Kingsmead Field sell-off is 'simply illogical'

Campaigners are urging the city council to use its draft Local Plan consultation for a rethink of its plans to sell off a field.

The Save the Kingsmead Field Campaign is battling to prevent houses being built on it and wants the authority to consider other sites for the projected 15,600 new homes which are needed for the Canterbiuy district over the next 18 years.

The Local Plan is the blueprint for the future of the district and covers everything from homes, businesses, shops, leisure facilities and the countryside. Consultation on it lasts until August 30. Save Kingsmead chairman Sue Langsdown said:

"The council says it needs to find 178 hectares of open space for development. so why sell off the 1.9 hectares of the field? It is simply illogical.

The draft Local Plan commits the council to 'protect and improve open space in the district' and 'prevent the loss of existing open space within the urban boundaries'. Why not start by protecting Kingsmead Field?"

Some 100 homes could be built on the field. which sits on the corner of the Broad Oak and Kingsmead Roads. Campaigners are calling on the council to build on the neighbouring brownfield sites of the old coach park and the Serco depot.

The Save the Kingsmead Field Campaign submitted an application for the field to be registered as a village green and expects to hear in the autumn if its application is a success. It has also started legal proceedings in the form of a judicial review which aims to overturn the council's decision to make the field available for development.

Earlier this month, dog walkers donated a bench for the field and the campaign group is hoping to photograph lm people sitting on it for a picture montage.

Log on to kingsmeadfield.blogspot.co.uk for more information about the campaign.

HB Gazette 27th Jun 2013

A bug inside the hive mind

At last, a peek behind the closed doors (and minds) at Military Road. Here's a neat little video explaining how the decisions about Kingsmead playing fields were made.

For all I know, this could be a transcript from a bugging device - it all seems very plausible and "in character".

Uploaded by canterbury openspace on 2013-02-24.

Park and ride fares to increase in Canterbury

Shoppers using Park and Ride buses to avoid congestion in Canterbury could soon have to pay £3 per car. Councillors are considering increasing the charge from £2.50 as part of a review of parking charges across the district.

Fees in the Kingsmead Leisure Centre car park would also increase to £3 from £1 in a bid to deter people who are not using the centre from parking there. Those who are can have the cost refunded.

Holman's Meadow car park would cost £1.30 per hour Sunday to Friday and £1.50 per hour on Saturdays, up from £1.10 all week, if proposals to list it as a "premium" car park are approved.

And the cost of permits for residents and businesses would also increase by about 10 per cent. Canterbury City Council's transportation manager Richard Jenkins said:

"The cost of parking at Park and Ride sites has not increased since 2008 and since this time significant increases in the cost of fuel have contributed to the increasing cost of running the bus service. The costs of maintenance of the car parks and equipment has also increased. The parking policy is to encourage all-day parking at Park and Ride sites rather than city centre car parks and even with this increase it is significantly cheaper to park all day at Park and Ride sites, particularly as Canterbury is one of the few authorities to charge per vehicle rather than per person."

In Whitstable, most car park charges would increase by 10p per hour. The maximum charge in the Gorrell Tank car park would be abolished and fees in the swimming pool car park would be unchanged. A 10p per hour increase is also proposed for most Herne Bay car parks.

But there was good news for shoppers in Faversham after Swale Borough Council's cabinet agreed to freeze the short-term parking charges at 80p for the first hour, £1.50 for up to two hours and £3 for up to four hours.

Councillor Duncan Dewar-Whalley, cabinet member for finance, said:

"Fees are bridging the gap between what the council wants to spend and what central government provides."

HB Times 7th Jan 2013

Deferral on Kingsmead land decision

Excellent news - Kingsmead has won a brief reprieve, thanks to the sheer number of written objections, and the huge support for the online petition.

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Discussion by Executive members of council proposals to appropriate land at Kingsmead for planning purposes has been deferred until the meeting on Thursday 21 June.

Originally the Executive was due to consider the plan at its meeting on 31st May.

However, the council received 246 comments during the appropriation public consultation, many of them containing detailed information. Therefore, the council has decided to defer a decision to allow for full analysis of all the issues raised. Council Leader Cllr John Gilbey said:

“This is an issue that has caused concern locally. We do not want to make a rushed decision and miss something important, so deferring for a meeting will mean we can give this full consideration.”

Additionally, the e-petition created on the council website by local people who oppose appropriation of the land has now passed 1,500 names. Reaching this figure automatically triggers a discussion at the council’s Overview Committee, and this has been scheduled for Wednesday 13 June.

The initiator of the petition will be allowed to ask a number of questions in advance, and the background to the issue and answers to the questions will be provided in a report that councillors will then discuss. Arrangements for this are being put in place at the moment.

CCC 28th May 2012

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Schoolchildren Orla Lineham Fox and Timmy Pettman took on the might of the city council in a battle to save their playing field. The pupils from St Stephen's Junior School stood in front of the Canterbury Area Members Panel on last Monday night at the city's Guildhall in a last-ditch bid to save Kingsmead Field from being used for housing. Orla, 10, told the meeting:

"It's not just for me and my friends but for all the people of the area who live and breathe better because there is a lovely empty green field nearby."

Timmy, 11, added:

"Often in the evenings, I go to the field and play football with my dad and brother. It's very easy to stay indoors and watch TV or play computer games. Please leave our field alone."

Labour councillor Alan Baldock (Northgate Ward) said:

"The passion of the campaigners is phenomenal. It shows they really care and have realised the council has been a little bit sneaky. They have inspired these two children to become involved in local politics. If we lose this space, how can we trust a judgment made in similar circumstances again?"

Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Alex Perkins Tweeted the following day:

"Very impressed by the two brilliant young people who so professionally addressed Canterbury Council last night."

At the stormy meeting, residents accused the council of not consulting them – but council chief executive Colin Carmichael said consultation was carried out in 2004 when a primary school was planned for the site. The plans fell through when Kent County Council pulled out of the scheme and the land was earmarked for housing instead. He insisted that the decision had already been made by the council's executive but the move had to be rubber-stamped at the end of this month.

Residents have organised an e-petition – which has already attracted 1,603 signatures – on the council's own website. The petition closes Friday 25th May but has already been signed by enough people to force a debate by the council's overview committee. The 16 city and county councillors voted unanimously to send the plans to the committee for debate, effectively delaying the scheme.

County councillor Graham Gibbens (Canterbury City North East) demanded a fresh consultation to include health and traffic implications after GP Dr David Pratt from St Stephen's warned that more houses would lead to more traffic pollution. 

Liberal Democrat councillor Ida Linfield challenged the council's decision to reclassify the area as "development land" when it was originally classed as recreational land under the Local Government Act. She said that selling the site to Berkeley Homes in 2006 could have breached the act and suggested that there could be a case for a judicial review.

Mr Carmichael said a report would be prepared for the overview committee on Wednesday, June 13. After the meeting campaigner Sian Pettman said:

"The resounding 'no' vote to residential development from Canterbury's own councillors will place a huge pressure on the executive to respond to public opinion and rethink plans for Kingsmead."

The council has been sent 246 letters of objection, a written petition of more than 650 signatures and the e-petition.

thisiskent 26th May 2012

Creche, bang, wallop! Mums win.

Dozens of mums are delighted after the city council reversed a decision to close a creche in Herne Bay. The Pier Pavilion Sports Centre will close in September, and facilities including the creche will move to the newly refurbished Herons Leisure Pool. But childcare provision appeared to be left out as mums were told to start taking their children to Kingsmead Leisure Centre in Canterbury instead.

Active Life, which looks after all council-owned leisure facilities in the district, had told members who use the existing day creche at the Pier Pavilion there would be no room at Herons. More than 130 children are registered on the creche’s books and the news had come as a huge disappointment to their mums.

But Denise Rigden, from Tankerton Road, Whitstable took the issue straight to the city council’s deputy head of culture and enterprise David Ford. The 37-year-old was growing concerned about where to take son Max, aged 18 months, after September. She said:

"I made my views known to him directly and explained how valued a service it is and the great job done by all its staff. He was extremely helpful and was prepared to listen to concerns. It’s fantastic news to hear it will be staying put at Herons and a huge relief. I thought my exercise days would be over come September and some members have been in tears at the prospect of having to stop going to their classes."

David Ford said:

"The provision of new creche facilities were always to form part of the refurbished Herons Leisure Pool. Active Life took the initial decision not to provide a creche service as it was becoming clear that it was very difficult to effectively run it to the same standard as that provided on the Pier. However, mindful of the value customers place on this service, creche provision will remain at Herons as originally planned and Active Life is working with the council on options to make sure a solution is found to ensure the continuation of this service."

HB Gazette 13th Jul 2011