Sense prevails, flagpole safe.

So they won't be knocking it down, but the Engineers say it's nearing the end of its life. Has anyone thought of repairing it? "A stitch in time saves nine"  as my Gran would say. "Make do and mend" that was another catch-phrase.

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The flagpole opposite Herne Bay pier has been saved - for now. The Gazette exclusively revealed last week that councillors were considering rushing through plans to pull down the historic mast while construction workers were employed on the seafront.

The plans were shelved at the latest meeting of the regeneration committee on Monday, which sits in private, after there was no clear majority on what to do with the flagpole.

The mast is not completely safe, however, as engineers say it only has another four or five years' life left. Councillors agreed to leave the flagpole and to revisit the issue in the future. Cllr Peter Lee said:

"It will not be a permanent fixture but for the moment, people think leave it where it is. Given the time it will take to consult the public, the opportunity with construction workers on site will be lost, so on that basis we decided not to take it any further."

Cllr Ron Flaherty said:

"I said there is no rush and I would rather leave it for the moment. I am not so sure the plantage around the flagpole should be removed to have an open space."

HB Gazette 27th Jun 2013

Rogue councillor

The suggested demolition of the flagpole at the Pier is a shining example of some of the problems that our town faces.

Penny-pinching short-termism. Cllr Peter Lee - one of our own town councillors - decides it's a good idea to start knocking things down on the seafront, simply because it's cheap to do it now.

Lack of Planning. Cllr Lee claims this idea is to make "event space" that has been lost to the crazy golf and beach hut village on the Pier - clearly, this didn't cross anyone's mind at the time they were granting planning permissions.  Anyway, there's no certainty that the crazy golf will go ahead.

Disregard for the residents. Cllr Lee is ignoring (or is unaware of) the months of public consultation that have gone in to shaping a management plan for the new QE2 Coastal Park, which agreed to keep this flagpole. Councillor - when the people speak, it literally pays you to listen.

Greed. Cllr Lee says this will create an "events space" - translated into plain English, this is simply "a space the Council can charge for". For the 98% of the year that it's not being used, it will be just another swathe of paving or tarmac - not very inviting for visitors, not very good for regeneration.

Anyway, this irked me enough to write to the press (don't know if they'll print it). 

Dear Sir,

I am horrified by the casual vandalism of Cllr Peter Lee and his regeneration committee ("Fears over plan to demolish pier pole", HB Gazette 20th June 2013).

The Council has created a new park - the QE2 Coastal Park - that covers the seafront from Hampton to Reculver, and ran a consultation with local groups to agree a management plan for the park.

Over a period of months, dozens of residents spent hour after hour thrashing out how to make the most of this new attraction. We were keen to keep both flag poles, but the incredibly high costs (£32,000) that CCC quoted for repairing the pole by the bandstand persuaded us to lose one and keep the other.

But now one of our own councillors has taken it into his head to ignore the results of the lengthy public consultation (is anyone surprised?) and knock it down, because it's cheap to knock it down while there are workmen on site.

The argument seems to be that it's fine to destroy the flag pole because "it is rarely used". This is a very odd argument. The Westgate Towers in Canterbury are completely unused since the museum there closed - will Cllr Lee propose demolition? I doubt it.

Cllr Lee says he wants to create an "events space". We already have a superb "events space" on the pier platform... but our Council swapped that for a quick buck without a thought for the consequences.

Would you like to know what else Cllr Peter Lee and his regeneration committee have up their sleeves? Well, that's tough - all their meeting are held in secret, and are un-minuted.

Yours etc,

Pier flagpole under threat

The flagpole by the Bandstand being demolished.

12th Jan 2013

Plans to remove the flagpole at the front of the pier could be rushed through to save money, say opposition groups.

On Monday the council's regeneration group will discuss getting rid of the rarely-used mast near the pier entrance and transforming the area into an events space. Although the group has no decision-making power, it may recommend the plans to the executive if it considers them viable.

Councillors looking to minimise cost want the proposals pushed ahead while construction firms are still working on the seafront. They argue that redeveloping the flagpole would replace the space lost when the beach hut village and crazy golf course open on the pier.

Yet there are fears the plans could be approved without consulting residents to meet deadlines of construction firms. Another flagpole by the bandstand was taken down in January because the council said it had "decayed beyond repair" and would cost £32,000 to replace.

Cllr Ron Flaherty

Lib Dem Cllr Ron Flaherty said:

"I'm not happy about it. It is vandalism of a piece of heritage on the seafront as far as I'm concerned. At the moment, the demographic of the town is mainly over-55s. Elderly people, particularly, like to sit there in the summer months facing the sun and looking at the gardens. Will the gardens and seating have to be taken up as well? I am not convinced by this. I wouldn't like to see the executive rubber stamp this one without residents' consultation about it." 

Geoff Wimble

Also opposing the idea is former town partner Geoff Wimble of events organisation Herne Bay Group Community Projects Ltd. Mr Wimble, 65, of Sea Street, said:

"Where the flagpole stands is a lovely garden. Is this some kind of forward planning to develop something on the pier? They have destroyed one lot of gardens this year where they have built the playground. That won't grow back this year. Talk of taking the flagpole down is barmy. At the moment there are beautiful gardens. The seafront has got notoriety for its gardens. Why destroy more?"

Council spokesman Rob Davies said:

"There has been a proposal to remove the flag pole near the pier entrance, which is rarely used, to create an events space to complement other activities proposed for the pier. This idea would allow events to be staged at that end of the seafront, because currently these activities all take place by the clock tower. Two new flagpoles are also planned to go on the pier itself." 

Cllr Peter Lee

The idea to remove the flagpole was first floated at a meeting  of councillors on the regeneration committee some months ago. Cllr Peter Lee, who sits on the regeneration committee, said:

"If we have development on the pier, with the beach huts and a crazy golf course, it means we will have lost area to host events.  We have events near the clock tower and some businesses have said they could do with events at their end of the seafront, so we thought why not look at removing the flagpole and creating extra open space there.  We have a contractor working on the seafront at the moment and while someone is in place with equipment and man power, this would be an ideal time to do it."

It is thought councillors have investigated moving the flagpole to the site where the one at the bandstand used to sit but have been told it will be too fragile and old to survive.

HB Gazette 20th June 2013