Local Plan: Herne Bay's 'Usual Suspects' call for Plan B

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There may not be any violence, drugs or crime, but Herne Bay's Usual Suspects are still hoping for an explosive impact.

The group of campaigners have stepped forward to produce their own proposals for the future of the town, claiming the council's draft Local Plan would prove as disastrous as the failed heist in the Oscar-winning film.

They came up with the name after councillors complained they always heard from the "usual suspects" and instead wanted to encourage as many people as possible to have their say on the council's vision for development over the next 20 years.

The original six – Dylan Hampshire, Jason Hollingsworth, Andy Lawrence, Phil Rose, Graham Cooper and Ros McIntyre – have already been joined by others who fear the council's draft Local Plan would mean Herne Bay residents would depend on the city for jobs and shops.

It includes proposals for five new housing estates, with thousands of new homes. Phil Rose, who is also involved with the Friends of the Downs and runs website Herne Bay Matters, said:

"The plan's mad. It's just houses, houses, houses with no thought for where all these people will work, shop, educate their kids, or spend their leisure time.  Worse, Herne Bay is being used as a cash cow to pay for improvements elsewhere.

We can't let this happen.  We think that a Local Plan should be by and for local people – the Local Plan needs to listen to local voices."

He said it was vital more residents had their say and got involved, and hopes the Usual Suspects theme will encourage them. Mr Rose added:

"We thought we would have some fun with the idea in the hope of encouraging others who care about the town to stand up for its future now.  The vast majority of residents have no idea what Canterbury City Council is planning for us."

The group is also concerned that the schemes put forward by the council would force people to Canterbury because of the lack of vision for Herne Bay's town centre. Mattress-maker Dylan Hampshire, of Cockett's Mattresses, said:

"This Local Plan will stop Herne Bay from having new major food retail outlets outside that area. We won't get Sainsbury's or Tesco if this plan goes through.  So where are we supposed to shop? Canterbury! Part of the money earned from houses built in Herne Bay will be spent on a new crossing in Sturry.  Canterbury will get new shops too. The idea is clearly that we're supposed to drive to shop in Canterbury, leaving our town without retail income."

The group say job creation should be included, as well as a new secondary school for the town, and say the two doctors' surgeries planned will not be enough to cope with the thousands of extra residents. Ros McIntyre added:

"We urged Canterbury not to build on greenfield sites, but all the major housing developments are on greenfield sites – five in Herne Bay alone.  The implications are huge. These five estates will have 2,990 new houses. If Herne Bay gets its share of the usual smaller developments on top of this, we'll end up with more than 4,600 new homes. There'll be more than 15,000 more people living here – that's a 40 per cent increase on our population of 38,000."

Council spokesman Rob Davies said the draft Local Plan was out for public consultation until August 30. He added:

"We look forward to hearing the alternative proposals for Herne Bay from this group in due course."

For more information on the alternative plan, e-mail LocalPlanLocalVoice@gmail.com or visit the Speciality Food Shop in Mortimer Street.

HB Times 4th Jul 2013

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

Ancient Hallowe'en traditions go on

Dylan Hampshire

I loved reading the front page of the Herne Bay Times last week ("Church set to save Bay from Zombies"). It is interesting that exactly the same thing was happening 2,000 years ago.

The roots of Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night stem from pagan times when, all across northern Europe, the local Celts knew this time of year, Samhain, as the change between summer and winter.

It was, they believed, when the barrier between the real world and the spirit world was at its thinnest. This was the time when mortal man could cross to the spirit plane to meet ancestors and the Gods. And the dead could cross the other way to visit their descendants – for good as well as ill.

The tribal Celts would light fires and lamps to guide the good spirits to them and protect from the bad. They would use iron and masks to frighten away evil. Sometimes people would disguise themselves to mix with the spirits. There were many ceremonial folk customs to ensure good fortune.

Early Christianity spread and confronted pagan beliefs. It adopted some, like gargoyles on churches and nails in church doors to frighten spirits. Others they opposed, like consorting with spirits. Samhain was stamped with All Souls' (Saints') Day to diminish the bad influences.

Here in Herne Bay, we are seeing direct echoes of 2,000 years ago, with people in disguise mixing with the dead. There are Hallowe'en pumpkin masks to scare bad spirits and people using lights to ensure evil returns to where it came from.

We have big fires on Bonfire Night to keep us all safe for the hard winter times. I think the whole thing is brilliant – angels and zombies alike. Saturday night's event is going to be a great community custom for years to come.

I applaud it all.

Dylan Hampshire,

Cocketts Mattresses & Templar Beds

Herne Bay Times

The city council has lost the plot

I have been following the debate, kicked off by Dylan Hampshire of Cockett’s Mattresses, about the need for a town council for Herne Bay ("Call for town council to end 'democratic deficit'", Times, June 21). I certainly believe Canterbury City Council has lost the plot and we should return to more local control of our affairs.

Canterbury is just not doing the job and causing a lot of problems.

My wife and I settled in Studd Hill in August 1986. One of the benefits was being able to stroll to the seafront for a swim using the ramp opposite Standard Avenue. Ten years ago Canterbury City Council allowed jet skis to use the front without any reference to residents. While we would not deny the few jet—skiers the use of the seafront, a new ramp was provided for them at great expense next to the boat house. The jet-skiers then started using the area reserved for swimmers but our city councillor was unable to help.

Now our roads in Studd Hill are being badly damaged by lorries well over the 13-ton weight limit. In Wolseley Avenue the bungalows are very attractive but city planners have allowed a two- storey semi-detached house to be built on a single plot. This type of building will turn the area into a slum, doubling the number of cars and people. Would members of the committee who approved this application like to live in the same conditions? I invite them to come and see the damage they are responsible for.

All building work should be stopped until repairs have been carried out to the roads. Part of the cost should be met by the council because of its planning decision. Builders should not be allowed to double up on single plots. A bond equal to ten per cent of the value of any new building should be paid before any work is started. This will ensure roads are correctly restored.

Under the new boundary suggestions, neighbouring areas will be included in Herne Bay which will boost its population to 78,000. This is why we need to consider restoring our own Town Hall. One idea would be the burned out ruins of the former Bun Penny pub, which is due for restoration. Rooms could be rented out to pay for the running costs.

It would appear the city council is also using parking fines in Herne Bay as a cash box to the detriment of shops and traders. A traffic warden has been handing out fines to cars parked at the bottom of William Street between Mortimer Street and the Bun Penny. I am meeting the person in charge shortly and will point out that the town is also plagued by an abundance of parking meters.

To save money on council tax I also suggest reducing the number of city councillors to one per ward.

Harold Lloyd, Wolseley Avenue, Studd Hill

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Bay councillor Peter Lee said:

Mortimer Street between Greensteads and Iceland is closed to all traffic on Saturdays between 10.30am and 4.30pm except commercial vehicles loading and unloading between the same times on Monday to Friday. Any car in this area, moving or parked between these times, is subject to a penalty. A blue disabled badge does not exempt the vehicle. 

People often say parking charges should be abolished or reduced but never come up with any suggestions how the council can replace the lost revenue, or which services should be cut to reflect the lower income. If you have any suggestions, please let me know and I will feed them into the budget discussions I will be having with officers this month.

HB Times 13th Sep 2012

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Incidentally, this is the same Peter Lee who told us in August that the Council had saved £465,000 thus boosting its cash reserves to £3.8 million, meaning "we will be able to do what we want in the next few years".

Supermarket plan causes friction and ructions

Traders fall out over plans for supermarket outside Herne Bay

A group of Bay business people is backing plans for a giant supermarket outside the town. Herne Bay Town Partners has agreed to support Sainsbury's bid for a store on the new Altira Business Park at Beltinge, despite council bosses trying to attract a supermarket to the town centre as part of regeneration plans.

Sainsbury's has a pre-let agreement with developers Terrace Hill for a 95,000 sq ft superstore and petrol station on the business park, near the driving test centre. Minutes seen by the Times state:

"The business group have recently met and discussed the proposed plans that Sainsbury's have to open a major retail unit on the outskirts of Herne Bay. It has been indicated that Sainsbury's will apply for planning permission before the end of the year. The group suggested we should endorse Sainsbury's proposal and, when the time is right, arrange to meet their development team to encourage them to support the town."

Dylan Hampshire

But a row between mattress shop boss Dylan Hampshire, who opposed the decision, and former director of the group Geoff Wimble led to Mr Wimble quitting in disgust. Former pawn shop boss Mr Wimble said:

"Sainsbury's should tell the council to get back in its little box and shut up. The council messed up the chance to get a supermarket in the bus station because it said the area was a flood risk. We want to support the town and now Dylan Hampshire is running around like a child with a smacked bottom complaining that an out-of-town supermarket would kill the traders. There's no proof."

Mr Hampshire, who runs Cockett's Mattresses in the High Street, said:

"I know Geoff is passionate about the town and has done a lot for it. But I think the Town Partners were too quick in supporting Sainsbury's at Altira without any corresponding pressure to promote the central development. There needs to be redoubling of effort to encourage a supermarket to Herne Bay."

Herne Bay councillor Peter Lee, who is in charge of the regeneration plans, said the city council's preferred option was still a major store for the town centre – a plan which received almost unanimous approval. He added:

"The council is confident that it can withstand any out-of-town development on the strength of public support for the plan. Herne Bay Town Partners are, of course, entitled to their view, but I don't believe that it will have much public support. Most people don't want to see Herne Bay Town Centre decline in the way that so many others have when faced with out-of-town competition."

thisiskent 14th Aug 2012

Mattress king who's battling for local traders

He is a businessman who spends his spare time on the battlefield and is a keen crusader for the traditional High Street in a world gone mad for out-of-town shopping centres. Dylan Hampshire, 41, of Cockett's Beds, took over the family store in Herne Bay's High Street in 1999 from his uncle and grandfather before him. He continues to make bespoke mattresses for clients as far afield as Hong Kong.

He tells Ed Targett how he'd invite King Harold round for dinner, his fears for the future of the Herne Bay central regeneration and why he'd like to see philosopher and economist Adam Smith make a cup of tea with his bread and butter...

How long has your business been in the family?

Since 1928, when my grandfather Fred Cockett set it up. His father, who was a gardener, had moved to the town in 1907 from Berkshire. He settled in Eddington and my grandfather bicycled all the way down from Berkshire to join him. We moved to the workshop we use on the High Street in the early 1960s. It used to be a market garden.

Did you take over from your parents?

From my uncle. My parents are antique dealers and didn't get involved in the business. I think my grandfather always had his eye on me to take over. I used to come to the workshop when I was young and can still remember the distinct smell of coir fibre, or coconut husk, which was traditionally used to make the base layer of a mattress.

Has the business changed much over the years?

The workshop used to be full of great big machines, used to rip up old clothes for stuffing and so on. In the 1970s it became cheaper to buy materials in. Now we specialise in custom mattresses; whether that's for antique beds, yachts, caravans or anyone who wants an unconventional size or shape. Just before Christmas we had an order from Hong Kong, we've made mattresses for use in Blenheim Palace and my grandfather made a bed for Pavarotti.

How is trade now?

Middling. The tough thing with running a small firm is that you need to be an expert at everything – doing your tax returns, deliveries, marketing, making what you need, websites; you name it. And if you are not an expert at any of those things, but essentially a plumber or mattress maker, it's not easy at all.

You're an active member of Herne Bay Town Partners. What do you think the town needs to boost its profile?

I think it needs to build a better idea of itself. We're not just a dormitory town for Canterbury. Physically, in terms of population, we're actually only a tiny bit smaller, although obviously Canterbury is a cathedral city. But smaller towns are being badly hurt by out-of-town shopping centres and a lack of community. There are rumours that the Altira business park could get a major supermarket in it and that's exactly the sort of thing we need to fight against.

It would be great to see a revitalised High Street, but I fear the Herne Bay Central Regeneration plan might be, to put it politely, in a permanent lull. But there's a lot of history here – and history can be a real force that binds a community together and the town has a lot of potential. But I think people are increasingly disconnected from their environments.

Speaking of history, I understand you are a big re-enactor?

I've been wielding strange historic weapons since I was five years old, when my parents got into it. I was recently very involved in the Normans vs Saxons battle at Reculver Towers and hope to put on more events this year too. I've set up a little local group, "Badger Rampant" and we've done everything from helping out with costumes at schools and museums, to bigger pitched battles. It's fascinating to know the history of some of the places around us.

Where we're sitting right now was marshland 300 years ago. The White Horse pub? That used to be a Napoleonic-era garrison. Knowing these things really brings the places to life.

What was your first car?

A 1964 Austin Cambridge in maroon; I had it for quite a few years. It was a very sensible first car, built like a tank and slow to accelerate.

What was your first record?

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it, but it was Mike Batt's Keep on Wombling.

Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dream dinner party?

King Harold Godwinson, William the Conqueror and philosopher and economist Adam Smith, who wrote The Wealth of Nations in 1776. I'd be fascinated to see how Harold and William got on. There seems to have been a degree of mutual respect between the two of them. Usually deposed leaders are treated very badly in the history books, but if you look at the Bayeux tapestry, Harold is treated quite kindly.

And finally Adam Smith; I just think he would be a fascinating person to talk to. I like the anecdote about a friend dropping in on him for breakfast. Adam Smith set about making a pot of tea, talking all the while. He made himself some bread and butter, rolled it up absent-mindedly, put it in the teapot and poured water on it, talking passionately about philosophy all the while. Then he took a sip and spat it all over the table, saying it was the worst tea he'd ever tried. Well it would be, wouldn't it?

Have you ever seen a ghost?

I can't say I have, although I believe I saw the Loch Ness monster once. It was your standard 1930s snake-head in the water, but I was just six at the time and liked dinosaur programmes…

thisiskent 12th Jan 2012

Plea for a free parking

He is the "mattress king" with a commitment to a traditional town centre. She's the "queen of shops" trying to revive the country's high streets. Now Herne Bay's Dylan Hampshire says town bosses need to take the words of Mary Portas to heart and make parking free across central shopping areas.

The Cockett's Beds owner spoke out as councillors were set to debate sweeping changes to parking costs in the town; introducing a "linear" system like Canterbury, with set fees per hour. But campaigner Mr Hampshire said it was urgent that councillors and officers took Mary Portas's recommendations seriously – not least introducing free parking. The retail guru recommends abolishing charges in all towns as part of an independent review into the nation's high streets. He said:

"If we do this in Herne Bay all other towns across Kent will be watching to see how well it works. It will give us a real advantage. If you go to big out of town shopping centres you don't have to pay for your parking. Almost all shopkeepers will tell you they've lost count of the amount of times people have come into their stores – then had to rush out again as their parking ticket ran out. If a trial scheme could be put in place by the summer the town would have a real head-start."

But West Bay councillor and Canterbury City Council finance boss Peter Lee said free parking was not an option. He said:

"If we didn't have the revenue from parking we would have to make increases in prices or cuts in services somewhere else. Herne Bay probably has more free on-street car parking than most other towns – remember that the seafront is free October to April."

thisiskent 6th Jan 2012