The Pier Pavilion... not to be missed ;-)

Well, dear reader, here's an interesting little something... a report on our dainty little town, as viewed through the eyes of a visitor from afar.

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RE: Herne Bay Pier Pavilion

Dear Sir/Madam,

We recently visited Herne Bay for the first time and on the whole enjoyed our day in the town. However, we were both rather horrified and aghast at the sight of the 1976 Pier Pavilion.

After recovering from our disbelief we decided that while a building so municipal, imposing and downright ugly may have made sense on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, as the focal point of a 'Victorian' coastal resort it was akin to seeing the Queen making a public appearance with chocolate spread smeared on her cheek.

We understand it comes from a period of history when architects and town planners were realising that they could make or save a lot of money by dispensing with beauty, care, aesthetics and consideration and that function very much took priority over form, but I have never seen such an ugly building having such an inappropriate impact on its surroundings: Nothing short of traumatic.

No passing of time, changing of fashion or understanding of irony could ever make the Pier Pavilion 'fit' in its present surroundings.

One or two Monty Python sketches come to mind, luckily never actually put into practice, but the most pertinent would have to be the famous image of the oversized, naked foot descending and crushing a collection of otherwise harmonious and innocent 'bystanders' accompanied by the sound of someone blowing a raspberry.

PLEASE dismantle the Pier Pavilion if only as a kindness and a lifeline to the rest of the seafront and the businesses that depend on it, and we, and others, may consider visiting Herne Bay again.

We feel sure it could be removed even more quickly and 'carelessly' than it was put there 35 years ago. Please do let me know if there are any plans to this effect.

Yours sincerely,

JH

P.S. This photo appears on a website of shocking, humorous and mind-boggling pictures...

Perhaps it has been a major tourist attraction in some ironic way. Maybe the people of Herne Bay have grown to love it. Or does it serve to keep the nasty tourists away. Perhaps roller hockey is more popular than I first thought?!

Other than the Pier Pavilion which I have to admit is a bit of a talking point, I should say that we did have a lovely day and would definitely choose Herne Bay over Whitstable on most counts on our next escapade from London.

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

School sports village on way

These exclusive pictures reveal the stunning new sports facilities nearing completion at Herne Bay High School. Said to be the best of any school in the county, they will form part of a sports village complex which will also be available for community use.

The £51 million project, which includes a new gym at the Heron Leisure Centre, has a huge main “arena” hall for roller hockey, indoor football, basketball and bowls, with 412 spectator seats. Contractors are putting the finishing touches to the work and the facilities are expected to be formally opened after the summer holidays.

The scheme has been jointly funded by the city council and Buildings Schools for the Future and will relocate roller hockey and other sporting activities from the old Pier Pavilion so it can be demolished. City council finance portfolio holder Cllr Peter Lee said:

“It proves we made the right decision to go into partnership with the school because we could not have done it alone. Refurbishing the pavilion would have cost the same but the facilities and public access would not have been anywhere near as good. What we have now is superb sporting facilities which must be the best of any school in the county. It’s a very good deal for everyone."

The sports village also includes a new four-court hall and gymnastic hall, and all the facilities will be available to the public when not in school use. They will complement the existing outside facilities which includes a full-size synthetic football pitch, three floodlit tennis/ netball courts, a multi-use games area, climbing walls (both indoor and outdoor), two full-size football pitches, a summer grass athletics track, a junior football pitch, a 24-station fitness gym and coaching education areas.

The health and fitness facilities at the pier are also being moved to the upgraded Herons Leisure Centre, which it is said will rival the quality of private-sector health clubs. As soon as the new facilities are ready for use, work can start on demolishing the Pier Pavilion, which is expected to start in September.

HB Gazette 23rd Jun 2011 by Gerry Warren