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Herne Bay, England, CT6
United Kingdom
Community website for all things Herne Bay (Kent, UK). Covers: The Downs, Herne Bay Museum, Herne Bay Historical Records Society, Herne Bay Pier Trust, Herne Bay in Bloom, East Cliff Neighbourhood Panel, No Night Flights, Manston Airport, Save Hillborough, Kitewood, WEA, Local Plan and much, much more...
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#LPLV In the MORI poll in 2011, 61% of residents said they thought that no more than 510 new homes should be built in the district every year. Despite that, the Draft Local Plan aims to build at a rate of 780 new homes per year.
[Draft Local Plan 1.19]
With the Electoral Review now underway for Canterbury I would urge local people to ask themselves if they're happy with the way Canterbury City Council currently conducts matters on their behalf.
The Council have asked the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to cut the number of councillors down to 38 from 50.
They say that the 'Strong Leader and Executive' system of governance serves this city well and base their submission to the LGBCE mainly on this.
Given the absence of debate in decision making with the current Council this move will make it much harder for councillors to represent their constituents as they will not have enough time to liaise with the many groups, parishes and associations.
Our councillors already have a far higher quota of electors than other districts and will be even higher with the intended housing development in the Local Plan… an extra 780 houses per year.
The LGBCE want to hear the opinions of local people in regard to this matter and can be contacted thus by 6th August 2013:
Email: reviews@lgbce.org.uk
Write to: The Review Officer (Canterbury), LGBCE, Layden House, 76-78 Turnmill Street, London, EC1M 5LG
Yours sincerely
Lynette Coleman, Canterbury
Canterbury City Council is proposing to cut the number of local councillors in the district from 50 to 38. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has just initiated a public consultation on whether to approve this proposal. As residents, we need to consider the implications of such a drastic cut as they could be significant for the shape and health of our local democracy.
what impact will a 25% decrease in Council size have on the way in which decisions are made?
The Council's submission to the Boundary Commission claims that the current 'Strong Leader and Executive system' is well embedded in our local democracy and that the number of councillors should be reduced accordingly. However, many residents would disagree with both this assertion and this conclusion. Far from being embedded in our local democracy, the Executive System is becoming the source of increasing political disquiet.
The Executive system was introduced in 2002 as a result of a change in national legislation. It was supposed to speed up decision-making and improve accountability, but its unintended consequences have included the creation of a small political elite; a lack of in-depth debate before decisions are made; and the effective exclusion of many councillors from the decision-making process.
Under the Localism Act 2011, we are no longer obliged to keep the Executive system, but a sharp reduction in in the number of local councillors could make it more difficult for us to introduce an alternative model as these generally require a greater number of councillors. We, therefore, need to ask the Boundary Commission to assess the requirements of other decision-making models, such as the Cabinet Committee system operated by Kent County Council, as this may be something which we would want to introduce in the future.
what impact will a 25% decrease in Council size have on the ability of local councillors to represent the residents in their wards?
At present, each councillor represents on average 3,023 residents. This is considerably higher than many other district councils. If the number of councillors was reduced from the current 50 to 38, the average ward size would be 4,200. If a further 780 new houses are built each year, in line with the objectives of the draft Local Plan, the ratio of residents to councillors will be considerably higher.
Reducing the number of councillors to 38 is likely to reduce the ability of each councillor get to know their communities, listen to their concerns and represent their needs and interests. Admittedly, some councillors currently do this much better than others, but it is the hallmark of any vibrant, healthy democracy. A sharp reduction in the number of councillors is likely to decrease the capacity of existing councillors to fulfil this vital representational role.
The Electoral Review process provides us with the opportunity to have an active public debate on the shape and health of our local democracy. We are unlikely to get a similar opportunity for at least another decade. Let's not waste it!
For more information, see: consultation.lgbce.org.uk The deadline for the receipt of comments is: 6 August.
Comments should be sent to:
Email: reviews@lgbce.org.uk
Post: The Review Officer (Canterbury), LGBCE, Layden House, 76-78 Turnmill Street, London, EC1M 5LG
Sian Pettman, Canterbury
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 2013Hello Everyone,
In the last few weeks there has been a lot of work carried out by both the Trust and the Proprietors at the Retail Beach Hut Village and completion is close at hand.
The Grand Opening will now be next Saturday 6th July at 12:00 noon.
We are delighted that the opening ceremony will be carried out by Sandi Toksvig, author, comedian, radio and TV presenter and by Reculver Councillor Ann Taylor, Sheriff of Canterbury.
There is going to be a wide range of items to buy and to eat so please come along and be part of the exciting start of the new revitalized Herne Bay Pier.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Doreen Stone, Chairman, Herne Bay Pier Trust
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
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We have objected to the development of Strode Farm for the following reasons:
It is also delightful to be able to look out at such a green and verdant landscape which is why most people live here.
This tiny hamlet has remained unchanged for hundreds of years, with only more modern buildings being erected on the sites of the old.
Mrs Margaret Clark, Bullockstone Road, Herne Bay
HB Gazette letter 27th Jun 2013
Plans for a Tesco on the outskirts of Herne Bay have been thrown into doubt after an application for a major development stalled.
Developers Quinn Estates have put on hold proposals to build a sports hub and supermarket on the former golf club site after questions were raised over Tesco's commitment to the scheme.
The official line is that negotiations with the retail giant, the third largest in the world, are "ongoing".
Yet the delay has been significant enough to force a rethink in strategy for Quinn Estates, which planned to build the supermarket and sports hub first before gaining planning approval for 400 homes and commercial properties.
The company now aims to submit a planning application for all its proposals together, which it says will ensure "certainty and deliverability".
Managing director Mark Quinn exclusively told the Gazette this would not rule out approaching other supermarkets or getting rid of a store all together. He said:
Mark Quinn
"We may consider not having a supermarket or having a small one. At the moment we are still negotiating with Tesco and we are not going to talk elsewhere until negotiations are resolved one way or the other. It will either have a food store or it won't. There will be housing there instead and some other mixed houses."
Once the outcome of negotiations with Tesco is clear, Quinn Estates aims to submit its new all-encompassing planning application in the fourth quarter of this year. It then hopes to gain planning permission by this time next year, with work beginning from the middle of 2014.
Mr Quinn insists housing would be built after roads and the sports hub were put in place, including a state-of-the-art clubhouse and football, hockey and cricket pitches. He said:
"We have decided after much careful consideration that what's important is delivering what we say we are going to. The way we answer that is master planning the entire scheme and delivering it. We don't want to get planning for something and it then not to go ahead. By doing the whole scheme at once, we gain certainty and deliverability."
This latest development indicates that fears over Tesco's desire to come to Herne Bay may have been a long-running concern at Quinn Estates.
In February, Mr Quinn insisted to the Gazette his development was not reliant on a Tesco superstore being opened, but that having one would create jobs for local people and give them more shopping choice. Mr Quinn added:
"This development will definitely happen. What we are doing ensures that. All our plans are doing is evolving. They may or may not include a supermarket but we hope it does. We are waiting to see the outcome of these negotiations."
Despite several requests, Tesco had not given the Gazette a comment at the time of going to press.
HB Gazette 27th Jun 2013
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The developer behind plans for a new housing estate and sports centre at the former Herne Bay golf club has vowed it will go ahead - with or without a Tesco store.
Mark Quinn, of Quinn Estates, told members of Herne Bay Town Partners last week the scheme had been delayed as negotiations continued with the retail giant. An application was due to be submitted this summer for the supermarket. as well as a sports hub that would provide a home for four town clubs.
The store would provide income to allow the sports hub to go ahead as a gift to the town. But Mr Quinn said the scheme would now be dealt with as a whole rather than in two stages, with 400 houses and commercial units as well. He said:
"I told the group we would go for it with the whole scheme. whether Tesco were a part of it or not. It means a delay of four or five months but it guarantees certainty and that is not a bad thing. It means we create a solution for the whole scheme rather than just a part of it."
Both he and Tesco bosses insisted negotiations were continuing and a spokesman for Tesco said it remained committed to the scheme. Mr Quinn added:
"What is important for me is that we don't let down the sports clubs and that I deliver what I said I would. We are certain that it will happen and it will take place. Whether Tesco are in the mix or not, it will go ahead. I have spoken to all the chairmen of the sports groups and we are really confident with what is going on."
The hub would bring together Herne Bay's youth football team. cricket club, tennis club and hockey club on one site. A planning application should be submitted by the end of this year. and work could start by the middle of next year. It is expected to take 18 months to complete.
HB Times 27th Jun 2013
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.
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
Cllr Vickery-Jones is a reliable stock of laughter - it's a bit like having a town jester. Long after the Westgate trial has been shut down by KCC and a collective sigh of relief has echoed around Canterbury, our local flat-earther insists it was a success. Nearly. If only we had all given it just a little more time. And damn anyone who dares to differ.
In fact, I think this outburst is better explained by the Conservative's instinctive and visceral hatred of anything that damages the impression of party unity. Independent thinkers, users of logic and fans of self-evident facts are tolerated only for as long as they keep their horrid little thoughts to themselves.
Those who dare to peep over the parapet and whisper obvious home truths like "the emperor has no clothes" or "the traffic trial is a cock-up" are rounded on and publicly insulted by their colleagues. In some cases, the party whip is removed, stripping them of influence, and presumably income. This is what the Conservatives then pass off as 'party unity'.
Cllr Peter Vickery-Jones
The Westgate Towers saga took an extraordinary twist this week when the city council's transport supremo launched a vitriolic attack on a former party colleague.
Cllr Peter Vickery-Jones, who maintains the year-long traffic trial was a success, branded trial opponent David Hirst a "dinosaur" and accused him of "talking obvious rubbish" after Cllr Hirst said buses were to blame for much of the congestion in St Dunstan's Street.
It is the latest clash in an increasingly acrimonious war between the scheme's supporters and its detractors. Cllr Hirst lost the Conservative party whip on Canterbury City Council in February after he backed calls for Kent County Council to scrap it and restore the original road layout.
The trial began in March last year and saw vehicles banned from passing through the gate way of the 14th century towers. Traffic lights governed movement around the towers and only buses were allowed to enter St Peter's Place from St Dunstan's Street.
Cllr Vickery-Jones, the council's executive member for transport, was one of its most ardent supporters. Writing in response to a letter from Cllr Hirst in last week's Gazette, Cllr Vickery-Jones said:
"There are many like Cllr Hirst who have access to the facts but choose to ignore them. I recognise that because we did not challenge misconceptions and explain what and why we were running the trial, we lost the debate over the efficacy of the trial because we were unwilling to publicly counter the aggressive and insulting adverse propaganda."
Cllr Vickery-Jones says pollution in lower St Dunstan's Street, North Lane, St Peter's Place and Pound Lane dropped by 50% "with no corresponding increase elsewhere", while the number of cars fell by 12%. He added:
"The Westgate Traffic trial was not a failure. It was starting to bed down and beginning to work. Other routes were being found, other means of travel were being tried, hence the growth in bus usage. It never was an attack on car drivers, only an attempt to encourage those 35% of drivers who could reasonably do so to leave their cars and opt for sustainable travel."
KCC, which looks after the county's roads network, reopened the towers to traffic when it restored the original road system in April.
Cllr Alex Perkins
Lib Dem group leader Alex Perkins believes Peter Vickery-Jones should resign over the Westgate Towers traffic scheme. He describes the scheme as a disaster and a farce. He said:
"It's a shame to see two councillors tearing into each other in public - and while it's tempting just to leave them to it, on this occasion it is only fair to point out that Cllr Hirst is in fact obviously right.
It must be hard for Cllr Vickery-Jones to accept that statistical analysis of his pet scheme has shown it to have been a total disaster, but sadly that is what has happened.
The trial was a farce. It was badly managed by Peter Vickery-Jones and just made a bad situation far worse and upset a great many people.
A better man would resign. But we know from bitter experience that it doesn't matter how badly this current administration muck things up, oblivious to their many shortcomings, they just accuse everyone who holds differing opinions of 'being political' and sail on regardless."HB Gazette 27th Jun 2013
Here's an attack on local democracy that will damage not just Herne Bay, but the whole district.
Reducing the number of councillors from 50 to 38 is not something that the public have been clamouring for - it was initiated by, and is being driven by, CCC's Conservative administration. More accurately, the Executive. Which means Cllr John Gilbey.
The publicly stated reason for this is to save money. Cllr Peter Lee has said that the current 50 councillors cost about £450k a year, so this would potentially save about £112k.
Fewer representatives and less representation to save £112k. And this from the people who frittered £60k on the disastrous Westgate Towers traffic scheme, and peed away over £50k fighting the village green application for the Downs, and regularly give £20k to the Sandwich Open golf beano, and so on, and so on.
We already have one of the highest ratios of residents to councillors, and this reduction in the number of councillors would push it even higher. And that's without taking into account the extra 40,000 or so new residents that would move in to the district to fill all the new homes proposed in the draft Local Plan, which would push the ratio higher still.
When this was discussed in Council, one of the councillors argued that the reduction in numbers would result in an improvement in quality of councillors. I can't believe these people are so naive! This will not be a careful culling exercise where the sub-prime and lacklustre are shown the door, leaving only the shining stars. Come election time, the public will still choose a mixed bag of useful and useless, daft and deft, lions and donkeys. But there will fewer of them.
Each councillor - and this is a part-time job, remember - would have significantly more people to represent. This will inevitably damage our local democracy.
I'm sorry to say this is another example of Cllr Gilbey's anti-democratic - and in my view morally repugnant - instincts. He operates what is amusingly referred to in his job description as the "strong leader" management style, and is much happier with the Executive/cabinet model rather than the more democratic Committee structure we used to have.
Reducing the number of councillors would suit him down to the ground, as it would concentrate power in even fewer hands.
The consultation runs from 25th June to 6th August. Please take the time to contact the Boundary Commission and let them know what you think - it would be years, possibly decades, before we would have a chance to undo this.
I don't want fewer councillors, I want better councillors.
The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England is asking local people how many councillors they think should represent Canterbury City Council in the future after proposing chopping 12 from the current structure.
The six-week public consultation is the first part of an electoral review which will also consider changes to the number, names and boundaries of the council’s wards. It follows hot on the heels of a proposed shake-up at Shepway District Council which is suggesting a reduction of 16 councillors.
The commission has considered evidence submitted to it by the council and is now consulting residents on a proposal that would see the authority represented by 38 councillors in future, 12 fewer than the current arrangements.
Max Caller, chair of the commission, said:
“This is your chance to shape your council for the future. We are asking people across Canterbury whether they agree that 38 councillors is the right number to represent their area in the future. We want to know if you think 38 is the right number of councillors to be able to take decisions effectively and whether it’s the right number to represent the interests of all Canterbury’s communities.
If you don’t agree that Canterbury should be represented by 38 councillors, we want you to tell us your alternative and why you think there should be more, or fewer, members of the council in the future. Once we have taken a view on the number of councillors, we will re-draw ward boundaries to accommodate those elected members and we will ask local people to have their say during that process as well.”
Residents can have their say directly at consultation.lgbce.org.uk
kentnews.co.uk 25th Jun 2013From 26th June until 3rd July, the Historical Records Society have an exhibition at Beach House (corner of Beach Street and King’s Road, opposite the William Street car park) to mark the town’s 180th anniversary.
This takes the form of a timeline of 180 years of interesting pictures and artefacts celebrating the anniversary of the establishment of Herne Bay as a town.
Beach House is open 10am-4pm daily, and entrance is free, so do pop in when you’re nearby.
At 6pm on 10th July, the Centenary Exhibition in the King’s Hall foyer will open, and it will run until 22nd July. It will feature an illustrated history of the King’s Hall and a special section devoted to residents’ memories of the Hall through the years.
To coincide with the exhibition, there will also be two book launches.
Mike Bundock of the Historical Records Society will launch his latest book - "The Kings Hall Herne
Bay - Celebrating 100 years". Drawing on Mike's extensive rearch and detailed knowledge, and using pictures from the HBHRS archive and Mike's own collection, this is a fascinating illustrated history of the King's Hall from construction to the present day.
Sylvia McKean of the Herne & Broomfield Local History Group will be launching "Coronations and Coronets” which relates how Herne villagers and schoolchildren celebrated Coronations, Jubilees, Royal visits, from Queen Victoria’s Silver Jubilee in 1887 to Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
On Friday 28th June at 7:30pm at the Herne Bay Little Theatre, Mike Bundock will present:
to mark the 180th Anniversary of the Act of Parliament that provided for
“paving, cleansing, lighting, watching, repairing and improving a certain Portion of the Parish of Herne in the County of Kent”.
Tickets are £3, from Herne Bay Little Theatre, 44 Bullers Avenue, CT6 8UH 01227 366 004
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,
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
This is a brilliant idea. A swarm of our beloved independent retailers put their heads together and came up with the idea of showing off what they do, and what happens "behind the scenes".
It's going to be a great opportunity to find out more about our independent shops - the lifeblood of our town - AND there's more free stuff than you can wave a stick at, so put it in your diary, and get there before they run out of free goodies.
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) has met with pressure groups ahead of the publication of the Canterbury City Local Plan today (20th June).
On Monday, the CPRE were joined by members of the South Canterbury Alliance, North Canterbury Forum and the Canterbury Society, and discussed how all parties will launch their campaign against development of housing projects across the Canterbury districts outlined in the plan.
There are a proposed 15,600 new homes in the plan, at a rate of 780 every year. Brian Lloyd, senior planner for CPRE Protect Kent said:
"Local communities throughout the district are, understandably, extremely concerned about the damage that these large and unsustainable sites will cause to the character and quality of their local areas, and CPRE shares those concerns."
HB Times 20th Jun 2013
Parish councillors have vowed to stop a massive housing development they fear would link Herne to Herne Bay.
Members of Herne and Broomfield Parish Council are working with charity CPRE Protect Kent to find reasons to stop 1,000 homes being built at Strode Farm owned by Hollamby Estates, of which parish councillor Andrew Brealy is a director.
Mr Brealy left the room when the issue was discussed at a meeting on Thursday, but chairman Tony Day said the charity's advice was to focus on highways issues.
The development, included in Canterbury City Council's draft Local Plan, would involve upgrades to Bullockstone Road to turn it into a "relief road". But Councillor Day said they did not go far enough. He said:
"The road will end up more or less as it is. It is totally inadequate. It is less adequate than the current route through the village. People from all the new developments will all want to go to Canterbury and will be going through our village or a relief road. All these developments should hinge on the proper infrastructure being in place."
The parish council plans to hire an independent expert - part funded by CPRE Protect Kent - to examine the highways issues but members said it was crucial residents also got involved. Councillor Ann Blatherwick said:
"We need to find out why we are not being considered separately to Herne Bay and why we are not mentioned as a village. We are a separate community. But we are just lumped in together and that explains why they are trying to join us up."
Members also discussed the loss of agricultural land, and the lack of school places. County councillor Alan Marsh said:
"We would need new schools, two primary and two secondary, to deal with the numbers of children. There isn't money for one school, let alone four."
The parish council won the backing of city councillor Peter Vickery-Jones, who stressed he had not been part of the Local Plan steering group that put the proposals together. He said:
"It is about time Canterbury picked up where it should. There has been huge resistance to South Canterbury but it is right it should be developed there."
But he cited the need for an alternative option, and suggested Thanington near Canterbury.
Plans for a new village hall for Herne will go on display next month. Herne and Broomfield Parish Council members have asked flve developers to provide drawings and costs for a new building in St Martin's View, next to the School Lane car park.
Villagers will be asked to choose their favourite and fill in a questionnaire before councillors decide how to proceed.
At a meeting of the parish council on Thursday, clerk Monica Blyth said developers would be at a public exhibition on Friday, July 12th from 1 to 7pm to answer any questions and results of the consultation would be considered by the hall committee.
Cllr Tracey Jones said it was important the consultation was as wide as possible, with an exhibition at the weekend as well as during the week. Councillors agreed to investigate other dates the material could be on display and to print extra leaflets and posters to distribute via schools and shops.
HB Times 20th Jun 2013
