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

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

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

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

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Arts festival will bring Guardian journalists to Herne Bay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jason Hollingsworth, from Bayguide, said:

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

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

Canterbury Times 24th May 2013

Inspirational Herne Bay

Marcel Duchamp having a bit of a think

How Herne Bay reinvigorated a famous French artist

When influential French artist Marcel Duchamp arrived in Herne Bay, he was considering giving up art, but after four weeks in the town he returned to Europe full of new ideas.

His time in Herne Bay will be celebrated with a three-week festival starting at the end of July, featuring exhibitions, talks, and a schools programme in which Bay youngsters produce their own works of art to display. Organiser Sue Austen said:

"Marcel Duchamp has been voted the most influential artist of the 21st century but when he arrived in Herne Bay at the beginning of August 1913 he was just 26 and deeply depressed by the reception his last major painting, Nude Descending a Staircase, had received at the Armory Show in New York.

He was here to chaperone his sister Yvonne who was studying English at Lynton College. He contemplated giving up art forever, but after four short weeks Duchamp returned to Europe, refreshed and intellectually invigorated. Later that year he produced the first kinetic sculpture, Bicycle Wheel, published his ideas on objets trouvés and created the totally unique Three Standard Stoppages.

The art world reeled from his new ideas – our town often has this effect on people."

Sue, who together with Jason Hollingsworth make up the BayGuide team behind the festival, said the aim was to show that Herne Bay was still a special place.

An exhibition of work by invited local artists will be curated by David Cross and staged at Beach House, the Bay Art Gallery and the King's Hall, along with outdoor exhibitions and pop-up galleries.

There will also be a talk by Mike Bundock of Herne Bay Historical Records Society on what the town was like at the time, a sculpture trail curated by Karen Simpson and a symposium at the King's Hall curated by Duchamp expert Francis M Naumann.

For more information visit iamnotdead.co.uk or their Facebook site. The team will also tweet from @Duchamp_HB

Pier Trust Chair puts her case

Doreen Stone (co-Chair of the HBPT) posted this on the "official" Pier Trust Facebook site, in response to Graham Cooper's letter.

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Hello members and friends,

I am responding to Graham's post I understand from the HB Times that rebuild were contacted by Liz. The facts and figures were extracted without doctoring or special selection to make a point. the basic facts that we would have to pay to walk on our pier, that all the attractions can be there without a marina tacked on and that the car park essential for the marina with its 2 lane road would spoil it for everyone else are clear for everyone to see.

My optimism in November was proved wrong - since then the rebuild group have contacted the press, met Sir Roger Gale, sent articles and statements that none of the trustees have seen to numerous magazines without any checking with the Trust. They have become a pressure group to push forwards the views they have held before they resigned as trustees over a year ago.

It has now come to my notice that a draft of the 2011 Gifford report, a much more detailed and intensive report, which neither the then chairman or most of the trustees ever saw is very clear that a marina at the pier head was not its recommended option. Gifford recommended a marina much nearer shore with 8hr access. It also pointed out that as the windfarms had invested so much money in Ramsgate facilities that probably only 1 or 2 O&M vessels at most would use Herne Bay as a base.

If those who are supporting a marina at the end of the pier take over the Trust our chances of building a long pier for the people of Herne Bay will be squashed. all the trustees are working many hours a week because we are committed to a long pier but we believe it should be the type of pier the people of HB also want. We are going to open out the debate to all the creative people in HB to come together in an exhibition of their concepts and designs for everyone in the town to view and choose preferences.

Incidentally, I sent the rebuild group our list of reservations the week before the press release was written and before we wrote the letter to members. Liz on the Times will conform that after Jason phoned me I told her I would hold back for a week. However, the time has come for more than the usual vocal minority to have their say.

Piratical display lights up the pier

People power – and a pinch of piracy – is behind a festive lights display erected more than a kilometre out to sea. A Christmas tree of light, made from around 1,000 lights, appeared on the stranded head of Herne Bay pier just before Christmas.

Pier Pirates claimed responsibility for the seasonal display and said the lights were a symbol of the town's future. A spokesman said:

"Ahoy! Me 'n' me hearties have put these lights up as a symbol of the unity that Herne Bay needs to display to overpower the tyranny of our current rulers. We believe that this be necessary to get our fair share of the treasure includin' gettin' the pier rebuilt to its original length smartly. There be many lubbers 'bout who have chosen to ignore the hopes 'n' aspirations 'n' determination of the people."

He said the project was inspired by the volunteer groups working to improve the town, including the Bay Promo Team, Beach Creative and the Kent Pier Marina Team from the Herne Bay Pier Trust as well as the people of Herne Bay themselves. He added:

"The town Christmas tree lights was voted the worst in the land 'n' news spread far and wide. Me and me hearties thought we should step in and gift the town the best offshore Christmas tree lights in the UK. All ye pirates mucked in and helped, including local suppliers."

Partygoers at the BayPromoTeam's Christmas ball were impressed by the lights and a spokesman said:

"They look fantastic and everyone was saying how impressive they were. We can only sum them up as a festive delight."

Jason Hollingsworth, of the Kent Pier Marina Team, which is working on plans for a marina around the old pier head, added:

"I think this shows that the people of Herne Bay are proud of their town and are willing to get involved in the Government's Big Society. This is truly a beacon of hope for the future of the town and for the pier. I think the sense of community is at an all-time high and this shows beyond reasonable doubt that Herne Bay is powered by its people."

HB Times 4th Jan 2013

Plans to celebrate artist Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp

Artist Marcel Duchamp wrote "I am not dead, I am staying in Herne Bay" during a visit to the town 100 years ago this year.

To mark the centenary, Sue Austen and Jason Hollingsworth, who run Bayguide.co.uk, are planning a three-week, town-wide celebration. It would feature exhibitions, a film festival and history walks and the pair are hoping people will get in touch to lend items they could use. Mr Hollingsworth said:

"We want to see this event marked in a variety of different ways. The town's reputation as an artistic centre is growing, along with that of the whole north Kent coast, and as part of this movement a Duchamp celebration would be a fantastic way to promote our vibrant town, during its busiest summer months. We think this will not only attract local attention but also draw visitors from the rest of Kent, London and the South East as well as giving our town great positive publicity to rival that of our neighbours."

They are appealing for articles, memorabilia, images and especially postcards sent from Herne Bay and post-marked 1913 to borrow for the festival. Artists are also invited to get involved by submitting a piece to an exhibition called "I am not dead, I am in Herne Bay".

Duchamp was in Herne Bay for August and part of September 1913 while his sister Yvonne studied English at Lynton College in Downs Park. That year is said to be a turning point in his work.

For more information about the planned Duchamp celebration, visit www.iamnotdead.co.uk or e-mail jason@bayguide.co.uk

HB Times 4th Jan 2013

Herne Bay Pier Trust reveal plans for country's first pier marina

This is how Herne Bay's Victorian pier could look if a £70 million plan to build a marina around the derelict old pier head goes ahead. The ambitious scheme was unveiled last night by the Herne Bay Pier Trust and would be the first of its kind in the country.

Members also announced a raft of short-term plans, which include creating a beach hut village and restaurant on the existing platform and to allow weddings on the pier.

Trust member Jason Hollingsworth, part of the group tasked with finding ways to rebuild the pier, said the key was to make it financially viable. He said:

"A heritage pier based on the past would be a lovely idea but when you look at the economics, it is not going to happen."

But he said the team had been speaking about the marina concept - known as Kent Pier Marina - to trust fund managers who wanted long-term investments for pension funds.

He said it would be an "attraction of national significance" and could include hotels, an aquarium, conference facilities and boat trips. Mr Hollingsworth said:

"I am convinced the project can be delivered and bring extensive benefits to Herne Bay and the wider area. There are investment opportunities for a private sector developer but the scheme will also need public sector funding."

The marina would have 275 berths and, because it would be so far out to sea, offer 24-hour berthing for sailors because it would not be affected by tides. A road would run along the pier with parking for 150 cars at the end.

The marina was given the official stamp of approval in a consultant's report which concluded it was the best option for the long-term future of the pier. The trust plans to publish the report and more details of the scheme on a website to be launched next month and will then begin formal public consultation.

More trustees are needed, particularly those with expertise in law and fundraising. Those interested should send details to the Pier Trust gallery in Central Parade, Herne Bay.

thisiskent LCrudgington

Future Pier design?

Council demolition failure

Now this is interesting. Firstly Mr McMahan doesn't say where his figure of £750,000 comes from - is this what CCC have actually paid the contractors? - but I really like his idea that money generated from the demolition could have been re-invested in the Pier.

Secondly, the Council spokesman (Wormtongue, as I think of him) seems to be having trouble with numbers when he says "... it was discovered that the amount of asbestos in the building was understated and its removal was more problematic than first envisaged. The council has incurred no extra cost ...".

In June of last year, the local press reported that the cost of demolition was £243k more than the budgeted £425k because of the asbestos revealed by a structural survey. As Cllr Vickery-Jones said at the time:

This is a huge increase but there is no alternative.

Hmmm... "no extra cost" or "a huge increase" - which do you think best describes £243,000?

So our Council got a fixed price deal and handed over the value of all the scrap to the contractors, at a time when most metal prices seemed to be rising steadily (apparently due to demand for raw materials in China pushing up prices globally).

Are any of CCC's bean-counters going to figure out how much we lost out as a result? I doubt it. They won't bother to find out how costly this mistake was, and as a result will probably repeat it.

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Counting the cost of pier demolition

Pulling down Herne Bay's Pier Pavilion has cost tax-payers £750,000 and left the town with nothing in return, claims former city councillor Vince McMahan. He says a clause in the demolition contract means contractors have been allowed to strip the pier of valuable scrap metal and pocket the cash. The dad of three stormed:

"It beggars belief. It is a slap in the face to the people of Herne Bay that firstly the cost shot up to £668,000 because the council didn't realise there was so much asbestos there. And then the deal means the company can keep the scrap.

The whole building was clad in aluminium, which is worth a lot of money now. With scrap metal prices soaring, the council should have insisted the money was recycled to, say, the Pier Trust or ring-fenced for the town's regeneration."

Council spokesman Rob Davies insisted:

"We held a competitive tender for the demolition contract to ensure we got the best possible price. The salvage and sale of recyclable materials such as metal, steel and timber are being carried out by the contractor but it is important to stress that any money made from this was included as savings to the council in the tender price.

It also makes sense on a practical level because, if the council had kept these materials, it would have incurred substantial transport and storage costs. The council let the contract on a maximum price basis, where the risk of any cost increase was transferred to the contractor.

This decision was a very good one as, when the building envelope was opened, it was discovered that the amount of asbestos in the building was understated and its removal was more problematic than first envisaged. The council has incurred no extra cost but has allowed the contractors extra time to deal with these difficult issues.

We are forecasting that the demolition works will be completed by mid-April and that the post-demolition works will be completed in time for the summer season."

The row erupted as the council was blasted by former Pier Trust bosses for failing to back the group. Former treasurer and accountant Jason Hollingsworth, 40, from Victoria Park, who stood down from the Trust three months ago, said in a joint letter with former chairman Graham Cooper:

"In our view, the trust has never been effectively or adequately supported by the council. Indeed, that is at the core of why so many trustees have stood down. Throughout 2011, the Herne Bay Pier Trust participated in a joint working group with Canterbury City Council but from our experience the key difficulty was getting clear and consistent answers from the council as to its plans, ideas and funding."

Former chairman of the trust's business group Michael Khoury said:

"We worked out that a pier platform reaching the old pier head would cost £11 million, not £60 million as some claimed. The council has spent more than half a million pounds just knocking the building down with nothing left. Where's the vision?"

Pier campaigner Kim Hennelly asked the city council's deputy head of culture and enterprise Dawn Hudd outright about the council's intentions and received this reply:

"The council does not have any current intention of rebuilding the pier itself. Our corporate plan pledges to improve the seafront and the current pier platform. The Herne Bay Pier Trust was set up so that a business plan could be developed by the trust working with the people of Herne Bay.

The council is supporting this process by helping the trust to develop its business plan during this year and deliver events and activities on the pier platform for the 2012 season. We expect the trust to pursue rebuilding or extending the pier if it considers that to be right."

thisikent 23rd Mar 2012

Our Council must support the Pier Trust

An open letter to CCC from the Pier Trust's ex-Treasurer Jason Hollingsworth and ex-Chairman Graham Cooper:

In light of all the recent Council criticism of the Pier Trust in the press, as past Trustees we feel compelled to respond and set the record straight.

Firstly and perhaps rather tellingly, our first observation is astonishment that CCC should level any criticism at the Trust at all, after all the Pier Trust is a community organisation and if the council considers there are deficiencies why has CCC not done the right thing and wholeheartedly got behind the Trust and to support it and help to rectify those supposed failings.

After all, CCC does have two council appointed Trustees on the board! Perhaps this would have been a more constructive approach and a far better one, than simply to sitting back and sniping. Indeed, looking back to the last Pier Trust Annual General Meeting, as we recall, one of the councillor Trustees presented the assembled members with all the plans he envisaged for use of the pier in 2012. What has happened to them? Perhaps that is where any criticism should be directed.

Since its inception, the Trust has continued to attract very committed, high calibre individuals to help and advise it. Many of the Trustees regularly put in hundreds of hours per year unpaid to work solely for a better future for Herne Bay and should be lauded for doing so.

The Trust has produced several sound ideas and organised numerous successful events, Party on the Pier – a huge all day event that offered free roller skating and entertainment for the whole of Herne Bay, the Christmas Grotto, events at the Herne Bay Festival and the Herne Bay schools arts project to name but a few, all of which happened with little or no assistance from CCC.

Throughout 2011 the Trust participated in a joint working group with CCC and from our experience the key difficulty was getting clear and consistent answers from the council as to their plans, ideas and funding. If any criticism is to be levelled at the Trust, it can surely only be lack of resource. The problem has never been lack of experience or commitment.

In our view, the Trust has never been effectively or adequately supported by the Council. Indeed that is at the core of why so many Trustees have stood down in the past few years. This is in stark contract to Hastings, where with the full support and help of the local council, the Trust has been able to obtain considerable funding to produce its long term business plan.

To truly deliver on the expectations of the Trust’s members and the Town as a whole, full and effective support from the Council is essential. We know that the Trust has done all it can to move things forward in a constructive and professional manner.

Perhaps the Council now needs to do its part by addressing the confused relationship between the Trust and the Council and replacing it with an open, honest and effective partnership agreement with clear responsibilities and objectives for all concerned. We truly hope that this will be forthcoming as without it the Pier Trust’s objectives both short and long term will be completely unachievable.

Jason Hollingsworth

Graham Cooper

Trust proposes economic vision for future of Herne Bay pier

It was the end of the pier show this week as wreckers finally moved in to start demolishing Herne Bay's Pier Pavilion. But the big question now is: what will replace it?

Members of the town's Pier Trust were given a glimpse into the future at its second annual meeting at Herne Bay Junior School. One of the few suggestions was a marina. Trust treasurer Jason Hollingsworth told the gathering of more than 100 members:

"The original pier, almost a mile long, was built to accommodate steamships. Any replacement must have an economic purpose and be able to provide a long-term revenue stream for the future. A deep water marina is one possibility, but everything is being considered and nothing has been ruled out."

But the marina idea held little water for businesswoman Carol Chance. The health and safety consultant admitted:

"I am a little disappointed, frankly. What's the vision? I'm astounded that there are still only 400 members of the Trust."

She rejected the idea of a marina saying the town could not accommodate larger yachts. Even city council leader John Gilbey admitted:

"Marinas are not famous for making money. And you only have to stand on the end of the current pier to see how shallow the water is. The pier trust is taking exactly the right, methodical approach for the future. We'll see what happens."

The meeting started with a slick video explaining the importance of the pier to the town. Regeneration of the pier is expected to come in two stages. The first will be finding things for the "pier stub" which will be left after the pavilion is knocked down. Heron Conservative councillor Joe Howes said:

"We could have dancing. The town is full of dance schools. We could also pitch a Big Top circus tent there with a Ferris wheel, helter-skelter and stage 'birdman' competitions. This could be a vintage, retro pier with a farmers' market."

The trust is still raising money to carry out another feasibility study and has £15,000 in the bank. Accountant Mr Hollingsworth stressed:

"We don't want to present a half-baked cake and then have it collapse!"

Trustee and original founder Andy Newell said:

"There are a range of funds available. We are hoping to get rent from the windfarm from the Crown Estates. There are EU regeneration funds available. But first we need a very clear business plan and that's what we're working on."

thisiskent 19th Sep 2011