Use the form on the right to contact us.
You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.
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...
Filtering by Tag: QE2
The Management Plan for the QE2 Coastal Park, which includes the Downs, has been published - you can read the report below (you can also download a copy if you want to).
This Plan will be discussed at HBAMP at 6.30pm on Tuesday 21st May 2013. HBAMP (the Herne Bay Area Member Panel - our town's councillors) will meet in the Salvation Army hall at 33 Richmond Street. The Agenda item is reproduced below.
Here is the draft response from the Friends of the Downs to Canterbury City Council's management proposals for the newly created QE2 Coastal Park.
We would like all the Friends of the Downs to take the time to read it and let us know what they think - the final version has to get to CCC by the end of November.
You can download the document by clicking HERE.
Read MoreThis is where you get to have your say about the future of our town's greatest natural asset - its coastline. Of course, the Downs are part of the newly christened QE2 Coastal Park, and the Council's Management Plan has a number of proposals relating to the how the Downs would be managed.
Here's the link to the consultation documents:
http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=6439
The important bits are the plan itself:
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Field, Herne Bay's Coastal Park Management Plan
and the various action plans:
Improving the fabric of the seafront
AccreditationComments on management plan, maps and action plans need to be sent by 30th November 2012 to: rosemary.selling@canterbury.gov.uk
This is also your chance to say what you think should be done about the Victorian Shelter. And the rest of Herne Bay's seafront, come to that.
If you don't tell them, they'll never know.
Question asked at HBAMP on 3 January 2012
Phil Rose:
I am very concerned that Members are mistakenly believing that the ongoing village green application requires that a number of activities on and around the Downs at Herne Bay must be deferred until the outcome of the application is known. None of the Items in the QE2 Coastal Park Action Plan that are being deferred pending the outcome of the village green application actually need to be deferred for that reason.
Read More[Rosemary Selling was taking proper minutes - this is the condensed version...]
FotD: Cllr Gillian Reuby, Phil Rose, Ros McIntryre, Phil Cheeseman
CCC Outdoor Leisure: Richard Griffiths, Rosemary Selling
CCC Street Scene: Richard Davidson
Kent Wildlife Trust: Fred Booth
1. Richard Griffiths (RG) told us that the Downs Management Plan would now be part of a wider Management Plan for the QE2 Coastal Park. This is unlikely to speed things up.
2. RG said the Plan would be "survey-led", with the Plan being produced when we know what we've got.
3. Fred Booth (FB) pointed out that in parallel with the fieldwork, desk research would also be useful, particularly in well-documented areas like ornithology (check Kent Ornithological Society).
4. FB's Survey will run from April-August, the results are expected in September.
5. The Kent Mammal Group (KMG) would help with a survey from September onwards. The necessary training would be provided at Wildwood.
6. RG expects the Plan to be drafted in late Autumn/Winter 2011, issued for consultation Spring 2012, and signed off Summer 2012.
7. Serco's contract up for renewal in 2013, but is being reviewed currently.
8. In October 2009, there was a pot of £14k of S106 developers' contributions ear-marked for the Downs. The cost of the KWT survey and "signage" leaves us with £10k.
9. Community Payback "volunteers" widely praised for their work weeding the paths and clearing shingle.
10. Litter picking - we now have the necessary sheaf of paperwork to complete before litter-picking. Now we just need to find out what dates our volunteers are available on.
11. The number, location and style of litter bins and dog bins will be discussed at the next PACT/Panel meeting, as will grass cutting and trimming.
12. Shelter. Although the Victorian shelter was covered by CCC's insurance, it was under-insured. There is a suggestion that the shortfall can be absorbed by rolling it into the QE2 proposal... the Queen's Shelter, perhaps.
My thoughts:
QE2 status is not a foregone conclusion - the process is ill-defined and involves bidding and public voting. CCC display great confidence that it will be awarded, to the point of making progress on the Downs management plan dependent on it. RG emphasised the the management plan should be "survey-led", and this seems to him to be reason enough to put practically everything on hold until the Plan is complete.
The S106 Budget: We knew £2k was allocated to the KWT survey, having agreed to it at the FotD launch meeting in Autumn 2010. RG says £2k has been spent on "signs" - presumably the three new information panels, which were a Herne Bay in Bloom initiative. I'm surprised any of "our" S106 went towards these boards. The fact is that we have no control over the S106 Budget, although we are allowed to bid for funding from it on a project by project basis.
Richard Davidson (of CCC Street Scene) said there wouldn't be any more gang-mowing on the rough Downs this year, as the contract for that area stipulates one cut a year. We would welcome a statement (in writing) to that effect, and a clear understanding that the trimming around the steps (4 times a year) won't be done with tractors that leave wide swathes scalped. Similarly, we would welcome a written assurance that no grubbing, cutting, pruning or trimming of the blackthorn will happen before the Management Plan is complete.
If you have any thoughts on this, or any suggestions for the agenda of our next meeting with CCC, please add a comment below.
