963. Next year is the show's 50th anniversary.

HB Times 16th Jun 2011

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Plans to install a full-size replica Tardis on Herne Bay seafront could become reality after the idea was given a massive thumbs-up by town councillors. The 8ft wooden booth – which will operate as a working police box – will be sited on the entrance to the pier.

Creator Jason Onion, from Beltinge, presented the idea at a meeting on Tuesday night and won a round of applause from councillors and the public. He said the £7,000 Tardis – which will take two months to build – will acknowledge the late Anthony Coburn, who lived in Herne Bay and wrote the first ever Doctor Who episode. It will also have a 360 degree CCTV camera on top to deter would-be vandals. Mr Onion, 35, said:

“I have approached Maidstone Police for their inclusion on this and they are favourable. I wish to involve all emergency services, including St John’s and the coastguard, so the item functions as was intended while serving as a new landmark for the town. I can see only positives for this and know it will do good for Herne Bay.”

The time-travelling machine was well-received by those at the meeting, with many claiming it will give the seafront a boost. Town centre councillor Andrew Cook said:

“I think it’s a great idea and has certainly attracted a lot of attention. Everyone has an interest in it so I think we should take it a step further. It could open up some very interesting doors for Herne Bay and be another thing for us to hang our hat on.”

Heron Ward sidekick Joe Howes added:

“The idea’s great, but Andrew Coburn wasn’t just Dr Who. He wrote lots of other things, including Poldark, so it’s important we recognise that as well.”

West Bay’s Peter Lee said:

“This seems like an excellent idea with benefits to the town. The Herne Bay Regeneration Group Working Party has been looking at the seafront for awhile now and at areas where things can be put and developed. I think the best way forward is to refer this to them so they can look for a permanent site as part of the work they’re doing.”

County councillor David Hirst added:

“It seems great to me - I love it. There’s definitely a use for it.”

It’s thought the Tardis could be built from reclaimed wood from the soon-to-be demolished pier pavilion. Councillors agreed for the idea to be considered by the regeneration working group. Kent County Council has also confirmed it is considering putting a 1963 replica in the town’s library.

HB Gazette 16th Jun 2011

Post mortem and the afterlife

May's election is done and dusted, the rosettes stored away, the leaflets recycled, and the manifesto promises are just fading memories.

What are we left with for the next four years, here in sunny Herne Bay? Well, we've got eight of the old guard (one re-badged) and five newbies - a decent rate of turnover, by the look of it. Twelve of them are Conservative, one Liberal Democrat. And this is where our problems start.

In Herne & Broomfield, there was no change: Bisset, Sonnex and Vickery-Jones sailed in. In the papers the next week, Sharron Sonnex wrote about continuing to "robustly represent" her constituents. I laughed till I stopped. After attending HBAMP meetings on and off for a couple of years, plus the occasional Council meeting, I had never heard Sharon Sonnex speak (or Evelyn Bisset, come to that). When the Herne & Broomfield blarney fairy was handing out the gift of the gab, I think Peter Vickery-Jones must have cornered the market.

Over in West Bay, old hand Peter Lee topped the poll, closely followed by Sebastien Byford. Who? Well, Sebastien is one of the new foundling councillors, magicked out of nowhere by Conservative High Command and dropped neatly into the gap left by Vince McMahan. As you can tell from the number of votes - nearly as many as the experienced financial wizard Peter Lee - he is clearly top-class councillor material.

In my home Ward of Reculver (where I was beaten into fourth place, but still ahead of Labour and LibDems), we hung on to Cllrs Reuby and Taylor, and acquired Jennie Edwards. Putting her glamorous past behind her, Jennie works in the local Conservative office in Birchington, where she was sprinkled with fairy dust and became - tadah! - another foundling councillor.

Heron Ward in central Herne Bay is home to our lone remaining LibDem, Ron Flaherty, and two more newbies - Andrew Cook (King of the Beach Huts) and Joe Howes, about whom I know nothing, other than Andrew apparently met him whilst out dog-walking.

Greenhill & Eddington was all surprises - Robert Bright (once a Conservative, then a LibDem, now a Conservative again) topped the poll, closely followed by David Hirst (already a busy Kent County Councillor for Herne Bay). Councillor Bright is said by his (current) leader John Gilbey to have "ratted and re-ratted" - and there the similarity with Winston Churchill ends, completely. He had not been reselected by the LibDems due to his poor performance as a constituency councillor. For me, his election lends the lie to the idea that the Conservative party has a formidable election machine - you can pin a blue rosette on a rat and it will get votes.

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So, what are we to make of all this, and what's going to happen next?

Dear Reader, I must confess I'm worried for our town. All of the retorgrade steps in recent years have, by definition, happened under and because of the Conservative majority in Canterbury. We now have an overwhelming Conservative majority in Herne Bay - anything and everything that is suggested or ordered by Canterbury High Command will go through on the nod. I forecast poor attendance, and worse debate, at HBAMP (the meeting of our local councillors) as the unchallengable majority become increasingly lazy and arrogant.

Our local democracy is already in poor shape - the Central Development Plan gets a mixed reaction from 119 people, and goes ahead; the village green application gets solid support from ten times as many (1,181) and is fiercely opposed by the Council. Over the last couple of decades, we have seen blue and red landslide victories in national politics, and both have turned sour. I fear this local landslide will follow the same pattern.

And what of HBAMP itself?

We're at the stage in the game of political musical chairs when everyone changes place. The chairmanship alternates annually between Kent County Council and Canterbury City Council, as does the vice-chairmanship. Last year we had David Hirst (chair, KCC) and Vince McMahan (vice-chair, CCC), so this year we must have a CCC Chair, and a KCC vice-chair.

The vice-chairmanship is easy enough to forecast - there are two possible candidates, David Hirst and Jean Law. As David has just had a year of chairing, it will fall to Jean Law to be vice-chair. The chairmanship is a little trickier.

Traditionally, members of the Executive are ruled out - they don't want to give the impression that the Executive runs everything. Perish the thought! So that rules out Lee, Taylor and Vickery-Jones. The newbies are out of the running for a whole host of good reasons, not least inexperience - so that rules out Cook, Howes, Edwards and Byford. Cllr Reuby was chair recently, and there is not a chance in hell that LoneDem Ron Flaherty would be made chair.

Which leave us with the Silent Sisters Sonnex and Bisset, and Blue Rat Bright. Tough call! The word on the street is that Bright wins by a whisker, much to the annoyance of local Tories, some of whom refused to stand in the same Ward as Bright, and even threatened to resign rather than be too close to him. Bright managed to rile people, councillors and public alike, sitting as a councillor on HBAMP. As chair, he promises to be insufferable. He may turn out to be the only significant problem the Herne Bay Conservatives have.

Andrew Cook

HBM

Fun day to open Herne Bay market

about 10 years ago

Pier Trust EGM Minutes

about 11 years ago

Barriers to progress

about 11 years ago

Free parking - is it worth the money?

about 11 years ago

Andy Lawrence stops the traffic in Mortimer Street

about 12 years ago

Pier review

about 12 years ago

News from the end of the Pier

about 12 years ago

Pier Trust reveals extension plans

about 12 years ago

Herne Bay Beach Hut Day

about 13 years ago

Herne Bay to be colonised by time machines

about 13 years ago

Onion's Tardis

about 13 years ago

Post mortem and the afterlife

about 13 years ago

Andrew Cook

about 13 years ago