Margate Architecture

Lemn Sissay's poem for Margate will be projected on the Turner Contemporary January 26th

2012-01-17T18:54:00.000Z

Very much looking forward to seeing the poet Lemn Sissay's poem for Margate projected on the side of Turner Contemporary on the evening of January 26th at 6pm. I enjoyed meeting Lemn. One of those human beings who exudes the very essence of being alive and in connecting with the people he meets. A fine quality for a poet I think.

Lemn blogs here. Where he reminds us that people with ideas should never be without a notebook.

Article on This is Kent

Stand up comedy nights at The Tom Thumb Theatre

2012-01-16T17:17:00.000Z

Stand up comedy nights coming every 3rd Saturday in the month to our favourite bijou theatre, The Tom Theatre. How perfect a fit!

Eastern Esplanade, Cliftonville, CT9 2LB
Tel: 01843 221791
www.tomthumbtheatre.co.uk

CAMPAIGNERS CELEBRATE THE SAVING OF BROADSTAIRS PARK

2012-01-06T17:29:00.001Z

Fresh in from over in Broadstairs:

Campaigners are “jubilant” at Thanet Council’s decision to axe the building of a community centre in BroadstairsPierremont Park.

On Thursday January 5th the new Labour leadership of Thanet Council decided not to give the go-ahead to plans to build a controversial new community centre. The decision was greeted by applause from campaigners in the public gallery, who have been lobbying against the building of the centre for the last seven years.

One of the campaigners, film-maker Christine Tongue, said: “This is a great day for anyone with a love for Broadstairs’ historic park.

“Building a community centre here would have meant cutting down trees and fatally damaging the fabric of the park – all for something that precious few people wanted.”

But the decision, according to Christine, also marked a victory for popular democracy over the desires of a “local elite”.

“I and many others believe the building of the park was always only the pursuit of a small number of powerful figures in Broadstairs society. Why did they want it? As a local resident once speculated in one of our films: “self glory”.

“And, even worse, they were prepared to take out a loan costing a total of nearly a million pounds to do it, burdening the public with a huge debt.”

“But perhaps there should now be an inquiry into why this waste of public time and money was allowed to happen.”

Christine claimed the building would have gone through if not for the protest movement. “People started campaigning against the centre back in 2005. Now a change in the leadership of the council has stopped the project -- but this wouldn’t have happened it if the protesters hadn’t kept the campaign going.”

Christine also said that this victory sends an important message to campaigners across Thanet.“My message is to people who are fighting against corrupt or damaging developments across Thanet is simple: keep on going,” she said. “Constantly we were told the centre was a “done deal”, that it was inevitable, but we kept on campaigning and the result is we have saved our park.

“I don’t claim to be a leader of this campaign – it’s been a real joint effort on the part of the local community. I’d like to pay tribute to everyone who has worked so hard to stop this senseless scheme going ahead.”

“People are stronger than they know, they have more power than they think. Don’t bargain with the powers-that-be, don’t compromise. Tell them what you want - and if they won’t listen to you use every means you can to make them hear you!”
For more details telephone Christine Tongue on 01843 604253 or email inmeds@yahoo.co.uk.

Thanet elects a new leader

2011-12-09T17:18:00.001Z

We can't not mention the big news of last night really, can we? I know most of the Thanet blogs will have covered it at length. But seeing as we were at the Full Council last night when the vote took place, I can't really miss saying:

We have a new Leader of Thanet Council!

And do you know what? It feels very good. Like a breath of fresh air has breezed in. And no, Councillr Moores that doesn't signify I'm a Labour blogger! Though not sure that why that would be an insult!

So congratulations Councillor Clive Hart. Not that it's going to be an easy task steering Thanet through these choppy waters. But given how for most of the community events we've taken part in Labour Councillors have always been present, we're looking forward to more strategic partnership working with key stakeholders in the town.

News on BBC Online

Michael Child

Thanet Online

Vintage Pin Ball Parlour returns to Margate Old Town

2011-12-04T18:10:00.001Z

The Vintage Pinball Parlour returns to Margate Old Town for Christmas. Open daily from 12-5pm at the Pie Factory, 5 Broad Street, CT9 1EW from the 16th - 24th December. There have been some really great pop up shows and exhibitions at The Pie Factory this year.

There is no hotel operator in place - so what will it look like and for how long?

2011-12-04T12:16:00.001Z

Over on the Arlington Margate blog there is a scaled elevation drawing of what the Margate seafront could look like for years to come if permission is granted to demolish the front of the building without there being a hotel operator in place. And guess what folks, the developer told TDC in May that there isn't any interest from a hotel operator and there isn't likely to be one until after the store is completed and trading.

http://arlingtonhousemargate.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/no-interest-in-hotel-site/

The blog post has details of the email sent from the developer to TDC in May confirming this lack of interest.

We also see that Thanet Councillor Simon Moores is of the opinion that anyone who discusses factual evidence is a fantasist while at the same time asking the public to believe the truth lies in unattributed statements from the local newspaper. http://birchington.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-comes.html

Thanet Distict Council and Freshwater had planned to evict residents of Arlington House

2011-12-02T11:44:00.001Z

Over on the Arlington Margate website, there are details of the elusive Section 106 agreement between TDC and Freshwater. A document file has been relased to the public that reveals the communication between TDC and the developers agents.

http://arlingtonhousemargate.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/tdc-freshwater-cpo-threat/

East Kent £40m Regional Growth Fund Launch

2011-11-22T19:12:00.001Z

We had only 48 hours notice to attend a breakfast meeting from 8am - 10.30am last Friday at Hornby on the 18th of November. Seems like it was aimed at businesses large enough for people to be able to take time off at the last minute.

Lots of talk again about how Manston Airport will create thousands of jobs. And yet more on the possible future Parkway Station.

Is there a risk that a Parkway Station would cost us a cut in train services at the towns of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate?

Who wants to come to an town to have to get a shuttle bus to their final destination?

In the meantime we're waiting to hear how much of this fund will be utilised to create jobs within small businesses and SMEs.

Full article on The Thanet Times:

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Chance-grab-slice-pound-40m-growth-fund-jobs/story-13919347-detail/story.html

Professor Heard's Curious Victorian Magic Lantern Show - Thursday 10th November

2011-11-09T20:48:00.001Z

The Friends of the Shell Grotto are putting on another one of their fabulous fundraiser events. Professor Heard's Curious Victorian Magic Lantern Show comes to The Walpole Bay Hotel at 7pm on Thursday 7th November, featuring Misadventures at Margate.

Conflicts at the first meeting of the Local Development Framework Cabinet Advisory Group

2011-10-17T11:30:00.001+01:00

Statement from the Thanet Labour Group:

The first meeting of the new TDC Local Development Framework Cabinet Advisory Group was held on Thursday 6th October. The LDF covers a wide range of detailed planning policy issues guiding development and investment for Thanet's long-term vision.

The first meeting was called to iron out organisational matters for the group who will be working on the long-term vision for TDC.

Regarding poor practice, Cllr Alan Poole immediately raised concerns that two cabinet members (Tories - Cllr Bayford and Cllr Moores) had been put on the advisory group and were therefore 'advising themselves'.

Cllr Clive Hart also raised the issue of a possible 'conflict of interest' concerning Cllr Bayford's membership as the group were discussing Kent county and East Kent Opportunities matters and Cllr Bayford is a Kent county councillor and a director of EKO. The legal officer had to dig very deep to squeeze Cllr Bayford out of this, but he did finally advise all was legal. Cllr Hart strongly disagreed with the legal officers advice that Cllr Bayford could carry on, on the basis that under the councillors code of conduct, councillors are supposed to consider how the 'man or woman in the street' would see any conflict, and he believed they would be appalled regarding Cllr Bayfords confusing roles.

Cllr Bayford then performed his usual 'you're being political' routine on Labour members so Cllr Hart reminded the group that the meeting had been made political even before members had sat down in theirseats as Cllr Bayford, the Conservative council leader, had already decided there would be three Conservative's and only 2 Labour members on the advisory group (most other advisory groups are balanced due to the current 'hung' situation of the council at TDC).

Regarding continued Tory 'spoiling tactics' at TDC. These reached new heights when the LDF group got to deciding terms of reference and other organisational matters for the newly formed group. In the end Cllr Bayford was so angry at the perfectly reasonable request for advisory group members to maintain voting rights for their recommendations, that he ended the meeting prematurely and simply 'informed' the assembled group that he and his Cabinet would write its own terms of reference for them!

Following the meeting Labour Group Leader Cllr Clive Hart said "I felt it was a terrible shame that Cllr Bayford brought the LDF Advisory Committee to a sharp and premature close with the insistence that he and his cabinet will now write our terms of reference for us. Worse still is his insistence that we should not even be be allowed to vote on our recommendations.

I sincerely hope Cllr Bayford will see sense and maintain voting rights in this process. At the meeting there were several references made to the fact that the group 'ONLY' recommends matters to cabinet and I feel the further changes proposed by Cllr Bayford would water down the hard work of the committee still further".

Freshwater paid for Thanet District Council's 'independent' heritage report written by Tesco's consultancy firm

2011-09-30T11:32:00.001+01:00

Not much more you can say about this really other than sheer amazement that anyone would think a report credible or independent enough to be presented to the Planning Committee that involves the developer Freshwater and prospective tenant Tesco. So to convince the Planning Committee to give the green light, TDC agreed to commission a report that was funded by Freshwater and as a suitable consultant they chose a firm who have a long standing relationship with Tesco Stores. More on the Arlington Blog.

TDC's press statement:

30 September 2011 10:34
Arlington Statement

Thanet District Council commissioned the report, so that the professional duty of care was owed to the council for the advice received. The council paid for the report and were reimbursed by the developers. The report will be assessed independently by English Heritage and the council’s planning and conservation teams and this will be reported to the Planning Committee.

Thanet District Council's erm, Independent heritage report on Arlington

2011-09-28T23:21:00.001+01:00

This morning in my inbox arrived an email from TDC proclaiming how an independent expert had been written and an oh so independent heritage appraisal report had been published on the impact the proposed Arlington superstore development will have on the Dreamland heritage site.

By the time we'd got to the end of the day, it turns out the report author, Dr Chris Miele, specialises in shoe horning in supermarkets into heritage sites and is a partner in the firm, Montague Evans, who in turn seem to have a lengthy relationship with Tesco as a major client. Not sounding so independent now, eh?

The fact that TDC decided to PR this as an independent report with no conflict of interest issues is remarkable. A good PR day? There is a more detailed blog post and all the relevant documents to download for yourself on the Arlington blog.

We wonder how much money has been paid to this consultancy firm that works for the developer to write this 'unbiased' report?

Nothing in the World but Youth exhibition

2011-09-12T17:16:00.001+01:00

I woke this morning to various outraged tweets from fellow townsfolk of Margate at the tone and bare faced drivel that was passed off as a blog post by Tara Moore for Kent Life magazine.

Tara was dredging her depths about her recent visit to Margate and the Turner Contemporary. Not enough to moan she didn't like it. She had to moan she didn't like it being refitted for the next upcoming exhibition. Moaning about the cost of the building, she went on to moan about the cafe and shop being open. Make your mind up, love. Moaning about the shops that have opened in Margate. Not good enough for you? I hope she hasn't been paid for this effort. But you know what? Margate doesn't need her. Margate is working hard to move things in a better direction. More about Tara and her wonderful 1994 web design concept http://www.taramoore.com/ Do we really mind that Tara doesn't like us?

Which brings me to the next exhibition to open on the 16th at Turner Contemporary. It promises to be great. If there is one thing that is close to Margate's heart it's youth culture. Out on a limb. Away days of freedom away from it all. More info as always on the Turner website.

Don't miss a Blink!

2011-08-23T17:51:00.001+01:00

Margate is gearing up for this weekend's event of the summer. Blink is coming. The event info states:

For one very special night, Margate's seafront will undergo a miraculous transformation. Watch as buildings come alive, the beach is lit up with stunning flaming structures and ONE HUNDRED local people take to the beach to perform. BLINK Margate is a celebratory event that re-imagines not only the seafront, but also the sea, the sky and beyond.

Event: Studio Two presents: Pop-Up City

2011-08-17T17:16:00.001+01:00

Those lovely people, Studio Two, based in the Pie Factory in The Old Town, are putting on an event on the weekend, that really will be a showstopper of all show stoppers here in Margate on the 26th and 27th of August. Private view starts at 7pm

Group Show:

Anna Baranowska

Daniel Tollady

Marlies Vermeulen

Tiina - Liisa Kujala

Alex Procter

http://www.studiohashtwo.com/

Also happening the same weekend in Margate:
26 August 6 -10pm - Late Night Live: Nocturne @ Turner Contemporary
26 August 6.30 - 9pm - Group Show / Solo Show (Robert Barry) @ Crate
27 August 9.15pm - Blink Margate @ Margate Sea Front

Steve McPerson's 'Siren Signal' sound installation evokes the Kent Coast

2011-08-16T10:23:00.001+01:00

Margate based artist, Steve McPherson, is exhibiting his sound sculpture installation 'Siren - Signal' on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd August within Light Vessel 21 (LV21), now moored at Gillingham pier on the river Medway.

The weekend is International Lighthouse Weekend and the 3 works that constitute 'Siren - Signal' will be installed in this magnificent 40 metre steel-hulled Lightship which saw active service at stations around the Kent coast between 1976 and 2001.

'Siren-Signal' references Steve's experience of growing up on that

coast, where the Fog Horn sound was a seasonal event that signalled the warning of impending and seemingly infinite cloud conditions. The Horns mournful cry echoed along the cliffs, yearning and piercing the visually impenetrable fog and thick sea mists that curtained the land and turned days into eerie twilights.

Vocally creating all the sounds and manipulating them digitally; Siren - Signal aims to reawaken slumbering memories and experiences which are no longer a part of our coastal environment, whilst at the same time reflecting on and echoing my own and LV21's lost pasts.

LV21
Gillingham Pier Pier Approach Road Gillingham Kent ME7 1RX

www.lv21.co.uk
www.stevemcpherson.co.uk
www.fromherewhereyouare.co.uk

Campaigners succeed in halting final decision on Freshwater application for superstore at Arlington, Margate

2011-08-06T10:48:00.001+01:00

One imagines there was an almighty kerfuffle at Cecil Square on Wednesday when Richard Buxton solicitors, acting on behalf of a group of Margate residents and businesses, sent a letter informing TDC, that for them to issue a Decision Notice on Freshwater's application for a superstore as big as two football pitches, it would be unlawful. The reason? As detailed on the Arlington House blog, the Scenic Railway at Dreamland was upgraded to Grade II* on July 7th. This is considered a 'Material Consideration' requiring the whole application to come back to Planning Committee to be reconsidered.

Conversations with English Heritage and other consultees indicate that greater scrutiny will be placed on the sensitivity of the site, now nestled between a number of Grade II and now two Grade II* structures. Importantly the Scenics recent upgrade cited the importance of 'Group Value' of The Dreamland Cinema, The Scenic Railway and the Menagerie Cages that run along the perimeter of the Dreamland site:

"The Scenic Railway at Dreamland, Margate, built in 1920 by JH Iles for his new American-style amusement park is recommended for listing at Grade II* for the following principal reasons: * Rarity: it is the oldest surviving roller coaster in Britain and is of international importance as the second oldest in Europe and amongst the five oldest in the world of this prominent C20 entertainment structure; * Design: Scenic railways are amongst the earlier types of roller coaster design and it is an internationally important surviving example of this technology; * Townscape value: as an important and evocative aspect of the seaside heritage of Margate, one of the earliest and foremost English seaside resorts, and Dreamland, its principal amusement park ; * Group value: it groups with Dreamland's other listed buildings the Grade II* cinema and Grade II menagerie."

Perhaps this time round we will actually get a S106 agreement that works for the town and not to refurbish the applicant's own property and a traffic survey conducted not in winter but in summer and to also include a fully functioning Turner Contemporary with revised visitor figures and projected figures for the reopened Dreamland.

And what great timing. There is a piece in today's Guardian about Tesco's influence as an 'amighty conglomerate' and urging Mary Portas, who will soon be visiting Margate, as part of the Government Funded review into the future of the high street.

Tesco has become "an almighty conglomerate" abusing its unfettered market power to dominate towns at the expense of small retailers,Labour claimed as it called on the government to confront the chain.
Labour also warned that a government- commissioned review into the future of the high street, led by the broadcaster and retail guru Mary Portas, is likely to involve other supermarket chains lobby for tougher competition laws to prevent the further dominance of Tesco.
The shadow local government minister, Jack Dromey, said: "Tesco want to rule retail, in particular the southern swath of England. It is simply not right that you can have one almighty conglomerate using its market power at the expense of the high street, and other retailers, particularly small struggling retailers."
It is unusual for Labour to pick out one supermarket for such fierce criticism, but Dromey said Tesco was the worst offender involved in a chain of events that is destroying community life. He said: "High streets have become like ghost towns with local retailers out of business with dire consequences for communities, the poor, the elderly and those without access to cars. This is a deeply felt issue all over Britain."
Dromey called on the Portas review to recommend a "competition test" to prevent grocery retailers acquiring a dominant position in a locality.
He said: "I think Tesco may find themselves in a minority of one trying to object to that, and the government have got to have the courage of their convictions to face Tesco down."
Dromey said the government was facing furious lobbying by Tesco. But he added: "If you want a healthy diverse high street then you cannot have a dominant retailer acting in its own interests, and not the interests of the high street."
He challenged the way Tesco "sell themselves as a major creator of jobs". He argued the net effect of its expansion may have been to reduce total jobs in the retail sector. "We are not anti-supermarket, but one in six shops are standing empty, so this is serious," he said.
Since the general election the big four multiple retailers have opened 407 new stores, and added more than 5m sq ft of selling space. Many would have received planning permission before the election.
Labour's intervention follows Ed Miliband's argument that the revival of communities must be underpinned by preserving institutions, including the high street, through competition law.
The government announced the Portas review in May, with a report due in October. It is possible that Labour's call for a competition test will feature in her report, especially if rival supermarkets, such as Asda and Sainsbury, support the measure.
Two months ago, Portas revealed her determination to act, saying: "The rise of the supermarket giants – and our love affair with them – is killing Britain's small shops. We're sacrificing not just our greengrocers, our butchers and our bakers, but also our communities for convenience."
Dromey remained open-minded about the review, saying: "The thing is we want real shops, not talking shops. At the heart of the decline of high streets all over Britain has been the unchecked flight of the supermarket to out-of-town shopping malls."
In a sign of government concern, the Department for Communities and Local Government announced a ''town centres first'' policy in their national planning policy statement last week. The communities secretary, Eric Pickles, has relaxed centrally imposed rules on parking restrictions so that councils can create additional spaces to attract shoppers from the free car parks of supermarkets.
Dromey said the measures were a start, but that planning authorities should have to devise retail diversity schemes that put as much emphasis on small shops as big chains, and control the trend to smaller supermarkets in inner city areas, pushing independents out of business.
In autumn, a cross-party group of peers will try to insert a version of the clause in the localism bill.
The government minister, Lord Taylor, appeared largely unsympathetic to the idea, saying: "Town centre planning policy is not pro- or anti-supermarkets.
"Planning cannot seek to restrict lawful competition between retailers; in fact, planning policy is blind to whether the operator of a retail proposal is a supermarket or an independent."
Tesco contends that its inner city convenience stores are good for the high street. "We have brought back into the heart of many towns and district centres the benefits that shoppers expect from a supermarket, that were previously available only in the large out-of-town stores. Supermarkets have increased choice, and hence the attractiveness of local centres as shopping destinations. Tesco stores have been demonstrably good for the high street and neighbourhoods, not a threat to them, just as the planners envisaged."
Tesco added: "Studies have shown that an investment by Tesco in a town or high street means that the town and high street benefits. The reason it benefits is because people stay in the area, they do linked trips and those linked trips cause other retailers to open".

Please write to the OFT before Monday 8th to save The Thanet Gazette

2011-08-04T13:10:00.001+01:00

The Thanet Gazette and Thanet Times are under threat by a bid from the KM Group to purchase them. It's outlined in detail by Tony Flaig:

http://bignewsmargate.blogspot.com/2011/08/say-goodbye-to-gazette-or-you-have.html

You will need to write to Mr Raúl Nieto at the OFT: raul.nieto@oft.gsi.gov.uk

As a Thanet resident, small business owner are you concerned that the purchase of the Isle of Thanet Gazette and the Thanet Times by the KM group will have a detrimental effect on the quality of journalism in the area and lead to loss of jobs?

If yes, you need to muster 2 minutes to write to Raul.

Reasons could be:

- If the bid goes ahead, all printed news will be under the control of one company.
- There will be no commercial competition.
- There will be no competitive reporting and resulting in less variety of opinions voiced.
- Local democracy will suffer as there will be fewer journalists and resources to scrutinise local government and public bodies.
- The amalgamation into one company will lead to the loss of jobs in an area where unemployment levels are exceptionally high.

In the press: After 35 years away: Roger Boyes on a changed Britain

2011-08-04T12:07:00.001+01:00

A rather miserable article on Margate. But he has a point? What is the hope the seafront will improve along from Arlington if the planned amount of traffic that will come with the Freshwater Superstore? You don't get a better seafront from more traffic. People don't enjoy walking or sitting near traffic. Period.

Best of Britain

After 35 years away: Roger Boyes on a changed Britain

Roger Boyes
Last updated August 4 2011 12:01AM
Dreamland, that’s what Britain has become for me after 35 years across the water. A country left behind, whose slumbering rhythms are still dimly familiar, like Aboriginal songlines.
Brief return visits to the Mother Country were shock awakenings — the heaving, hustling crowds in London; the sheepish acceptance of slipshod service. And, everywhere, the New Bossiness, the fines and warnings and video cameras. Safely back at my various bases across the Channel, foreigners, even enlightened ones, would lather me with unctuous admiration for British fair play and British irony and Scottish golf courses and PM’s Questions and Jeremy Paxman. All I wanted to do was shout, treacherously, “No, no, no!” Fair play was now Dutch, e-government Estonian, and Newsnight viewing figures corresponded to the population of a Welsh mining village.
But I let it be. What did I know, after all? When I left Britain, Morecambe and Wise were still big. So were Wimpy Bars and Kenny Dalglish. Now, having returned from exile, I needed to reset my compass with a Great Britain Test. What has changed? What have we discarded? Is it better, ruder, more forgiving, more European?
It started badly, this trip. In Margate, a wheeling seagull raided my fish and chips and, in a frightening statement about the eating habits of a nation, ignored the cod and ate the batter.
We kicked off there because it was the last place in Britain that I had vomited — on the rollercoaster, one of the ruins of the defunct funfair that was called, yes, Dreamland. I can still remember the choral nagging of my parents, the stench in the car. Margate had been a treat just for me. Ramsgate was more sophisticated; the hovercraft for Europe taxied out of Pegwell Bay when the sea wasn’t too choppy. Ted Heath, still our most European of prime ministers, went sailing in nearby Broadstairs. But Margate was cheerfully downmarket and even then had an enveloping sense of decline.
“It was a wonderful place to be as a child,” says Sandra Cooke, 41, whose parents came to work at Dreamland in the 1970s. “There was the lido with its two pools, Tony Savage put on a show there — that’s gone now. Then there was the rollercoaster, the big wheel.”
The lido is desolate, whipped by the wind. There is a plan to make a few of the rides — still charred from a fire — into a heritage amusement park and maybe it will happen. In the meantime, a chunk of the seafront has to make way for a Tesco superstore.
This was, I was to discover as I tramped around the country, one of the great pitched battles of modern England. A dozen towns seem to be engaged in debates about the commercial use of urban space and the steady demolition of traditional corners.
“Yeah, that’s what Margate needs,” says Glenn Hall, 50, sitting on the doorstep of his boarding house. “Come to Margate and see Tesco’s.” Clutching a mug of tea, Mr Hall looks as if he has just got out of bed — but that can’t be right, it has turned 11am — the very model of the seaside drifter. Yet it turns out that he is writing an oral history of the York and Lancaster Regiment’s experiences in the First World War and upstairs in his room he paints pictures of the Somme. When it’s sunny he goes for a swim. Later he chases us down to the front — that’s Margate, not Ypres — and shouts out: “See that shelter, that’s where T. S. Eliot wrote The Waste Land.” And indeed, T. S. Eliot did write about the place: “On Margate Sands./ I can connect/ Nothing with nothing.”
No wonder that Margate doesn’t use T. S. Eliot in its marketing campaigns. For years, the place has had only one ploy and it has nothing to do with poetry: get people on the trains, get them off, put them on the beach, hope they spend money before they head back. “It’s the jewel in our crown,” says the woman who runs a souvenir shop that will have to shift for Tesco. “The station is so close to the sand, you can travel in your swimming costume.” It was ever thus. But not enough to divert holidaymakers from the Costa del Sol.
What has changed, though, is that British towns are learning to brand themselves and compete mano a mano. Margate now has a fast train connection from St Pancras and a magnificent new gallery, Turner Contemporary. Margaters have been flooding in. “We are running workshops to bring them in,” says Chloe Barker, of the spectacular gallery that looks out at sea and sky.
But the real hope is to make Margate a logical outing for culturally aware, deep-pocketed Londoners, to make the place posher than it has ever been, a gentrification of the British seaside.
Somehow I don’t have great faith in this new formula that is being tried out not only in Margate but in Liverpool, Wakefield and across the country: high-speed train plus cultural attraction equals regeneration and improved property prices.
On first coming back to Britain, I took the Heathrow Express — 15 minutes for £18 — and was astonished by what seemed to be a metaphor for the acceleration of Britain. Then came the letdown: a 40-minute queue for a taxi at Paddington as someone occupying the newly invented job of taxi marshal chaotically allocated the cabs. The Underground lines were undergoing engineering works, a phrase familiar to me from the 1970s. The cab drive across a clogged city cost more than the air fare.
That has often been the way of recent British modernisation. Every five years there is talk of a white-hot technological revolution, and then the country shoots itself in the foot. New, for me, is the British urge to catch up with Europe, and outperform, overtake it even. Yet on my whistlestop tour I found a different concern that has little to do with Pharaonic projects such as the Olympic Games and more to do with the shaping of communities, the return of local pride. That will be a theme of the next leg of my journey.
A predictable drizzle settled on Margate, awnings teased by the wind, and I felt almost guilty about abandoning it. A man got out of his car and threw away a ball of silver foil that had once wrapped his sandwiches. He had been watching the sea with his wife from the security of his sensible vehicle, sipping tea, opening the window occasionally to gulp some air. Now, apparently, it was time for them to head home.

Clive Hart's MOTION INTRODUCTION ON NIGHT FLIGHTS - OUTRAGE!

2011-07-15T15:33:00.001+01:00

Fro Clive Hart. Leader of Thanet Labour Group

NIGHT TIME FLYING

Thanet District Council meeting - Thursday 14th July 2011.

(MOTION - INTRODUCTION - LEGAL ADVICE - OUTRAGE)

1) THE MOTION:

The following written motion to council was submitted by Cllr Clive Hart and seconded by Cllr Alan Poole (Thanet Labour Leader & Deputy Leader at TDC).

'The Council adopts a policy of not allowing scheduled, pre-planned or otherwise timetabled flights between the hours of 23:00 and 07:00. That a period of 1 hour at either end of the flying day be allowed for late/early arriving flights only. That a penalty be applied to any flights arriving during the 1 hour periods. No take-offs will be allowed between 23:00 and 07:00 hours and a schedule of exceptions to the above be prepared to include ‘mercy flights’, and flights for medical emergencies, coastguard movements etc'.

2) THE INTRODUCTION:

Introducing the motion at Thursday evenings meeting, Labour Leader of the Opposition Cllr Clive Hart said,

"Firstly, and I want to make this absolutely clear, we are not against the airport. We in the Labour Group most sincerely want to see a thriving airport creating good jobs for the people of Thanet.

However, we hear constantly of Thanet being termed as a ‘dumping ground’ in relation to social and economic issues and sadly, statistics show overwhelmingly that poor health standards here in Thanet are far worse than the average for the South East and even the whole country.

On a personal note, I have witnessed at first hand the effect that sleep deprivation can have on an individual. One of our wonderful grandsons has decided that for him, daytime starts anywhere between 3am and 5am and the cumulative effect of this over several months has had a devastating effect on his equally wonderful mother’s health and wellbeing.

Hopefully, that situation is a temporary one. The prospects for many Thanet residents if we are not clear as to what is and what is not reasonable could be permanent misery.

At this evening’s meeting we have heard what happens when there is a lack of ongoing monitoring in relation to grants and again in relation to a lease negotiated in good faith many years ago by this council.

The current section 106 agreement was put in place over a decade ago and has served Thanet very well indeed, but sadly the last two Conservative administrations at TDC have failed to review the agreement every three years as was originally planned, and it is clear from recent reports sponsored by the airport that they now see the 106 as an outdated agreement and will soon be pressing to extend their operations at night.

Chairman, America and Europe are currently experiencing very tough times due to the actions of a few bankers who saw loopholes in regulations and exploited them at all our cost.

We in Thanet suffer disproportionately from almost every social and economic ill. We do not need to add poorly regulated night time flying across our island as a further environmental problem.

The Labour Group therefore believes the council needs to give a clear steer as to what is and what is not environmentally acceptable here in Thanet. We support the airport but not at any environmental cost to the people of Thanet.

Chairman, I move the motion printed at item 8a in the agenda and option 2.2 to debate the motion".

3) THE LEAGAL ADVICE:

However, the TDC Legal Monitoring Officer advised the Chairman that the motion could not be allowed for complex legal reasons and pointed to a letter of advice from Bevan Brittan LLP (dated 14th July - the very day of the meeting) that had been left on councillors seats just minutes before the start of the meeting.

4) THE OUTRAGE

An intense debate on the extremely late legal advice followed in which Labour councillors explained that the motion had been handed in person by Cllr Hart to the Legal Monitoring Officer more than five weeks before the meeting on the 7th June and that the Monitoring Officer had read it and accepted it as a valid motion. A month later the motion had also been accepted onto and clearly printed in the council agenda as item 8a.

During the debate it also became clear that on the evening before Thursday's council meeting (13th July) Cllr Bayford, the Conservative Council Leader, had raised objections to the motion and that as a direct consequence further legal advice had been requested on the very day of the council meeting.

After the meeting Cllr Clive Hart said "TDC had my written motion to council for more than five weeks and the only thing I was aware of during the whole of that period was that it had been accepted onto and printed in the council agenda. The motion was submitted to support the councils own TDC Airport Working Party recommendations that had been 'left off' of the agenda of an Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting in error and the actual wording of the motion simply confirmed the basis of the existing 106 agreement that the Conservative administration had failed to review for the past eight years".

Note:

The night flying motion to council was also directly in line with the 2011 Thanet Labour Manifesto that proved so successful with the public that it helped Thanet Labour to increase its number to twenty six councillors at TDC, just one short of the Conservatives.

With three Independent councillors, May's elections left TDC with no party in overall control.

Published by Thanet Labour Group Press Office, 44 Northdown Road, Margate, Kent, CT9 2RW.

When is a 5 floor HMO not an HMO but a 'fantastic family dwelling'?

2011-07-13T09:56:00.001+01:00

Forgive me for laughing. But seriously.

How many kitchens and bathrooms does one single family dwelling need?

The answer according to the owner, Dr Ali, of the Grade II Listed Georgian townhouse at 45 Hawley Square is 5. A planning application has been submitted for change of use from a Private Members Club to a single dwelling.

The applicant states in their Design Access Statement:

"The current owner of the property...is looking to restore the building to its original purpose. Internally the existing layout requires little alteration to create a fantastic family dwelling."

I'm sure good Margate folk know a HMO (house in multiple occupation) when they see one. We've had enough of them to get rid of for the last firty years. If it looks like an HMO it probably is an HMO. Unless the prospective residents of this house will be so into cooking and bathing that they must have a kitchen and bathroom on very single floor, just in case they need to cook another snack or have a shower.

Photo: © Mr Peter Keeble English Heritage, 2006

The proposal to install this number of kitchens in terms of building regulations will require a degree of fire separation that would require an unacceptable level of modification to a Listed building. It's probable that the owner imagines, that since the Coalition Government scrapped Labour's requirement for HMOs to secure planning permission to convert from a single dwelling, that this would be an easy ride. But you see, ownership of a Listed building comes with red tape and responsabilities. As an owner you often can't make modifications as you choose. This is why Listed buildings really don't make great rental property investments for the bottom end of the market. This of course is dependent on Thanet District Council enforcing the regulations.

If Mr Ali intends to create self contained flats he should apply to do so, which would require extensive fire and sound separation. Perhaps this will not be cost effective compared to the rent he will achieve out of small units on a busy Margate high street. There appears to be no extra refuse storage for 5 units. Conversion works to a listed building are not cheap.

You can view and comment on the application: http://www.ukplanning.com/thanet

Search for applications: L/TH/11/0472, F/TH/11/0417

The Design Access Statement in full

List Entry for 45 Hawley Square

Free! Introduction to digital filmmaking' Workshop & Network Event

2011-07-13T07:09:00.001+01:00

http://www.beepingbush.co.uk/calendar/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=52

Your chance to get into film making - and it's free! Beeping Bush in Margate's Old Town will host a one-day "Introduction to digital filmmaking" workshop and networking drop-in event for all who are interested in how to produce a micro-budget short film or documentary. Through practical "hands on" professional camera, lighting, sound and editing demonstrations; and screening Q&A discussions of previously made local films, participants will learn how to make best use of their own and hired equipment.

Bring along your previously made films (on DVD) for group screening and feedback!

Emma, a previous participant says "It was great fun day, a met a lot of new local filmmakers and I learnt a lot about how to make the most of my budget!"

Another participant Sophia adds "As a student studying Media communication and specialising in film this event was invaluable. I learnt so much in just a short space of time and can only imagine if you guys could have given more of your time. It was a great hands on experience in a beautiful setting."

The event is free but prior booking is advised. The workshop takes place on Saturday 23rd of July from 10.30-4.30pm.

Contact to reserve a place:

Email:

info@beepingbush.co.uk
Phone: 01843 223800

Arlington House protests on BBC news page

2011-07-12T18:40:00.001+01:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-14121501

Hold the front page! Arlington House residents are planning direct action to halt the planned development at Arlington House and Square. The application is being covered on the dedicated Arlington House blog. So pop over there for a read what's going on.

http://arlingtonhousemargate.wordpress.com/

Clive Hart's RESPONSE TO PROCESS FOR EKO EUROKENT PUBLIC 'CONSULTATION'

2011-07-01T17:42:00.001+01:00

In follow up to last week's post on EKO:

Note: The Eurokent site is land between Westwood Cross & the Newington estate on either side of the new main road.

From Cllr Clive Hart - Labour Leader of the Opposition at TDC.

"In recent years we in the Labour Group at Thanet District Council have had reason to voice concern about just who exactly is deciding the direction of the district council. Our feelings, clearly outlined in our 2011 manifesto, are that all too often officers appear to be deciding the direction of TDC rather than councillors who have been democratically elected by local residents.

The East Kent Opportunities Eurokent proposals are yet another point in question. Land clearly designated for employment use by councillors through robust council procedures is simultaneously being promoted by EKO (a joint TDC and KCC venture) for substantial housing development.

We Labour councillors cannot understand how council officers were ever directed to make proposals which go so blatantly against TDC's own established policies. At last weeks public 'consultations' EKO officers promoted plans that go totally against TDC Planning Policy and did so whilst at the same time clearly stating that EKO was 'answerable to councillors'.

None of our 26 member strong Labour Group of councillors have endorsed the EKO housing proposals and I cannot imagine that any of the 3 members of the Independent Group have been involved either. At best, some of the 27 members of the Conservative administration may have had some kind of involvement but in any event they are now clearly a minority of members at TDC.

In short, at a time of austerity and cut-backs, council officers have been allowed to carry out a substantial and extremely costly amount of work on a project that may well not meet the requirements of the full council. Possibly worse still, proper employment opportunities for the site may well have been missed whilst officers have been clearly misdirected in their efforts".

Cllr Clive Hart - 01843 298770 or 07980 652 896.

Published by Thanet Labour Group Press Office, 44 Northdown Road, Margate, Kent, CT9 2RW.

A fresh idea for Enterprise in Thanet

2011-06-27T10:20:00.001+01:00

A fresh look at what an Enterprise Zone could look like in our area. We're situated in a fine coastal region. Do we really need to only believe that job creation means building industrial units on our beautiful landscape? How many jobs have truly been created from projects in the past. Thanet Earth being one that springs to mind.

Thanet has space and opportunity. We could put out a strong message that we will support and nurture entrepreneurship of forward thinking ideas. it's not only possible elsewhere. So while KCC are looking at an Enterprise Zone for Sandwich at the Pfizer site, who about Thanet? Laura Sandys MP is pushing the idea of the Green Isle for example. http://telllaura.org.uk/home.php?page_id=32

http://www.mikesouthon.com/ezine/enterprise-heaven/

"This is my column that will feature in Saturday’s Financial Times, which can be found in the entrepreneurship pages of the Money section. You can also find my columns on the FT web site here: http://www.ft.com/mikesouthon

Enterprise zones in the UK are typically based in depressed urban areas hit by the decline of traditional manufacturing industries, places that most people aspire to finally escape from, one day. However, there is a different model that can potentially deliver even better long-term results.

The city of Kelowna is less than an hour’s flight east of Vancouver in the Central Okanagan region of Canada, an area of outstanding natural beauty next to a 72-mile lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Its fruit-growing industries were declining, so local entrepreneurs shrewdly switched their crops and the area now boasts several award-winning wineries.

The region might have remained a tourist and retirement destination but for local entrepreneurs Lance Priebe and Lane Merrifield who had the idea for Club Penguin, an on-line social network for children. Riding the first wave of Internet adoption, they soon had 3.9M users before being purchased by the Disney Corporation, who still maintain a 350-strong operation in Kelowna.

Once the city’s credentials as a new media hub had been established, the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission resolved to attract more hi-tech businesses. Since 1998, Robert Fine has been Executive Director, which involves constant local networking, the promotion of the area internationally and the essential ability to encourage funding and tax breaks from local and national politicians.

The result is a region that punches considerably above its weight. Entrepreneurs have low-cost access to Accelerate Okanagan, a purpose-built incubator that provides membership, networking and serviced office space, as well as practical training, consultancy and market research services.

Unlike the incubators that emerged in London during the dot-com boom, Accelerate Okanagan is not run by venture capitalists focused on generating deal-flow geared for a quick and lucrative exit. This incubator works more like a social enterprise, providing long-term mentor-focused nurturing on a not-for-profit basis.

Government funding meets the basic running costs of Accelerate Okanagan, but the incubator also has commercial targets, with profits recycled to improve and enhance the various programmes.

Ambitious entrepreneurs always crave worldwide fame and fortune, so Fine and successful technology entrepreneur Steve Wandler launched the Metabridge Conference, now in its third year. This attracted venture capitalists and successful entrepreneurs who made their fortunes in successful hi-tech start-ups such as Google, Facebook and Electronic Arts.

These were the conference VIPs who delivered keynotes, appeared on panel sessions and acted as judges for the pitching competition. The conference numbers were deliberately kept small, with 14 companies pitching to twenty VIPs. This enabled all the aspiring entrepreneurs to have quality networking time with world-class business mentors in the relaxed atmosphere of a golf course or boat trip.

This year, two companies won a two-day facilitated tour of influential companies in Silicon Valley. These were Connection Point, whose product FundRazr is a next-generation fund-raising application, and Xomo, who develop mobile applications for live events, including the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Isle of Wight Festival.

As the winners were chosen by some of the most astute technical and funding experts in North America, their future looks bright as well as for the place where they got their big break.

As the Metabridge entrepreneurs and investors grow their companies, I am sure they will look to Central Okanagan not only for good staff, but also as somewhere they can enjoy the more enhanced and relaxed quality of life they will have earned after their own successful exits.

Perhaps this is a better definition of the perfect enterprise zone; not an industrial urban sprawl that most people aspire to escape from, but instead an attractive location to relocate to, once you have achieved success.

The Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission can be found at http://www.investkelowna.com"

Arlington Update: Margate businesses should demand a reduction in their business rates

2011-06-25T17:32:00.001+01:00

News from the Arlington House Margate blog: Suggesting that Margate businesses could do well to appeal their business rates on the grounds that the authority is recommending approval of the proposed Superstore with a loss of trade of 10% for Margate businesses. it has been successfully achieved in other towns.

Margate is often cited as having the street with the most vacant shops in the country. Is it really acceptable for the local authority to be walking the remaining shops into further decline?

More info:

http://arlingtonhousemargate.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/margate-businesses-should-ask-for-a-reduction-in-business-rates/

Thanet District Council forced to repay hundreds of thousands to European Regional Development Fund

2011-06-24T17:51:00.001+01:00

The Thanet Gazette published an excellent report in to TDC's Governance & Audit Committee's report on the ERDF expenditure between 2000 and 2006. The report was until recently not open to public scrutiny. It is now available to read and download here:

http://tdc-mg-dmz.thanet.gov.uk/published/c00000114/m00002364/ai00010354/$europeanregionaldevelopmentfund.doc.pdf

The Gazette article by Saul Lease reads:

"A report for the Governance and Audit Committee, which monitors how the council spends its money, has been made public for the first time this week. It reveals that between 2000 and 2006 the council received £5,575,715 in government grants, but has since been forced to repay £603,340.

The report also highlights large sums of taxpayers' cash, intended to boost tourism and to spruce up businesses and buildings, which vanished or was misspent and cannot now be recovered.

Tens of thousands of pounds was given to hoteliers to improve their businesses and attract more tourists only for the hotels to close, be demolished or converted into flats.

The extensive list specifically mentions the Thanet Innovation Centre, which shares a site with the Broadstairs campus of Canterbury Christ Church University.

The report says: "This was the council's single biggest reclaim and the partial repayment related to the authority not fulfilling all of the grant conditions and failing to notify the Government of the South East (GOSE) of changes in the management approach following the original grant letter, that were considered substantial changes by GOSE".

The reports says that instead of filling the business centre with innovative companies, it used space for companies that "are not innovative start-up businesses" and its own staff. The report also said the council had not maintained records of jobs created by the grant.

A business owner inside the centre said: "The council could have spent that money on improving the centre which would attract new businesses in.

"There is no air conditioning and it gets hot in here in the summer. The carpets are shabby, the parking here is poor and visitors sometimes have to park over the road, which is not good at all for business. This building is 10 years old and it needs updating. What a waste of money."

Vice chairman of the Governance and Audit Committee, Councillor Peter Campbell, vowed to get to the bottom of how the money was so badly mismanaged at a meeting later this month.

He said: "This information has been unavailable to the public for a long time. I want to know why this money has been returned when it could have been put to good use"

The report says that since the audit which uncovered the blunders, the council has changed its procedures and employed someone to oversee the process of grant management.

A spokesman said that many of the officers who would have been involved in running the grants programmes had since left the council.

Mr Campbell added: "I want to know what happened to this money. My assumption is that the money repaid to the European Development Fund came from Thanet council's general fund and ultimately the taxpayer."

A council spokesman said: "This is an issue from a number of years ago and when the problem emerged, the council dealt with it. An action plan was put in place as far back as 2008 with measures introduced to ensure that a similar situation will not arise again. We have had an External Funding Protocol in place since 2009 and a dedicated External Funding Officer ensures this is adhered to.

"There were many issues regarding monitoring of ERDF grants throughout the whole of the country.

"In some areas, much higher levels of funding were clawed back, even leading to a suspension of the programme. We have never had that situation in Thanet. We worked with the Government Office for the South East (GOSE), came to an agreement about how to go forward and this was implemented."

Points in the report:

1.0 Introduction

1.1 The Council had grants approved of £5,575,715 through the 2000-2006 ERDF programme, for which, The Government Office for the South East (GOSE) was the accountable body.

1.2 The purpose of this report is to summarise the amounts awarded, received and repaid in relation to all projects and the reasons behind these reclaims, where made and action taken to reclaim them.

2.2 The table above demonstrates that of the total funding received (£5,035,463), 12% of funding had to be repaid to GOSE (£603,341), the details of these reclaims are set out below.

3.0 ERDF Reclaims

3.1 Project 002/036 – Encouraging Social Inclusion – Main/Trans - £1,806 + £1,093

3.2 Following an Article 10 audit of both projects by GOSE, some expenditure claimed through the project for salaries could not be evidenced and as such the grant in relation to this expenditure had to be repaid to GOSE.

3.3 Project 006/028 – Business Networks and Cross Working – Main/Trans £17,443 + £20,159

3.4 These projects related to grant payments, however the sums made ineligible by the audit related to match funding that was originally added to the claim by the claim preparer, so the authority was able to claim back 100% of the grants paid out. There was no evidence on file of where the match was meant to come from and so could not be subsequently evidenced.

3.5 Project 011 – Thanet Museum Strategy - £63,702

3.6 The authority had claimed £63,702.48 in grants paid out to 2 museums, however the authority could not evidence what the museums had spent the funds on, despite attempts to contact the museums in question.

3.7 The authority sought to reclaim the grants from the museums, but between the time of the grant being paid out and the time of the audit, both museums had closed and the owner of one had passed away, meaning the authority was unable to reclaim the grants.

3.8 Project 015/158 – Thanet Tourism Grant Scheme Phase 3 & 4- £52,960 + £81,890

3.9 Both phases of the scheme faced issues when audited and there were three main reasons for grant repayment, these were:

• The hotel had been converted into apartments within 5 years of the grant being paid;

• The hotel was never eligible for a grant, as the grant was approved retrospectively or was for work to restaurants or other facilities that were not allowed under the scheme;• The hotel closed within 5 years of the grant being awarded. 3.10 The Council managed to reclaim £10,000 of the total repayment of £134,850 on

the scheme.

3.11 Where the hotels were never eligible for the grant, payment was made to the hotels in error and so a reclaim could not be undertaken.

3.12 Despite the Council pursuing other grant recipients, many of the owners were no longer traceable, because the hotels had been demolished / closed or the companies that the grant had been paid to, had ceased trading.

3.13 Project 016 – Margate Harbour & Turner Centre - £22,635

3.14 Some expenditure, which attracted grant of £22,635 was identified as ineligible by an audit and was subsequently repaid to GOSE.

3.15 Projects 031/033 – Organisational Development Grants Main/Trans - £16,237 & £42,363

3.16 Both projects had an Article 10 audit by GOSE and as a result it was identified that most organisations that had been paid grant, did not provide the authority with any evidence to support what the grant had been used for.

3.17 The authority subsequently wrote to all grant recipients and obtained a large amount of information which helped secure some of the grant. However, as the audit was not until 5 years after the grants had been paid out, a few of the organisations had ceased trading, some were un-contactable, some had passed away and some did not respond, leaving the authority with an incomplete audit trail.

3.18 The grant offer letter with each grant recipient stated that they were only required to maintain records for 5 years from grant award, though the authority is still required by GOSE to have access to records until 2014.

3.19 The External Funding Officer identified £12,935 of grants that were still within the 5 years and should be sought for reclaim, however the legal department have confirmed that as the second payment was made to these grant recipients confirming that the authority was satisfied with the project progress and evidence at the time, that it is not possible to progress a reclaim against these recipients.

3.20 Project 034 – Marketing and Communications - £9,924

3.21 The reclaim on this project related to expenditure that the authority had tried to claim twice, which was identified through an audit at a later date.

3.22 Project 037 – Thanet Innovation Centre - £250,000

3.23 This was the Council’s single biggest reclaim and the partial repayment related to the authority not fulfilling all of the grant conditions and failing to notify GOSE of changes in the management approach following the original grant offer letter, that were considered substantial changes by GOSE. The authority has since agreed with GOSE some key changes in the management of the centre in order to overcome further reclaim.

3.24 The partial grant repayment specifically related to the authority running the facility (for VAT reasons) instead of the management being vested in a specialist Board - which resulted in a lower level of business networking than had been envisaged in the grant offer, that TDC had too large a percentage of tenants in the centre that were not innovative start up businesses and that the authority had not maintained fully detailed records of the jobs created and their longevity (including after tenants had moved out of the centre).

3.25 Project 085 – Stimulating Innovation and Entrepreneurship - £1,797

3.26 The reclaim related to ineligible accommodation costs that were claimed through the project, that were subsequently identified by audit.

3.27 Project 451 – Delivering Margate’s Creative Quarter - £21,331

3.28 This was the last project running through the 2000-2006 programme and finished on 31st December 2008. Unfortunately some of the expenditure claimed related to an invoice that covered a period after the project end date and the rest related to a grant offered at a rate of 45% of total spend, to a grant recipient, however the authority could not reclaim any grant, due to an error on the grant offer letter to the individual company, which stated 31st March 2009 as the end date for the project.

3.29 The authority did manage to attract additional grant from KCC due to invoices provided to them to assist in match funding their own ERDF project. The funds from this meant that TDC could repay the grant without any adverse impact on its own budgets.

3.30 Under this scheme, a grant of £68,750 was paid towards refurbishment works of 16 Marine Drive and 42 High Street. Works started in 2008 but the scheme has not been completed due to the withdrawal of the developer’s private sector funding. Action has commenced to recover the grant monies and GOSE has agreed that should any funds be recovered, that these could be recycled to support works that meet the original objectives of the programme.

4.0 The Way Forward

4.1 Following the lessons learnt through the old ERDF programme, the authority has now implemented the External Funding Protocol and has a dedicated External Funding Officer.

4.2 The External Funding Protocol came into force on 13 November 2009, this stated that all external funding bids had to be reviewed through correct channels prior to bidding of funds to ensure that:

• • •

Finance were aware of the grant; That terms and conditions in relation to the grant could be adhered to; That the grant met corporate priorities.

4.3 As a result the External Funding Protocol requires that all external funding bids are examined by the External Funding Officer, who scrutinises the funding stream and requirements, prior to being considered by CMT for approval.

4.4 Should there be tight deadlines on submitting an application for funding, the Section 151 Officer has delegated authority to approve the funding and CMT are required to retrospectively approve the funding bid.

4.5 Some of the ERDF reclaims were due to poor audit trails maintained either centrally or by the individual departments, as a result, electronic records are now being maintained in line with the protocol, to ensure that large scale repayments due to a lack of audit trail, no longer occur and that all paperwork relating to claims or funding sources are routed through the External Funding Officer as a central point of contact.

4.6 Recommendations

4.7 That Governance & Audit Committee note the report contents on ERDF repayments;

4.8 And that the Committee note the progress made by the authority regarding systems implemented to avoid future grant reclaims.

Clive Hart's Shadow Update

2011-06-24T10:36:00.001+01:00

23/06/2011

INTRODUCTION

Cllr Clive Hart - Labour Leader of the Opposition at TDC.

"This was the first TDC Cabinet Meeting held using the new Conservative 'themed' portfolio areas.

See: http://thanetlab.blogspot.com/2011/06/4-ps-and-ss.html

Thursday's meeting was a relatively short affair, mainly dealing legal matters, data protection and TDC properties.

Item 6, a report on a Homes and Communities bid was withdrawn and the press and public were excluded for item 10, regarding the Coach House, Northdown Park.

As always, Labour Shadow Cabinet members were in attendance and the following matters were raised by them".

Cllr Clive Hart - 01843 298770.

ITEM 5 - CONFIRMATION OF ARTICLE 4 DIRECTION.

Cllr Clive Hart - Shadow Spokesperson for 'Prosperity' portfolio.

"Thank you to Simon Thomas for this report.

The very first paragraph (1.1) sums up the situation correctly 'Until 1st October 2010 planning permission was required for change of use of a building including a dwelling house to an HMO. On 1st October 2010 the government introduced new legislation. Now planning permission is NOT required for the change of use of a dwelling house to an HMO for up to 6 people'.

This goes directly against the work and wishes of several departments of this council who are constantly frustrated by such changes.

At the December 2010 meeting of Thanet District Council, the previous - and then larger - Conservative administration were forced to delay implementing regulations controlling Houses of Multiple Occupation for a whole year, due to changes introduced by the coalition government.

Indeed, at that very meeting, I pointed out that the TDC administration had been forced to respond to yet another retrograde and knee-jerk change in legislation brought in by the coalition government. In October 2010 they had rushed through changes that actually made it easier to create HMO's, without thinking things through and consequently seaside authorities such as Thanet now had to play all kinds of legal games to cover themselves. I explained that the second rate option forced on us, left us with an unnecessary 12 month loophole for developers to exploit.

In summary, in October 2010, through its rushed and ill thought out policy, the coalition government forced us at TDC to delay implementing regulations controlling Houses of Multiple Occupation. At full council in December 2010 we were therefore forced to agree a second rate option providing developers with a twelve month loophole. Now, we learn from the report before us that the Article 4 Direction was not made until February 2011 and that Cabinet are being asked to 'confirm' it here today.

Can I please ask on exactly what date the Article 4 Direction WILL finally come into force"?

Answer - February 4th 2012.

[Ed. This is really worrying! No requirement for conversion to HMO!]

ITEM 7 - DATA PROTECTION ACT (1988).

Cllr Iris Johnston - Shadow Spokesperson for 'People' portfolio.

"Thank you Mr Cordes for this comprehensive report and for addressing the Final Audit Report Statement from August 2010 which provided TDC with a 'limited assurance with regards compliance to the requirements of the DPA 1998 generally'. I feel it's very important that not just staff but all members have training to ensure none of us breach the act even inadvertently. We also need to know when we have to register constituency work with the Information Commissioner as highlighted on page 24.

I recently had a matter drawn to my attention of an MP using email addresses gleaned through constituency work to promote his political party in the run up to the May elections. The three residents were furious and we as Councillors should know that we should not do this either.

I have written to Mr Cameron and the Speaker of the House and discussed this with Mr Patterson. I have had no response from either the MP himself or the House of Commons. I find such use unacceptable. How would one report such breaches"?

Cllr Iris Johnston - 01843 299207.

ITEM 8 - ST JOHN'S LODGE, ST JOHN'S CEMETARY, MARGATE.

Cllr Clive Hart - Shadow Spokesperson for 'Prosperity' portfolio.

"Thank you to Mark Seed for this report.

At first sight, using the building concerned for stone masonry would seem to be a very good solution.

However, the cemetery is a place of quiet and I would like to ask what environmental controls regarding noise and dust issues would be put in place to protect this 'very special' local environment"?

Answer - It was hoped the building would be used for an office for the stone mason.

What do they want? More of our money and permission to build houses on agricultural land? EKO you have us confused

2011-06-23T17:45:00.001+01:00

Margate! You have until 8pm today to pop into the Media Centre in King Street, Margate Old Town to tell EKO what you think!

I have to admit to being slightly confused sometimes.

Why would we, the public, repeatedly give money to a risky business venture in order to create jobs and sustain employment by the creation of a business park on grade I agricultural land and to be told, only a few months ago, what a great success it was. And then, the next minute, be told that most of the site is vacant, not doing too well and now they want permission to build houses on it.

East Kent Opportunities (EKO) is a joint venture between KCC and TDC. The idea was to transform agricultural land near Westwood Cross into a business park, The Euro Kent Business Park, to create valuable jobs for the area. The site is located in the empty fields you might have looked at while stuck in a traffic jam navigating the roads around Westwood Cross. There seems to be a crisis of identity for EKO which has continuously come back to beg for more hand outs from the public purse.

As you can read on the Cabinet report from the 17th of June 2010:

"The purpose of this joint project with SEEDA is to create jobs in Thanet by providing the type of employment space currently under-represented in the District. The District, including the Council’s own employment units, did not previously include modern service sector accommodation or sufficient ‘starter’ employment units. The 3 current tenants comprise a new branch of a nationwide business, a business previously located in premises outside the District and a local business which has expanded rapidly. This pattern is repeated for the other units currently being pursued by prospective tenants, so it is clear that this development is fulfilling a need in the District.

4.3.1 The development of Eurokent Business Park fits with Theme 1 (Thanet’s Economy) of the Corporate Plan together with Sub-theme 1.3 (Available Employment Opportunities). The purpose of the development is to create high quality office and industrial units to generate additional / support existing employment in the District."

TDC then issued a press release in March this year proclaiming a Eurokent a great success:

"A new business park in Ramsgate, that was developed to create job opportunities in Thanet, is already 60% leased or under offer, less than a year after the first companies moved in. The Eurokent Business Park along New Haine Road is a joint project with the South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) to help create jobs in Thanet by providing new employment space, not previously available in the district. The land for the project was donated by Thanet District Council, with SEEDA contributing £4.4m for the construction of the buildings and fit-outs of the industrial units. The project also attracted a further £1.3m European Regional Development Funding through SEEDA."

Yet, reading EKO's own website, they say:

"The Eurokent site is allocated under Thanet District Council’s Local Plan for business and industrial purposes but is mostly vacant. Some of those businesses still located on the site fall within a B1 use class (offices or light industries), including the SEEDA Innovation Centre, Marlowe Academy and SAGA Call Centre."

And will there be affordable housing?

"Yes, affordable housing forms an important part of the proposal and it is anticipated that 155 (approximately 30%) of the housing will be affordable. These will be a mix of high quality family homes and apartments."

How was the project funded?
£4.4m was given by SEEDA (South East of England Development Agency) for the construction of the buildings.TDC gave the land and £1.3m came from the European Regional Development Fund. A substantial amount came from from bank loans.

In essence, the Council set up up a property development and speculation company. EKO has periodically come back to TDC to ask for more money to cover the bank interest on the loans. Repayment of these bank loans has been draining TDC finances. EKO now wants to build 550 new houses on this land.

You might not have heard about it, but they are running public consultations for you to share what you think about the idea of building a load of new homes on agricultural land in a low employment area.
Here are the details on the consultations in your area:

http://www.eurokent.org/pages/consultation.html

MargateThursday 23 June 2pm – 8pm
Margate Media Centre
11-13 King Street,
CT9 1DA

That's today folks! Open until 8pm tonight. Pop in and tell them what you think.

RamsgateFriday 24 June 9am – 5pm
Street Market
Ramsgate Town Centre
CT11 9AG

Westwood CrossSaturday 25 June 10am – 2pm
Main entrance
Westwood Cross Shopping Centre
Margate Road
CT10 2BF

But if you can't make it along to meet the EKO people in person, fear not! You can send them your views directly. Either fill out the form on their website here.

Or send them directly to:

Eurokent Consultation Kent Innovation Centre 
Thanet Reach Business Park 
Millennium Way
Broadstairs
Kent
CT10 2QQ
tel 01843 609 332
info@eurokent.org

So it is no longer about creating jobs, but creating houses on what was Grade I agricultural land?
More housing means more people in Thanet (there are 880 empty dwellings in Cliftonville and Margate centre).
So, to protect EKO's investment, we actually raise the unemployment levels in Thanet.
If you don't see that as a problem, think about the traffic at Westwood Cross on a Saturday or Sunday and imagine what it will be like if these 550 houses are built, in addition to the 1000 that already have planning permission on the other side of the road.

Edited to add: Posts with more info

http://thanetstrife.blogspot.com/2010/01/lies-about-eurokent-continue.html

http://thanetonline.blogspot.com/2011/06/eurokent-business-park-public.html

The once-secret KCC funding bid for Manston Airport

2011-06-16T13:00:00.001+01:00

From the No-Night Flights Campaigners:

http://www.hernebaymatters.com/nonightflights-blog/a-closer-look-at-that-bid.html

"Freedom of Information - Kent County Council put in a bid for £10.8m of public money from the Regional Growth Fund. When asked for information about the bid, they refused to release any details. Now they have been forced to release most (but not all) of the details, and it makes for very interesting reading...

A closer look at that bid

On closer examination, this bid is actually a damning indictment of the business proposal it's supposed to be supporting. Infratil have so little faith in this new venture that they won't stump up the necessary £½m+ to persuade an airline to risk it. They won't even pay their own staff! The anonymous airline will only play ball if someone else (Infratil) bankrolls the risk, and Infratil will only foot the bill with someone else's (our) money. The closer you look, the more it becomes obvious that this is already a commercial basket-case...

It won't have escaped your notice that Manston airport cynically dangles the prospect of massive local employment in front of Thanet councillors, in the hope of hypnotising them into compliance.
We've all seen the numbers they've been coming out with in the local press.

Now you can see the numbers they presented to the Government funding body. They're different, VERY different, and not in a good way.

From Kent Online http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2011-1/june/15/row_sparks_over_call_for_600k.aspx

Manston's failed bids for public cash

Manston has twice before had public money invested in airline ventures which both failed.

In 2005, KCC ploughed £100,000 into a service operated by EUJet, which went into administration and then in 2007, KCC then spent nearly £300,000 in 2007 in an unsuccessful venture to run weekly charter flights from Manston to Virginia in the USA.

As part of its bid totalling £10.8m, the government was asked to support a request for £7.7m to build the Thanet Parkway station and £2m to improve journey times between Ramsgate and London.

Consultants, commissioned by KCC, to examine the impact of the new service, said just 23 jobs would be created at the airport, with a further estimated 133 indirect jobs over eight years across east Kent."

So, do we in Margate really want a station at Parkway in the middle of nowhere?

Is it possible we would lose trains direct to Margate and we'd have to get a shuttle bus from Manston to Margate?

New Kid on the Blog: Margate CAAG launches blog with vision for Arlington

2011-06-08T10:51:00.001+01:00

http://margatecaag.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/a-plan-for-arlington/

In the news: A Fairy Tale of Corruption in Margate (Allegedly)

2011-05-27T09:06:00.002+01:00

Blog post from BB1's Nick Bateman for Kent online:

http://blogs.kentonline.co.uk/post/A-Fairy-Tale-of-Corruption-in-Margate-(Allegedly).aspx

"Many years ago in fact as far back as 1264 there was a town called Meregate, which later became known as Margate. Steeped in maritime history it also became a very popular holiday resort for both rich and poor.

Inventions such as the bathing machine a contraption that was wheeled out to sea for both men and women to change into their costumes, made the experience of swimming ‘proper’ and drew more and more holidaymakers.

Margate was on the rise and both the famous and not so famous made a beeline for the stunning beaches, warm sunshine and good old Kentish beer. Songs and poems and films were made about Margate and families enjoyed each other’s company. Life was good for Margate. Well, if we ignore the mods and rockers having a pop at each other in the 1960s…

But in a cruel twist of fate Margate fell out of vogue. Gone were the wealthy tourists, and instead, Margate became home to desperadoes’, and many economic migrants, as well as many disenchanted Londoners sent to Margate by the various councils of London to enjoy the town and live free. Well almost.

The Victorian pier was largely decimated by a storm in 1978, mysterious fires destroyed buildings, unemployment started to climb and property prices headed south. The UK was in financial turmoil in the 1980s, and Margate began to suffer more than most. One newspaper called Margate ‘Britain’s Top Ghost Town’ and they didn’t mean of the spooky kind.

But hey presto, a glimmer of hope was there in the Noughties. But some evil landowners, it was said, decided to offer ‘incentives’ or might have been ‘bribes’ to some land and estate agents and not to pass on offers from buyers to sellers. It was so they could buy them on the cheap! Boo I hear you say, and you would be right. Allegedly.

Huge government grants became available and suddenly the money was gone and some evil people might have trousered the lot. Allegedly.

Humble shopkeepers were asked for more rent and when they could not pay, they were chased to the end of the globe for the funds. Allegedly.

A huge gallery then appeared in 2011 with much acclaim, and with the gallery came the crowds. Many coming down to Margate yet again in mechanically propelled vehicles, as well as something called HS1.

With the crowds came the sunshine, but beneath Margate’s rebirth, a few of those who felt wronged and a few with morals decided to start to expose those people, which they thought were responsible. Their aim is to make Margate the great place it deserves to be, without the alleged corruption. Like all good stories, there is bound to be a happy ending…"

Dalby Square, Cliftonville awarded £1.89m THI funding

2011-05-26T19:56:00.001+01:00

Lagging behind here on MA. But in an attempt to catch up, felt we should attempt to catch up. Everyone will by now have the news that Dalby Square, Cliftonville has been awarded £1.89m THI money. We reported way back in July 2010 about Nick Dermott's scheme. That was probably more inspiring than the TDC press release. We wish the Dalby Square project every success and look forward to an update.

NEWS RELEASE

LOTTERY CASH FOR HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN CLIFTONVILLE

Nearly £2 million of lottery funding is coming into Thanet to help improve historic buildings in one part of Cliftonville.

A “first round pass” from the Heritage Lottery Fund, giving the green light for a £1.89m* Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) award, includes £35,100 in development funding so that Thanet District Council can work up the application.

The money will be used for works to the Dalby Square Conservation Area in Cliftonville, Margate, including Dalby and Arthur Roads. The area dates from the mid-19th century and formed part of the wider expansion of Margate through the development of Cliftonville. Cliftonville was a highly exclusive resort from the 1870s until the First World War and remained a popular one until the 1970s.

HLF’s investment comes through its Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI)** programme which fosters effective partnerships between local organisations enabling repairs and other essential works in historic but often run-down areas bringing high streets back to life. The funding, integral to wider conservation and regeneration strategies, also aims to help provide employment opportunities, volunteer training and heritage days to help actively involve local residents projects in their area.

Stuart McLeod, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the South East, said: “City and town centres form a large part of our urban landscape and are the backdrop to millions of people’s daily lives. We’re determined to help regenerate areas that are currently struggling and in need of additional encouragement and an injection of much-needed cash. The Heritage Lottery Fund set up its THI programme to help exactly the sort of local projects like this one in Margate.”

The project will reinstate many lost historical features such as chimneys, parapets and roof coverings. It will also focus on energy conservation issues and, by bringing empty floor space back into use, strive to re-instate some of the high quality hotels that once lined the square. Local people will have the chance to get actively involved and engage with the project through a range of events and activities relating to the town's history

Thanet has already had two successful THI schemes. The first ran from 2003 until 2008 in Margate Old Town and the second, which focuses on Ramsgate Waterfront, is still running. The THI programme aims to promote and financially assist the conservation, regeneration and enhancement of historic buildings in particular areas which have high historic value. The new scheme in Cliftonville will also look at improvements to public areas, providing high quality hotel accommodation and making properties more energy efficient.

In Margate Old Town, over 25 buildings were brought back into use, some after many years of neglect and dereliction. In addition, many more buildings were repaired or had architectural features restored. The Ramsgate THI scheme, which still has eighteen months to run, has to date offered 52 grants and work has been completed to 25 buildings. It is expected that by the end of the scheme, the full budget of £1.5m will be spent.

Heritage Development Advisor, Nick Dermott, said: “Thanet is fortunate in being incredibly rich in historic buildings and environments and the Dalby Square area in Cliftonville is a fine example of this. THI schemes in Margate and Ramsgate have already made a real difference, bringing many properties, that were previously derelict, back into use and helping to significantly improve the appearance and economic viability of the area. This award from the Heritage Lottery Fund will allow us to do the same in Dalby Square and I’m sure it’s something that everyone in the area will warmly welcome. We appreciate the Lottery’s strong and continuing support for the Thanet District.”

Thanet District Council has up to a year to secure match funding for the scheme and to agree details with the Heritage Lottery Fund.

ENDS

Further Information:

For the HLF Press Office please contact Vicky Wilford, 020 7591 6046 / 07973 401937, email vickyw@hlf.org.uk

For Conservation Areas at Risk please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/heritage-at-risk/conservation-areas-at-risk/.

Notes to editors:

*A Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) earmarked first-round pass means that money has been set aside by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the scheme in question. Competition at this stage is tough, and while it does not guarantee funding, it is an indication of positive support. The applicants can then progress to the second round and submit a further, fully-developed application to secure the full award. This early level of strong financial commitment means that THIs can build strong partnerships with the assurance that funding for their scheme is in place provided their final proposals fully meet the programme criteria.

**HLF’s Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) encourages partnerships of local organisations to carry out repairs and other works to a number of historic buildings, structures or spaces. Grants range from £500,000 to £2m. To date, HLF has invested over £200m regenerating towns that have suffered serious social and economic decline.

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 30,000 projects allocating £4.5billion across the UK including more than £319million in the West Midlands alone. Website: www.hlf.org.uk
Cheryl Pendry
Press and Media Manager
Thanet District Council
www.thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577 034
Fax: 01843 295 343

Groundwork project with Marks and Spencer Plan A at Park Place, Margate

2011-05-20T20:21:00.001+01:00

Groundwork Kent & Medway have organised a meeting to discuss the development of Park Place. This is the small triangle of green space at the side of the very busy road next to the firestation.

The meeting will take place on Monday 23rd May, 6.30pm at St John's Community Centre.

The Marks & Spencer is funding the project through it's environmental project, Plan A.

They have a section on the Plan A website for Park Place:

http://plana.marksandspencer.com/about/partnerships/groundwork/gallery/ParkPlace

This is part of a national gallery of projects. You can upload pictures of the site to their website. Or directly to their Flickr Group with the tag ParkPlace:

Here's their picture of Park Place:

Do you think this site is a good site in the whole of Margate for this funding?

We believe funding for Park Place is thought to be £30k. The idea is a 'sensory garden with mosaics'.

If you would like to know how to create a sensory garden at the side of a busy road, do go along to the meeting. Also to find out how the £30k budget is to be spent.

Previously, the Park Place site (13 Park Place) had a number of planning applications from Thanet District Council to build a house on it.

F/TH/10/0977

F/TH/10/0557

Where is Park Place?

Google Map:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/mm?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=51.3836,1.382824&spn=0.00159,0.003449&t=h&z=18

I think the M&S Project is the upper triangle not both. But await further confirmation.

More info on the meeting from Groundwork Kent & Medway.

-----Original Message-----

From: Joanne Ursell
Subject: Community Green Space - Park Place

Dear All,

I understand that most of you came to a steering group committee meeting for the above project, led by Groundwork Kent & Medway via funding we have obtained from Marks & Spencers carrier bag scheme to improve people's local green spaces.

I wanted to invite you along to another meeting on Monday 23rd June at 6.30pm. There will be an update on whats happening and we are hoping to discuss an 'open day' community engagement event where we'd like to have an ideas tree for people to add their views/ideas, along with various stalls and activities to encourage people in the local area to meet up and talk to each other. Its also hoped that we can recruit some more volunteers.

I am hopeful that you will already have received a flyer about the event and/or someone from the local Groundwork team will have spoken to you about the meeting already. There will be refreshments provided and the meeting should be fairly short - we just wanted to 'pick your brains' about how you think the event should run and what would get more people involved.

I hope you can make it and look forward to meeting up.

Best wishes,

Jo Ursell

Joanne Ursell
Community Development Officer

Groundwork Kent & Medway
Marine Studios, 17 Albert Terrace, Margate, Kent. CT9 1UJ
Office Telephone: 01843 294 463

www.groundwork-km.org.uk

Unite Union protests for fairer worker conditions at Thanet Earth

2011-05-12T13:58:00.000+01:00

VIP ARLINGTON TESCO PLANNING **PUBLIC HEARING TDC May 25th 7pm

2011-05-11T23:51:00.000+01:00

We have received notification from the Arlington House Residents' Assocation that the council hearing for the current planning application will take place May 25th.

The formal deadline for objections to be submitted to TDC planning is tomorrow Thursday 12th May.

PLEASE NOTE YOUR DIARIES AND ATTEND THE MEETING AT THE COUNCIL OFFICES

IN CECIL SQUARE, MARGATE.

THE TESCO STORE WILL BE 7,677 SQ. MTRS. (A SIMILAR SIZE TO THE ASDA
STORE AT WESTWOOD ROAD, BROADSTAIRS) AND WILL OPERATE ON A 24 HOUR
BASIS -7 DAYS A WEEK.

FRESHWATER PREDICT 17,000 CAR MOVEMENTS IN AND OUT OF THE CAR PARK
FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ALONE.

IF THE APPLICATION IS APPROVED, THE EXISTING CAR PARK WILL BE
DEMOLISHED AND THE RESIDENTS' CAR PARKING WILL BE REDUCED TO 64
SPACES.

A CHARGE WILL BE IMPOSED OF £300 PLUS VAT (TOTAL £360) PER SPACE
(ONLY ONE SPACE AVAILABLE TO THE LEASEHOLDER OF EACH FLAT) FOR THE
FIRST YEAR. THERE WILL ONLY BE FOUR DISABLED SPACES AND EVEN THOSE
WILL BE CHARGEABLE. FRESHWATER WILL UNDOUBTEDLY INCREASE THE CHARGE
EACH YEAR.

TESCO IS NOT PAYING FOR THE EXTERIOR OF ARLINGTON HOUSE - EACH
LEASEHOLDER WILL FACE A MINIMUM BILL OF £3,500 FOR EXTERNAL
REFURBISHMENT OF ARLINGTON HOUSE.

IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY SUBMITTED YOUR VIEWS ON THE PLANNING
APPLICATION TO THE COUNCIL - YOU MUST DO SO BY TOMORROW (12TH MAY).

Thankyou

Valerie Kirschner

Secretary

Arlington House Residents' Association

Margate

vakinuk@hotmail.com

________________________________
From: rongreene148@msn.com
Subject: * * * IMPORTANT * * * ARLINGTON PLANNING * * *
Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 18:32:36 +0100

DEAR ALL

I HAVE JUST DISCOVERED THAT THE ARLINGTON PLANNING APPLICATION IS TO
BE HEARD BY THE COUNCIL ON 25 MAY AT 7PM. PLEASE NOTE YOUR DIARIES
AND ATTEND THE MEETING AT THE COUNCIL OFFICES IN CECIL SQUARE MARGATE.

IF THE APPLICATION IS APPROVED, OUR CAR PARK FOR 85 CARS WILL BE
DEMOLISHED AND THE RESIDENTS CAR PARKING WILL BE REDUCED TO 64 SPACES.
A CHARGE WILL BE IMPOSED OF £300 PLUS VAT (TOTAL £360) PER SPACE
(ONLY ONE SPACE AVAILABLE TO THE LEASEHOLDER OF EACH FLAT) FOR THE
FIRST YEAR. THERE WILL ONLY BE FOUR DISABLED SPACES AND EVEN THOSE
WILL BE CHARGEABLE. FRESHWATER WILL UNDOUBTEDLY INCREASE THE CHARGE
EACH YEAR.

EACH LEASEHOLDER WILL FACE A BILL OF £3,500 FOR EXTERNAL REFURBISHMENT
OF ARLINGTON HOUSE (FOR WHICH THERE IS NO LONGER A DEFERRED PAYMENT
SCHEME).

THE ADJACENT TESCO STORE WILL BE 7,677 SQ. MTRS. (A SIMILAR SIZE TO
THE ASDA STORE AT WESTWOOD ROAD, BROADSTAIRS) AND WILL OPERATE ON A 24
HOUR BASIS. FRESHWATERS PREDICT 17,000 CAR MOVEMENTS IN AND OUT OF
THE CAR PARK FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ALONE.

IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY SUBMITTED YOUR VIEWS ON THE PLANNING
APPLICATION TO THE COUNCIL - YOU MUST DO SO BY TOMORROW (12TH MAY).

WE HAVE ARRANGED A MEETING WITH WARD COUNCILLOR IRIS JOHNSTON FOR 9AM
THIS SATURDAY MORNING (14TH MAY) IN THE GROUND FLOOR LOBBY AT
ARLINGTON HOUSE.

THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST CHANCE TO VOICE YOUR OPINIONS, CONCERNS AND
QUESTIONS IN RESPECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT, LOSS OF OUR FREE CAR PARK AND
ANY OTHER ISSUES AFFECTING ARLINGTON HOUSE BEFORE THE APPLICATION IS
DECIDED BY THE COUNCIL.

Regards

Ron Greene

47 Hawley Square burning

2011-04-28T17:47:00.001+01:00

Unfortunately, we've had another historic building in flames again. 47 Hawley Square went up in flames for the second time. It stubbornly hasn't burnt down yet.

The next door burnt out shell of the ex-Conservative Club at 49-50 is standing still with no roof covering, open to the elements for the last 3 years. Compulsory Purchase Order papers have been drawn up since last year and, yet, somehow stalled at the top awaiting final sign off. But this is a Grade II listed building. The authorities do have powers to enforce their repair. They have a chance to put a message out to low life developers that if you attack the town's historic fabric you will not make a profit and you will be punished. Sadly, given the number of fires we still have in our Georgian buildings, this isn't happening. How sad, that in this day and age, that Georgian buildings are preyed upon by those who wish to destroy them.

Shop: The Seventh Magpie, Margate Old Town

2011-04-22T18:26:00.001+01:00

Popped into The Seventh Magpie at lunchtime. It's nestled inside an original Georgian shop on Duke Street, the road that leads from The Old Town back to the Parade and The Harbour. It's become a really lovely shop with cabinets of customised treasures glinting in the cool shade of the shop. Also famed for brilliant shop window displays. A range of jewellery caught my eye, fashioned from watches and time pieces. It's one of a growing number of creative shops in Margate, who have carved out their own niche.

They have a Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Seventh-Magpie/106613979402195

In the press: Margate and its new Turner Contemporary art centre

2011-04-11T18:19:00.001+01:00

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/artsandculture/8435890/Margate-and-its-new-Turner-Contemporary-art-centre.html

"As the Turner Contemporary art centre opens in Margate this week, Joanne O'Connor finds an 'imperfect' seaside resort – but one that has much to love.
The sun is shining on Margate's Harbour Arm. At the end of the stone pier the BeBeached Café is doing a brisk trade, serving its signature brunch of baked eggs, spinach and mushrooms. Outside, young coffee-sipping customers sit in deckchairs, basking in the unexpected warmth of the early spring sunshine.

Across the water, the morning sea mists drift along the beach, drawing a discreet veil over the arcades, kebab shops and skeletal remains of the Dreamland amusement park, which disappears in the vapour like the ghost of summers past. A couple of hundred metres to the left of this spectre, perched jauntily on the harbour, looking out to sea, is an angular, glass-clad building. This, if all the hype is to be believed, is the shape of Margate's future.

Turner Contemporary is an ambitious arts centre which, it is hoped, will do for the Kent seaside town's fortunes what the Tate did for St Ives in Cornwall and the Guggenheim for Bilbao. For a building that carries such a weight of expectations, it seems remarkably low-key, functional even. "It looks like a fish processing plant," said one local shopkeeper. Businesslike it may be, but I like the way the opaque façade reflects the sky and helps to merge the building with its watery surroundings.

The gallery will be opened by Margate's most famous daughter, Tracey Emin, on April 16, but I was given a preview as the first artworks were being installed. Inside, the lofty reception area makes the most of the sea views while in the galleries, skylights and high windows filter in the northern light.

These are the same views, the same light that so captivated J M W Turner – the gallery is built on the exact site of the guesthouse where the artist used to stay on his regular visits to Margate. Some of Turner's most famous works were inspired by Thanet – the coastal area which comprises Margate and the neighbouring resorts of Broadstairs and Ramsgate – but only one of his paintings will be on show in the opening exhibition, which is a collection of contemporary works very loosely inspired by the artist.

From the gallery I walked into the Old Town, an attractive area of narrow cobbled streets behind the harbour. When I last visited Margate six years ago this area was down-at-heel and deserted, with many boarded-up shop windows. Today, it is home to a thriving community of independent shops specialising in vintage and retro homeware and clothing, art galleries and cafés, many of which have opened in the past 12 months.

I chatted to at least half a dozen shopkeepers and each of them said that the "Turner effect" was a major factor in their decision to set up shop here. In its first year Turner Contemporary is expected to bring 150,000 visitors to Margate.

The newest addition to the Old Town is Greedy Cow, a deli specialising in fine cheeses, charcuterie, artisan breads and real coffee, which opened last month next door to the Cupcake Café on Market Place. Rachel, the owner, is Margate born and bred, but moved away for many years.

"If someone had said a couple of years ago that I would be moving back to Margate I would have said they were crazy," she says. "But I've noticed a change in the town. There's a real buzz."

Across the square, Julian Newick is another returnee. Having spent years in Paris, he came home last year to open the Lifeboat Ale and Cider House, a cosy, rustic bar with an open fire, specialising in real ales, ciders and wines from east Kent. The bar has regular live music sessions and serves traditional food such as Kentish blue cheese, pies and seafood. Julian is passionate about sourcing local ingredients and hopes to start a weekly food market in the square.

On King Street, I walked into Margate Modern Art, a smart gallery specialising in art from 1870 to 1970, which opened six months ago. The proprietor, Jane Holbrey, moved from France to open the gallery. When I commented that Margate must seem a bit of a culture shock, she laughed: "Well, I used to live in Brick Lane before it was gentrified, and it had a similar sort of feel."

Modern art, cupcakes, charcuterie… it's all a long way from the popular image of Margate as the seedy and neglected town that holidays forgot. Then again, maybe not such a long way. Just a minute's walk from the Old Town and you are back on the seafront, which, sadly, does not seem to have changed much since I last visited.

But here too there is a promise of better times ahead, with plans to reopen Dreamland – which closed in 2005 – as a heritage theme park. It's hard to believe now, but in the Nineties this was one of the country's most popular attractions, pulling in two million visitors a year. The centrepiece of the new park, which is expected to open in 2013, will be the restored Scenic Railway, the oldest roller-coaster in Britain, which will be joined by vintage rides and amusements such as a Pinball Parlour, roller disco and a Fifties-style milk bar. Work has already started on the Thirties Dreamland Cinema which will house a new entertainment venue and an exhibition on the popular culture of the British seaside.

Sarah Vickery, an old friend of mine, is a director of the Dreamland Trust, which has been campaigning to save the park. We met for tea at Batchelors Patisserie, a time-warp café with original Formica tables. Sarah believes Dreamland will be more important to Margate's regeneration than the Turner Contemporary. "For years the emphasis has been on promoting Margate as this arty destination and its incredible seaside heritage has been neglected," she says.

Sarah owns the Shell Grotto, one of those strange and beguiling attractions the British seaside does so well. It was discovered in 1835 beneath a back garden in a quiet street and is an extraordinary underground cavern decorated with more than four million shells, arranged in beautiful and intricate patterns. The fact that nobody knows who created it, or why, only adds to the sense of mystery.

Margate was one of Britain's earliest seaside resorts and there are reminders of its heyday, from the grand Georgian terraces to the stone pier built for the steam packets which brought Londoners in their thousands to try the fashionable new pastime of sea bathing.

On the seafront at Cliftonville, once considered the posh part of town, stands the Walpole Bay Hotel, a gloriously eccentric remnant from the Edwardian era serving cream teas on an Art Deco veranda overlooking the bowling green, while the Victorian Nayland Rock Shelter on the promenade, where T S Eliot wrote parts of The Wasteland, has Grade II listed status.

It had been a day of surprises, but the biggest surprise of all awaited me when I checked into my b & b later that day. The Reading Rooms opened 18 months ago on a Georgian square a five-minute walk from the seafront. The owners, Louise Oldfield and Liam Nabb, who have a background in music and graphic design, moved here from London, tempted by the town's affordable Georgian housing.

"We wanted to create something special, that would stand on its own as a reason to come to Margate," Louise says. The 18th-century town house has been converted from 10 bedsits into an elegant guesthouse with three large bedrooms, decorated in shades of cream and ivory, with large French-style beds, chandeliers, stripped floorboards, and bathrooms which would put many five-star hotels to shame.

Guests can order from an extensive breakfast menu and have it delivered to their room, at whatever time they like. It's a bold move, to open a boutique b & b in a place like Margate, but the couple's bravery has paid off, with weekends booking up long before the Turner gallery was completed.
It's a difficult place Margate, imperfect and unpolished, but there is much to love. The sweeping expanse of the Main Sands is arguably one of the best beaches in the South East, and the skies which so famously captivated Turner really are extraordinary.

Lovers of all things retro will delight in Scott's Furniture Mart – Kent's largest emporium of antique furniture, bric-a-brac and vintage clothing – and in the quirky shops of the Old Town. And the recent influx of artists and creative types has given the town a dynamism which is lacking in more gentrified resorts such as nearby Whitstable, with its twee shops and fishman's cottages.

The Turner Contemporary will bring some much-needed publicity to the town and, if successful, the Dreamland heritage park will introduce a new generation to the simple pleasures of ghost trains, candyfloss and penny arcades. I hope so. It seems fitting that the blend of seaside kitsch and kiss-me-quick fun that saw Margate fall so spectacularly out of fashion could yet be its salvation.

Margate basics
Where to stay
The Reading Rooms, Margate (01843 225166; www.thereadingroomsmargate.co.uk) Decadent rooms and breakfast in bed at this elegant Georgian town house. Double rooms from £150 a night.

The Walpole Bay, Cliftonville (01843 221703, www.walpolebayhotel.co.uk) Double rooms from £65 a night.

Belvidere Place, Broadstairs (01843 579 850; www.belvidereplace.co.uk) In a neighbouring resort, this b & b is a breath of fresh air with its mix of contemporary and vintage furnishings and seasonal, locally-sourced food on the breakfast menu. Double rooms from £100 a night.

Where to eat
Bebeached Café (07961 402612, www.bebeached.co.uk) The best brunch in Margate, served overlooking the water at the end of the Harbour Arm; evening meals by candlelight.

Harbour Café Bar (01843 290110) Good bistro food in a great seafront location, with prime views of Margate's spectacular sunsets and regular jazz evenings.

The Ambrette (01843 231 504, www.theambrette.co.uk) Kent's finest ingredients, including lamb, wood pigeon and belly pork, subtly spiced and served with a modern Indian twist. Booking essential.

Eddie Gilbert's, Ramsgate (01843 852123; www.eddiegilberts.com) The best seafood in the area. A fishmonger, chip shop and seafood restaurant rolled into one, serving the freshest fish bought directly from the fleet in Ramsgate."

In the Press: FT article: Something out of nothing

2011-04-02T09:18:00.001+01:00

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/bc6a32c6-5be3-11e0-bb56-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1ILqumtkC

“If you want a dirty weekend, go to Margate. You can be as dirty as you like. Van Gogh and Turner, Ronnie Biggs and the Krays all went there ... Margate – the nub of the Isle of Thanet, thrusting like a bent forefinger from the crazed knuckle of England. Planet Thanet, also known as the Last Resort.”

This is Tracey Emin, writing in her 2005 memoir Strangeland, on “the derelict seaside town” where she grew up with “nothing to do but blend in with the general decay ... and wish your life away”.

Would her unhappy life there have been different if Margate had boasted a gleaming free-entry museum, its white silhouette standing sharp against the waves, dominating and energising the Victorian harbour?

Opening in a fortnight, Turner Contemporary, a £17m new museum designed by David Chipperfield, is just that. The name plays on Margate’s association with the 19th-century artist, a regular visitor: it occupies the site of the guest house run by Mrs Booth, JMW Turner’s landlady and intimate. Its naturally lit galleries and glass exterior exploit the exceptional coastal light, so viewers will see why Turner reckoned “the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe”. Chipperfield, whose showpieces include Berlin’s Neues Museum and the extension to the Museum Folkwang in Essen, says the light in the Margate museum is “the best we’ve done”.

But can Margate, a small, working-class town suffering far higher unemployment than the average across south-east England, and in decline for a century, really become an art world player?

I wonder. In seven years as the FT’s art critic, reviewing more than a hundred shows annually, I have never seen a world-class exhibition in England outside London. In the same period, dazzling modern or contemporary shows in European provincial towns have included Cézanne in Essen, which continued to the Guggenheim in New York; Baden-Baden’s Sculpture by Painters; Black is also a Colour at Saint-Paul de Vence in the south of France; Rotterdam’s De Kooning, and Grenoble’s current Chagall. All drew wide local and international audiences.

Turner Contemporary is also aiming to attract both Margate residents and cultural tourists, whose visits, it is hoped, will kick-start new enterprise and so help urban regeneration. No one should underestimate the difficulties of promoting instant aesthetic consumption, however: Margate is not the chic hilltop village of Saint-Paul de Vence or the affluent Black Forest spa town Baden-Baden – and even the former grimy industrial heartland of Essen has had its Folkwang Museum since 1922.

That same year, in his poem “The Waste Land”, TS Eliot, who had been recuperating from a nervous breakdown in the Kent seaside town, wrote “On Margate sands/I can connect/Nothing out of nothing”.

Turner Contemporary is the latest in a string of young British regional museums, each the focus of efforts to transform a 20th-century urban wasteland into a 21st-century metropolis where cultural and intellectual connections spring up, as it were, out of nothing. They include New Art Gallery Walsall and Salford’s The Lowry (both 2000), Baltic in Gateshead (2002), De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill (2005), Middlesbrough’s MIMA (2007), The Public in West Bromwich (2008), Nottingham Contemporary (2009) and, opening next month, the £35m Hepworth Wakefield, named after the sculptor Barbara Hepworth, a native of the West Yorkshire city. Also designed by Chipperfield, this sombre but luminous assemblage of angled pavilions on the banks of the Calder, will be the UK’s biggest purpose-built museum outside London.

If the 1990s saw unprecedented ambition in British art-making, the noughties was the epoch of museum-building, the bricks-and-mortar embodiment of the widening interest in art in the past two decades, a democratisation achieved partly through the vernacular language of Young British Artists such as Emin and Damien Hirst, whose savvy bypassing of Mayfair galleries in favour of organising their own shows opened art to a fresh public.

The YBAs’ success also spawned a new elite coterie of curators, artists and dealers, mostly concerned with conceptual art, emerging from schools such as Hirst’s alma mater Goldsmiths College. Their power base is London but their influence is felt nationwide. The touring British Art Show 7, for example, opened last October in Nottingham featuring 39 artists, more than half of them conceptualists from east London galleries; no English galleries outside London were represented.

Such trends beg an important question about the new regional museums: who benefits from them – local residents and visitors, or London-oriented curators and artists using these venues for their own interests? Does anyone want to see the exhibitions the latter deliver to the former?

. . .

Beyond doubt, showcase museums can give towns a contemporary face. Nottingham is no longer just defined by Robin Hood but also by Caruso St John’s arresting £20m gallery with its verdigris-scalloped concrete surfaces and 132 skylights. Baltic, a £45m conversion of a former Rank Hovis flour mill, towers over the Tyne at Gateshead, symbolising culture’s potential to transform former industrial heartlands.

Except that Baltic has no collection, nor any budget for acquisitions. Nor do Nottingham, Margate or Bexhill. In the rush to endow these places with trophy buildings, attention to the contents – what characterises a gallery, what makes it revisited, loved and remembered – was forgotten. But without art to call their own, museums are empty shells. They cannot trade loans, nor build shows around core holdings. Their huge spaces look bare; yet so sacrosanct is the desired feel-good effect that questions about their real workings are rarely raised.

Nottingham had a fanfare inauguration with superb early David Hockneys, but its programme has since been lacklustre: mainly earnest thematic shows such as Uneven Geographies, about art and globalisation. Baltic, which has seen four directors in under a decade, and opened not only minus a collection but without cloakroom or information desk (signs that visitors were not first priority) has a narrowly conceptual programme. Newcastle-based critic William Varley, who described Baltic as “the safely provincial test-bed of the wannabe cutting-edgers”, says: “I am not making a plea for a popularist programme but one of quality, wider curatorial scope and greater balance.”

Turner Contemporary’s opening schedule is just as disappointing. Revealed promises a single Turner, “The Eruption of the Souffrier Mountains”, alongside work by “six major international artists”. Three of these, Russell Crotty, Teresita Fernandez and Ellen Harvey, are no such thing; but they and the others – conceptual painter Daniel Buren, geometric sculptor Conrad Shawcross and film-maker Douglas Gordon – are spuriously linked to Turner because, according to a statement by Turner Contemporary director Victoria Pomery, all “play at the borders between what we can see and know and the truly fantastic”. A second show, Nothing in the World but Youth, explores “youth experience ... through artworks, photographs, films, music, fashion”.

These strike me as uninspiring prospects. Recent years have shown that to put a museum on the map you hold a must-see retrospective of a significant artist. Attendance figures – more than 200,000 visitors for Tate Britain’s Freud and Bacon shows, over 400,000 for the Royal Academy’s Van Gogh and Tate Modern’s Gauguin versus 47,000 for arid conceptual sculptor Roni Horn at Tate Modern – confirm audiences flock to quality. If Britain’s new museums are to avoid ending up white elephants, they must be more ambitious, grasp their role is to show the best art, not indulge curatorial whims, and to navigate a meaningful local role within an increasingly global cultural economy.

The different ways they are finding to do this unravel the web of interests and control in today’s art world. Some have become determinedly regional. The Lowry, for example, mainly shows its namesake’s work, plus neighbourhood exhibitions such as the current Unlocking Salford Quays. Walsall, though it was bequeathed an international collection by Lady Kathleen Epstein, also typically chooses to show local exhibitions.

West Bromwich’s The Public carefully dovetails the local with the larger picture: its spring exhibitions opening this week feature a West Midlands knitting group, industrial photography from the Black Country and works from the international collection of Frank Cohen, who has a gallery in Wolverhampton and buys in China, India, and from fashionable dealer Larry Gagosian. This sounds a surreal juxtaposition but The Public, a £52m project stalled by delays and budget problems, has been welcomed locally and takes seriously its role as “a place where people who don’t normally feel comfortable in arts venues can enjoy themselves, feel welcomed and are confident to experience new things”.

MIMA, recognising the limits of its smallish space and budget, is becoming a centre of expertise for drawing. An Ellsworth Kelly display and The End of the Line: Attitudes in Drawing have been among several thoughtful shows, and have encouraged gifts of an impressive one hundred works on paper from artists and collectors. This in turn has conferred a status that attracts promising young artists – I hugely enjoyed the first public exhibition devoted to abstract painter Katy Moran there in 2008.

The De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, East Sussex capitalises on its heritage 1935 building to expand understanding of modernism. A John Cage exhibition opens this month, and its contemporary choices slant towards conceptualists who engage with space and architecture – Nathan Coley, Tomoko Takahashi – and to abstract modernists such as Kenneth and Mary Martin. Yet despite its cohesive programme, one longs to see a lush, sensuous painter or figurative, tactile sculptor illuminating this unique space.

Hepworth Wakefield opens in May
The newest museum, the Hepworth, starts at an advantage: it owns 6,000 works amassed by the city of Wakefield, mostly of 20th-century British artists – Hepworth, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, David Bomberg, Patrick Heron. Its inaugural displays will be a seminal group of 44 plasters casts gifted by Hepworth’s family, loans of Brancusi and Mondrian, and Hot Touch, a solo show by Eva Rothschild, who makes subtle, melancholy sculptures in diverse materials. This presses persuasive 21st-century buttons: visibility for women, balancing young and historic, national and international. Should the Hepworth fulfil its promise as an innovative gallery with its strengths in sculpture, this part of England (the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is seven miles away, the Henry Moore Institute is in nearby Leeds) could become a truly global centre. Not before time. In Europe, historic connections have created several important regional milieux. The Côte d’Azur is a showcase for postwar modernism, with museums devoted to Picasso, Chagall, Leger, Matisse, Bonnard – who all lived there. Helped by connections to local residents Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter, Germany’s Ruhr is also thriving, with Essen’s Folkwang joined by Dusseldorf’s K20 and K21 museums, and Cologne’s Museum Ludwig.
In Britain, the cultural gap between the capital and the regions was always more marked than in federal Germany or statist France, where museums come under the Réunion des Musées Nationaux, ensuring fairer distribution of important pieces.

The UK’s variations on this model, such as the Hayward’s touring displays, have historically been low-key. A landmark change, in 2009, was dealer Anthony d’Offay’s Artist Rooms, a donation of 725 contemporary works on constant tour, organised by Tate and Scotland’s National Galleries. The scheme is transforming quality, international scope and, crucially, expectations in regional galleries, with selections and venues sensitively chosen: sculptor Beuys at De La Warr; Anselm Kiefer, who deals in industrial aftermath, at Baltic.

D’Offay’s “art without a museum” is the perfect fit for museums without art. It is already prompting more regional awareness at Tate, which has outsourced this year’s Turner Prize to Baltic, only the second time it will be hosted outside London and the first time outside a Tate museum.

Still, Tate could do more. It has hundreds of masterpieces in storage (see box page 1). The greatest of these should be dispatched up and down the country. Commercial galleries cannily exploit this resource – Gagosian borrowed Tate’s triptychs for its 2006 Bacon show; Helly Nahmad supplemented his 2010 Matisse exhibition with Tate’s “The Inattentive Reader”. How perverse that seminal works belonging to the nation are boosting dealers’ (selling) shows rather than reaching nationwide audiences.

Stone walls do not a museum make: great art does.

In the vaults but ripe for exhibition

The contemporary and modern collections in London and Edinburgh rank among the best in the world, yet space constraints dictate that far more is kept in the vaults than on display. Below are some of the unseen riches that could be star exhibits in exhibitions up and down the country.

Tate. The resources in the store here are staggering. They range from Pierre Bonnard’s shimmering, unstable “The Table”, acquired from the artist in 1925 and among his greatest works, through Lucian Freud’s chilling but much-loved “Girl with a White Dog” (1950), a portrait of his first wife Kitty, and “Black Triptych”, one of the important series painted by Francis Bacon after the suicide of his lover George Dyer, to Chris Ofili’s “No Woman No Cry” (1998), a London painting known both for its masterly, inventive form and subject – it is a tribute to murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence.

Tate points out that though they are not currently on display all four works have been exhibited at a Tate gallery or on loan to another institution “within the past year, and in some cases within the past month or two”.

National Galleriesof Scotland. Distinctively Scottish works include still lifes, studio pictures and occasional landscapes by the wonderful, still underrated modernist colourists Samuel John Peploe (“Pink Roses, Chinese Vase”; the cubist 1913 “Still Life”), Francis Cadell (“The Model”, “Portrait of a Lady in Black”), George Hunter (“Still Life, Stocks”) and John Duncan Fergusson (the Whistler-esque firework painting “Dieppe, 14 July 1905: Night”). Of 34 Edinburgh-owned works by this group, only one is currently on display, though the gallery says autumn exhibitions of all three artists will run over the next three years, starting with Cadell in October 2011.

National Portrait Gallery. More a showcase of subjects than of artists, this popular museum also is home to unshown examples of 21st-century portraiture such as Paula Rego’s “Germaine Greer” and Maggi Hambling’s “(Alan) George Heywood Melly” and Allen Jones’ “Darcy Andrea Bussell”.

Friends of Margate Caves Collecting Memories of the Caves

2011-04-02T08:48:00.001+01:00

Dear Friends,

I am writing to ask for you to share any memories you have of visiting the Margate Caves. If you have any photos to go with these memories that would be even better.

We will be collating all the memories/stories and pictures we receive to create an article to help support our campaign. We may also use these recollections as a feature on our website.

As always with our campaign time is of the essence, so we would really appreciate it if you could take the time to share these memories/stories with us as soon as possible.

Once again, thank you so much for your support.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Peter Davis
Friends Of Margate Caves

www.margatecaves.co.uk

Friends of Shell Grotto news

2011-04-01T09:04:00.001+01:00

From our very favourite Shell Grotto:

"Hello Friends

Another brief update from me to bring you news of all that's happening in April. First up, the Grotto is moving onto summer opening hours – daily, 10am-5pm, from Saturday 9 April. This is also the date for Obscura Day, an international day of "expeditions, back-room tours and hidden treasures". Check it out here:

http://atlasobscura.com/obscura-day

Our event, early-evening candlelit tours of the Grotto, is here:

http://obscuraday-margateshellgrotto.eventbrite.com/

You’ll need to book your places on the Obscura website and this is one event when we can't offer free entry to Friends (because it's being administered by the Obscura team). Scroll down from our event and you’ll also find details of what the guys at the Substation are doing for the day.

The long-awaited opening of Turner Contemporary happens on 16 April. There’s a 10-day programme of free festivities around the town, details here:

http://www.turnercontemporary.org/news/you-are-here

So, what with Bank Holidays galore, April is a good time to come and visit! Hope to see you soon.

Regards

Sarah
Shell Grotto"

Event: Pie Days and Holidays at Marine Studios

2011-04-01T08:38:00.001+01:00

Marine Studios invites you to First Friday. Pie Days and Holidays, Margate Food Stories. Marine Studios have been working with artist Sophie Herxheimer to collect food stories. Exhibition launch 1st April at Marine Studios from 3pm-7pm.

Are you planning a special event around the launch of Turner Contemporary? Are you planning a special event around the launch of Turner Contemporary?

2011-03-30T19:40:00.001+01:00

Just in from Margate Renewal Partnership's: This is Margate / Creative Margate /

"Dear All,

Are you planning a special event around the launch of Turner Contemporary?

If so, we at Creative Margate would like to hear about it so we can help spread the word. Our aim is to bring together in one place as many of the great things that are going on in Margate as we can. We will put the information into a document that can be posted on websites as well as handed out in paper form - to be shared with you and with our visitors.

If you would like us to promote your venue or event, please send us an email, by return, with details of any special plans or opening arrangements your might have for the period Saturday 16 - Monday 25 April.

We need to know:

What's happening (title and description in no more than 25 words)

When (dates and times)

Where it's happening (full address inc postcode)

If there's a cost (and how much)

Where to go for further info (phone number and web address)

We will also forward your event details to the Tourism Department at TDC for promotion on the Visit Thanet website.

Many thanks,

Sophie (on behalf of Creative Margate)"
Sophie.Jeffrey@thanet.gov.uk
www.thisismargate.com

Come to the opening of Discover Thanet's Pop Up Shop Friday 15th April 6pm

2011-03-30T18:25:00.001+01:00

To coincide with the launch of Discover Thanet, an independently published guide to Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, are opening a pop-up shop at The Pie Factory in Broad Street, Margate. It all happens on Friday 15th April at 6pm.

We're looking forward to this as it looks like the one publication that will appeal to tourists and that's what it is supposed to do!

Model and Monument, an exhibition of work by Stephen Blowers opens at Crate Project Space

2011-03-28T18:47:00.001+01:00

Model and Monument, an exhibition of work by Stephen Blowers opens at Crate Project Space in Margate on Friday April 1st from 6 - 9pm and is then open Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd April 11am - 5pm.

Perceptions of Margate are being reshaped by redevelopment work in the town. New energies and aspirations are unfolding out of existing narratives of the town as a seaside resort. The exhibition contrasts the development in Margate of the new Turner Contemporary with a building traditionally associated with Margate, Dreamland.

For further information contact: stephenblowers@hotmail.com

2 DAYS LAUGHTER 2011 APRIL FOOLS’ SCREENING & AWARDS NIGHT

2011-03-28T18:30:00.001+01:00

Saturday 2ndth April @ The Theatre Royal Margate

Beeping Bush Productions is bringing the sound of laughter back to the British seaside with the return of its quirky collection of hilarious comedy shorts.

Now in its fourth year, the incredibly successful and utterly unique 2 Days Laughter Short Film Competition gives audiences the chance to scream with laughter! Aimed at talented filmmakers, comedians and writers, the production challenge is to produce a comedy short in a total of only 48 hours.
The films will be screened in the sumptuous surroundings of the Georgian Theatre Royal Margate. These will be judged by a panel of industry professionals from film and media & entertainment that includes actress, Brenda Blethyn, Time Out comedy editor Ben Williams, Film 4 Development Editor Lila Rawlings, and comedian teams from Pappy’s and online shorts sensation, Popcorn Comedy.
This year’s competition has attracted enquires from all over the world: Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Canada, USA, Brazil, Zimbabwe, India, Hong Kong, and Australia! With over 400 downloads for the film brief, the competition received a total of 46 film entries involving over 300 filmmakers, from as far as Devon and Wales, to Sheffield and Switzerland! 21 comic gems are from Kent–based filmmakers, and eight have made it to the Judges’ Competition Screening.

“We have had the best response ever this year! It’s a fantastic opportunity for comedians, filmmakers and the public to all come together and actually see how an audience will react to their own creativity, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. There are some real corkers in there, so it’s going to be great free night out at the theatre.”

MICK ETHERTON, BEEPING BUSH PRODUCTIONS

21 films from Kent!

Nine films were produced in Thanet and two have made it to the final Judges’ Competition Screening.

There are two films from Broadstairs: Ian Reader’s spellbound Munassa, a cautionary tale about a man who desperately needs not to get in touch with his feminine side, with surprising results. The other film entry comes from students Mark Castro and Max Philo, whose contemporary farce, Facebook Man, provides a fresh and witty account of teenage social networking addiction!

Canterbury based filmmakers Katharina Mietz, Dalina Rusanova and Augustas Marozas produced Me & my Dead Husband – a cautionary story about how not to walk out on your loved one!

Canterbury based Martin Banov’s student film, Brainstorming is a tale of a trio of wannabe filmmakers with a fast approaching deadline and ‘inappropriate’ ideas!

Street Party by Whitstable based filmmaker Nick Pearson, was produced entirely on his iPhone, a slapstick escapade about a pizza delivery order gone manically wrong!

Chatham based comic dynamic duo, William Thomas & Ben Worsfield have once again come up with a comic gem KENT! A Brief History is a wonderful satire of local history television programmes. That’s also true of Wild Watch, a film co-produced by ex-University of Kent student, Dan Thompson, that even out-Goodies Bill Oddie and Kate Humble!

Congratulations to Rochester based filmmaker Ed Hall, who directed two of the films in the Judges’ Final this year: How to Throw a Soiree! An alarming development starting with a girls night in; and The Lovers’ Tiff, a homage to Mr and Mrs Smith, with Hollywood-style special effects!

The evening’s gala screening will conclude with Work! Love! Dance! Die! A comic musical film extravaganza from Switzerland!

ALL 43 accepted film submissions will be shown at the April Fools’ Screening on Saturday 2nd April 2011 at the Theatre Royal Margate, and hosted by University of Kent Student Stand-up Comedians Kenny Budd and Ryan Parsons.

To get a flavour of the competition why not check out last year’s entries and short documentary of a Screening night.

2 Days Laughter 2011 Screening & Awards Ceremony

14.30pm Doors Open
15.00pm Just for Laughs - Film Screening
19.00pm Judges’ Competition - Film Screening
21.45pm Awards Ceremony
22.00pm - Late Afterparty @ The Westcoast Bar, Margate Harbour

Further details will be posted on the www.2dayslaughter.co.uk website.

To book your free tickets please fill in online request at www.2dayslaughter.co.uk/screen/screen.html

NEW KENT FILMMAKERS’ EVENTS CALENDAR

Discover this year’s great film events in Kent! As part of our Screen South Community Network Film role we are delighted to announce that our new Kent Filmmakers’ Events Calendar section is now online.

Check out our free What’s On resource in the Kent area to find out what’s happening in your area - film screenings, workshops, events, festival dates and deadlines and lots of other film and digital media related information.

Need distribution ideas? You can also easily upload your own event to share your activities. This free What’s On resource is a comprehensive distribution resource with lots of useful features, including social networking, diary links, etc.

Visit beepingbush.co.uk/calendar to check out film related events going on in Kent & Medway, or to submit and upload your own event - even if it’s outside the county.

Be the first to know about these filmmaking events! As newsletters are only sent to registered users, please make sure that you sign up your details here to make sure that you don’t miss out on what’s happening in Kent and the South-East.

Please contact Mick or Chris at Beeping Bush if you have any questions or difficulties.

We are here to help - your film is our film!
THREE MONKEYS FILM FESTIVAL IN FOLKESTONE 4th March-2nd April

Whithorse Film club presents
See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil

Three Monkeys destroys the boundaries between film, music, art and spoken word.
Screening three feature films each day plus short films made by filmmakers based in Kent, Three Monkeys embraces the links between the arts, and all in the comfy surroundings of Bar Below, West Terrace Folkestone.

See No Evil Free Exhibition until 31st March. 2.00-5.00pm or by appointment.
An exhibition of art inspired by film, literature and music, kindly curated by Chimera Gallery. The Members Area, Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue Folkestone.

27th March
2.00pm Battle of Algiers (15) Award-winning, enthralling entertainment, this tells the story of the FLN’s guerrilla war against the French, with added relevance in today's global political climate in North Africa and the Middle East.

4.30pm Peeping Tom (18) Kent born Michael Powell’s career defining psychological drama from the 1960s lays bare the cinema's dark voyeuristic underside.

7.00pm Last House on the Left (18) A movie whose reputation precedes it, made in 1972, but not permitted uncut in the UK until 2008. Hailed by critics as one of the greatest horrors ever.

2nd April
Poetry night at Home Ground The Old High Street, Folkestone.
8.30pm Free Admission

The regular rant poets will be letting rip on the subject of censorship.
Special guest poets from Margate and London and an open mic slot for aspiring poets!
See individual posters for more details, find us on Facebook, or email whitehorseevents@hotmail.com or call 07957 440528

Event - Circuit Drive Thru Cinema at Dreamland - Saturday 26th 4pm-9pm

2011-03-24T09:00:00.001Z

I nearly missed this! I must be off the radar for some news snippets. Circuit Drive Thru Cinema arrives at Dreamland this Saturday 26th March from 4pm to 9pm. Artists are invited to participate by exhibiting in their cars. More info at Marine Studios

2011-03-21T08:04:00.001Z

Dear TDC,

Don't you think it would be a good idea, if not also the legal requirement, to apply and approve for a replacement for a building in the Conservation Area before you apply to knock it down?

Yours,

MA

"PLANS AGREED TO TACKLE MARGATE EYESORE

Plans to tackle a prominent eyesore along Margate seafront have been agreed.

Thanet District Council’s Cabinet last night (Thursday 17 March) agreed a strategy to tackle the appearance of the Fort Road Hotel, which overlooks Turner Contemporary.

The building has lain derelict for the last 20 years and was acquired by the council through compulsory purchase in December 2010. Since purchasing it, the council has carried out urgent work to the front wall of the building, which was in danger of collapse. Major repair work needs to be carried out to the property and a structural survey, carried out on behalf of the council, has suggested that, because there is so much to do, demolition is one option.

Over the next six months, the council will actively market the property to see if it can be redeveloped as a small hotel and a restaurant. Cabinet Members were told that there had already been interest from people, who are interested in acquiring the property, one of which is the owner of a five star boutique hotel elsewhere in Kent. The aim will be to complete work on the site by September 2012.

If there is no interest in the Fort Road Hotel within the next six months, then an application for consent to demolish the building will be made to the Secretary of State.

Director of Community Services, Madeline Homer, said: “Despite its appearance today and its condition over recent years, the Fort Road Hotel is a property full of history. It’s one of the few buildings surrounding the gallery that Turner would recognise from his era. For that reason, it’s vital that the council does what it can to find a new use for this building, which we now own. Of course, we can’t wait forever, with an eyesore looming over Turner Contemporary, so that’s why we’ve set a deadline for a viable scheme to come forward. We’re hopeful, with the interest that’s already been shown, and the wonderful location of the Fort Road Hotel, that there is a future for this building within that deadline.”

Temporary measures will be put in place ahead of the opening of Turner Contemporary to improve the appearance of the building."

ENDS

Cheryl Pendry
Press and Media Manager
Thanet District Council
www.thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577 034
Fax: 01843 295 343

2011-03-19T09:38:00.001Z

The Visitor Centre is moving to The Droit House. Now, is it a good idea to do branding of iconic Margate sites like The Grade 2* Listed Dreamland Cinema that are closed and not due to open for years and are currently covered in scaffolding?

Please Thanet Tourism, promote the things we have and can use now!

2011-03-19T09:32:00.001Z

2 DAYS LAUGHTER 2011 APRIL FOOLS’ SCREENING & AWARDS NIGHT

Saturday 2ndth April @ The Theatre Royal Margate

Beeping Bush Productions is bringing the sound of laughter back to the British seaside with the return of its quirky collection of hilarious comedy shorts.

Now in its fourth year, the incredibly successful and utterly unique 2 Days Laughter Short Film Competition gives audiences the chance to scream with laughter! Aimed at talented filmmakers, comedians and writers, the production challenge is to produce a comedy short in a total of only 48 hours.
The films will be screened in the sumptuous surroundings of the Georgian Theatre Royal Margate. These will be judged by a panel of industry professionals from film and media & entertainment that includes actress, Brenda Blethyn, Time Out comedy editor Ben Williams, Film 4 Development Editor Lila Rawlings, and comedian teams from Pappy’s and online shorts sensation, Popcorn Comedy.
This year’s competition has attracted enquires from all over the world: Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Canada, USA, Brazil, Zimbabwe, India, Hong Kong, and Australia! With over 400 downloads for the film brief, the competition received a total of 46 film entries involving over 300 filmmakers, from as far as Devon and Wales, to Sheffield and Switzerland! 21 comic gems are from Kent–based filmmakers, and eight have made it to the Judges’ Competition Screening.

“We have had the best response ever this year! It’s a fantastic opportunity for comedians, filmmakers and the public to all come together and actually see how an audience will react to their own creativity, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. There are some real corkers in there, so it’s going to be great free night out at the theatre.”

MICK ETHERTON, BEEPING BUSH PRODUCTIONS

21 films from Kent!

Nine films were produced in Thanet and two have made it to the final Judges’ Competition Screening.

There are two films from Broadstairs: Ian Reader’s spellbound Munassa, a cautionary tale about a man who desperately needs not to get in touch with his feminine side, with surprising results. The other film entry comes from students Mark Castro and Max Philo, whose contemporary farce, Facebook Man, provides a fresh and witty account of teenage social networking addiction!

Canterbury based filmmakers Katharina Mietz, Dalina Rusanova and Augustas Marozas produced Me & my Dead Husband – a cautionary story about how not to walk out on your loved one!

Canterbury based Martin Banov’s student film, Brainstorming is a tale of a trio of wannabe filmmakers with a fast approaching deadline and ‘inappropriate’ ideas!

Street Party by Whitstable based filmmaker Nick Pearson, was produced entirely on his iPhone, a slapstick escapade about a pizza delivery order gone manically wrong!

Chatham based comic dynamic duo, William Thomas & Ben Worsfield have once again come up with a comic gem KENT! A Brief History is a wonderful satire of local history television programmes. That’s also true of Wild Watch, a film co-produced by ex-University of Kent student, Dan Thompson, that even out-Goodies Bill Oddie and Kate Humble!

Congratulations to Rochester based filmmaker Ed Hall, who directed two of the films in the Judges’ Final this year: How to Throw a Soiree! An alarming development starting with a girls night in; and The Lovers’ Tiff, a homage to Mr and Mrs Smith, with Hollywood-style special effects!

The evening’s gala screening will conclude with Work! Love! Dance! Die! A comic musical film extravaganza from Switzerland!

ALL 43 accepted film submissions will be shown at the April Fools’ Screening on Saturday 2nd April 2011 at the Theatre Royal Margate, and hosted by University of Kent Student Stand-up Comedians Kenny Budd and Ryan Parsons.

To get a flavour of the competition why not check out last year’s entries and short documentary of a Screening night.

2 Days Laughter 2011 Screening & Awards Ceremony

14.30pm Doors Open
15.00pm Just for Laughs - Film Screening
19.00pm Judges’ Competition - Film Screening
21.45pm Awards Ceremony
22.00pm - Late Afterparty @ The Westcoast Bar, Margate Harbour

Further details will be posted on the www.2dayslaughter.co.uk website.

To book your free tickets please fill in online request at www.2dayslaughter.co.uk/screen/screen.html

NEW KENT FILMMAKERS’ EVENTS CALENDAR

Discover this year’s great film events in Kent! As part of our Screen South Community Network Film role we are delighted to announce that our new Kent Filmmakers’ Events Calendar section is now online.

Check out our free What’s On resource in the Kent area to find out what’s happening in your area - film screenings, workshops, events, festival dates and deadlines and lots of other film and digital media related information.

Need distribution ideas? You can also easily upload your own event to share your activities. This free What’s On resource is a comprehensive distribution resource with lots of useful features, including social networking, diary links, etc.

Visit beepingbush.co.uk/calendar to check out film related events going on in Kent & Medway, or to submit and upload your own event - even if it’s outside the county.

Be the first to know about these filmmaking events! As newsletters are only sent to registered users, please make sure that you sign up your details here to make sure that you don’t miss out on what’s happening in Kent and the South-East.

Please contact Mick or Chris at Beeping Bush if you have any questions or difficulties.

We are here to help - your film is our film!
ABOUT BEEPING BUSH LTD www.beepingbush.co.uk
Beeping Bush Ltd is a digital arts & media organisation and is a Screen South Community Network Film Delivery Partner for Kent & Medway, supported by The UK Film Council.
We are based in The Community Pharmacy Gallery in the heart of Margate’s historic old town cultural quarter, since 2002. The ground floor offers workshop, studio & arts exhibition space for local individuals and community interest groups, with full disabled access. The production services above offer professional digital-media services & training for the community and business. The company has IPS status and produces a variety of community and corporate-based, educational and promotional digital-media productions & workshops. It also provides vocational training and arts exhibition space for local individuals, organisations, charities, and educational establishments.

For Sale: Amazing corner freehold opposite the Turner

2011-03-19T08:16:00.001Z

Guide price £50k - £75k!
What an amazing location. Right on the corner, directly opposite Turner. Please someone with vision do something lovely for a change. I really cannot believe some of these crazy prices! It make an amazing cafe and has views over the main sands and the Turner.

A Freehold Building internally arranged to provide Basement and Ground Floor Shop and Two Self-Contained Flats. Shop Vacant, One Flat Vacant and One Flat subject to a Long Lease.

http://www.auction.co.uk/residential/LotDetails.asp?A=710&MP=24&ID=710000091&S=L&O=A

This is the building we complained eons ago had removed the discarded the ornamental snake above the door when they renovated it into a shortlived estate agents for only a few months. Such a shame.

Margate Bazaar

2011-03-16T14:09:00.002Z

We would love to see more creative's take advantage of this. Help make
this an animated event, remember it's going to be on every Sunday a great
opportunities to to build up a reputation or following and to get what you
do out there in real time and space in front of a real audience.

More Details can be Found on
www.MargateoldTown.co.uk and Margate Bazaar on facebook.

I hope to hear from you all soon.
ROX
Margate Bazaar

Laura Sandys MP Secures Tourism Commitment and Jokes with the Minister...

2011-03-09T10:52:00.001Z

Hot off the press from Laura Sandys:

"In Parliament, Laura Sandys MP received a commitment from the Minister for Arts and Culture, Ed Vaizey MP, that he would support her campaign for seaside towns to be marketed as all year round destinations.

The Minister explained that “culture makes a fantastic contribution to regeneration throughout the country.” Earlier in the week, the Minister had attended the parliamentary reception in the House for the launch of the Turner Contemporary Gallery. In Parliament, Laura joked that fellow guest and Margate artist - Tracey Emin - “was most taken by the Minister”. After many laughs, the Minister blushed and thanked Laura for ensuring that he would now appear in the parliamentary sketch.

Following the question, Laura said: “With the forthcoming April opening of Turner Contemporary and the array of cultural and heritage attractions across Thanet, Sandwich and the Stour Villages now more than ever we have a chance to market the area as an all year, all weather tourism destination.”

[Ed.: Those working in quality independent businesses here in Margate, know that we already have a growing all year round offering. What is needed is recognition and support of this in terms of strategic marketing.]

“Tourism already contributes a huge amount to our local economy. If we effectively market the area to attract visitors throughout the year and not just in the summer months, we could create more jobs and boost the amount of money spent on our local high streets. My campaign – Destination History – aims to do just this and over the coming months I will be working closely with our local attractions to help maximise the number of tourists to Thanet and Sandwich.”

Watch Laura at 31.25 in: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=7733

For further information please contact Laura Sandys MP on 07980 595861
Regeneration (Seaside Towns)

17. Laura Sandys (South Thanet) (Con): What assessment he has made of the contribution of arts and culture to the regeneration of deprived seaside towns. [43648]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Edward Vaizey):
Culture makes a fantastic contribution to regeneration throughout the country. Earlier this week, I was privileged to attend a reception in the House for the launch of the Turner Contemporary gallery, and I am sure that my hon. Friend will join me in praising Roger de Haan's work in revitalising Folkestone, even though it is not in her constituency.

Laura Sandys: I most certainly will, and I know that Tracey Emin was most taken by the Minister on Monday evening. Seaside towns have always been marketed as summer locations. Now we have that internationally renowned gallery in Margate, I hope that he might make representations to the tourism Minister to ensure that seaside towns are marketed all year round. That is how we will secure the most effective regeneration for places such as Margate, Ramsgate, Hastings and, yes, Folkestone as well.

Mr Vaizey: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for ensuring that I appear in tomorrow's parliamentary sketch, and the minute I sit down, I will turn to my right and lobby the tourism Minister.

Learn about Victorian theatre with The Theatre Royal's Smoke and Mirrors Event

2011-03-09T08:16:00.001Z

‘Smoke and Mirrors’ is a lively and creative opportunity to learn about and communicate the history of Victorian Theatre. The project will take place in and involve the exploration of the Theatre Royal Margate building. The Theatre is well known for being an old theatre and a heritage gem, dating from 1787 and is the oldest working theatre in the South East region.

They're offering participants a hands-on experience of the practise and circumstances of Victorian Theatre. There are many exciting talks and workshops as well as a show that participants will be able to be involved in.

The first introductory and exploration session is on Sunday 13th March at 4pm. The session should last approximately 90 minutes and should be fun for anyone aged 11 -100!

To register call 01843 282956

smokeandmirrors@theatreroyalmargate.com
http://www.theatreroyalmargate.com/

Margate listed as number 3 as top cultural hotspot by The Independent

2011-03-08T17:50:00.001Z

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ten-topcultural-hotspots-2233435.html
Ten top...cultural hotspots

1 Miami

A visit to the Frank Gehry New World Center (nws.edu) will be as much about admiring Gehry's architecture as the music made within.

2 St Petersburg

Over on the west coast of Florida, the new Dali Museum (thedali.org) offers more room to display the 2,000-plus art works kept in the city.

3 Margate

The Turner Contemporary (turnercontemporary.org), a new gallery for contemporary visual arts opening this spring, is set on the site where Turner stayed during his frequent visits.

4 Hastings

Further along the south coast, the Jerwood Gallery will showcase the Jerwood Foundation's formidable collection of 20th- and 21st century art opening late autumn 2011.

5 Tallinn

One of the 2011 European Capitals of Culture, the Estonian capital is wooing visitors with its new maritime museum at Lennusadam Harbour (mere muuseum.ee), with exhibits housed in huge seaplane hangars.

6 Turku

This Finnish city is the other 2011 European Capital of Culture. Logomo (logomo.fi), an old engineering works now filled with theatres, exhibition halls, and concert venues, is just one reason to visit.

7 Helsinki

Not to be outdone, the Finnish capital is about to open a new Music Hall (musiikkitalo.fi) to the delight of musicians worldwide – largely because they hope it will improve on the poor acoustics in Alvar Alto's Finlandia Hall.

8 Antwerp

The new Museum aan de Stroom, aka MAS (mas.be), on Antwerp's waterfront, will open in May, a new home for the city's Ethnographic, National Shipping and Folklore Museums.

9 Stratford-upon-Avon

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (rsc.org.uk) has put the audience nearer to the action in its new 1,000-seat thrust stage auditorium.

10 Bristol

The south-west city has created M Shed (mshed.org) in an old transit shed on the wharf, in which to tell its story, from prehistoric times to now.

Meeting to discuss setting up Margate Publicity Group 17th March

2011-03-07T16:45:00.001Z

A meeting will be held on Thursday March 17th at 7pm to discuss the setting up a Margate Publicity Group. The meeting will be held at The Shell Grotto on Grotto Hill.

The proposed aim for the group is to promote Margate as a high quality place to live and do business.

The invitation is open to independent businesses or sole traders in Margate, Cliftonville or Westbrook.

Initial ideas:
- To encourage inward investment that goes to the people running independent businesses.
- To foster relations with other like-minded seaside towns; to share
experiences; to inspire.
- To facilitate the ongoing creation of a sustainable and broad
tourism offer in Margate.
- To proactively and positively promote life at the seaside.
- To represent the interests of Margate’s independent businesses.

Sign up to the Facebook Group Event Page

RSVP to margateprgroup@gmail.com

Red - new exhibition at CRATE

2011-03-06T20:08:00.001Z

A new exhibition at CRATE featuring Sculpture, Painting, Photography, Installation and Video.

RED brings together new works made in 2011 by Margate-based artists Tom Swift and Mark John Smith.

Private view: 19 March 2011 6PM – 9PM
Exhibition continues: 19, 20, 26, 27 March 11am – 5pm

RED aims to explore the interdependencies between: gallery – museum, location and place.

Although the works on show were conceived and produced separately, they share both a common aesthetic and conceptual approach.

Tom Swift’s practice relies on a ‘make and do’ ethos. The final works shown are a reduction of this process.

Mark John Smith’s practice is concerned with the juxtaposition of the ‘elite’ with the mundane. His sculptural works include essences from 1960’s Minimalism. These key historical aesthetic signifiers are then represented through the engagement and appropriation of utilitarian objects sourced from the everyday.

TOM SWIFT
tomswift76.blogspot.com
highwallmargate.blogspot.com

MARK JOHN SMITH
markjohnsmith.com
facebook.com/markjohnsmith

Appointments are available for those requiring alternative viewing times. Please email: markjohnsmithstudio@me.com to book.

Crate Studio and Project Space
6 Bilton Square Margate CT9 1DX
Charity No: 1105867
Company Limited by Guarantee 5163003

Crate is designed to give artists access to affordable space and resources.

For further information on Crate visit: www.cratespace.co.uk

Housing Associations have identified Margate and other coastal towns as ideal investment opportunity

2011-03-06T12:27:00.001Z

Following on from the post on Orbit South Housing Association's involvement in 19 Hawley Square I was reminded of a recent presentation at the Seasider event where coastal regeneration was the main topic of discussion. A speaker from Local Space housing association stated they were launching Coastal Space and that they have identified coastal towns Margate and Hastings as being good investments for expansion. What wasn't clear to me was good for who? Given our high numbers of unemployed and our housing stock being larger than average buildings (ex-hotels and guest houses, more often than not historical buildings requiring a high standard of upkeep and maintenance), and with 800+ empty properties in Margate and Cliftonville, with already low rents do we need an influx of housing associations?

Here's an article in The Guardian on the impact of the Housing Benefit cap. We will be an affordable region.

"A third of England will become unaffordable for low-income households within a decade, according to a study by two leading housing organisations."

Party on the Pier

2011-03-06T11:48:00.001Z

As part of British Tourism week celebrations The Harbour Arm are putting on a series of events. Margate is a tourist town and should be celebrating its history as one of the very first to lay claim to being such a thing.

It all kicks off at 10am on Saturday the 12th of March with a talk about the history of the pier by TDC's Nick Dermott, Tug-of War, Robert Poulter's brilliant New Model Theatre and more. Really worth seeing and it's such a treat.

www.britishtourismweek.co.uk

http://www.margateharbourarm.co.uk/

Orbit South Housing Association Vivien Knibbs speaks out for Margate

2011-03-03T10:11:00.001Z

In today's Guardian, Vivien Knibbs, Managing Director of Orbit South Housing Association has defended Margate's honour in response http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/03/margate-will-thrive-again to the lazy article from Tom Dykoff I reported on last month. We also reported on the plight of Orbit owned 19 Hawley Square last month. One hopes that a bright future will also await for that building.

"Your article on Margate poignantly highlighted the significant challenges the town faces (Fun is running low. Now Margate has a dismal new claim to fame, 19 February). But claiming that "Margate may be the saddest of all" Britain's seaside towns suggests an inevitable decline which is simply not true. I firmly believe Margate has a great platform for renewal and regeneration.

In particular you describe the high street: "So forlorn is the town's retail centre that a group of A-level students walk around with clipboards, marking off the closed shops as part of their geography coursework." However, over 15 new boutiques, galleries and cafes have opened in the old town over the last 18 months.

Margate has much going for it. The location of this original seaside town is excellent. Its beautiful, sandy beaches and stunning architecture set it apart from other coastal towns. The sense of community is strong and the local authority and other agencies, including my housing association, have a deep and long-standing commitment to further regenerating the area. Crucially, there are significant and exciting plans already in place to attract new investment.

In 2009 the High Speed 1 rail link enabled commuters to travel directly to London in just under an hour and a half, and firmly placed Margate at the gateway to Europe. This has opened up the town and we're excited about what this may bring with regard to people relocating and an increase in visitors to the area.

You rightly highlighted the opening of the £20m Turner Contemporary in April, citing Jane Holbrey's comment that "the Turner gallery has been a real draw … but I think [artists and galleries] started moving in before then because of the beautiful surroundings and architecture." This is only part of the picture.

Thanet district and Kent county council plan to buy and refurbish around 300 properties with targeted investment on a street-by-street basis. This will particularly start to reverse the impact your report cited of "the handsome Victorian townhouse hotels in the Cliftonville area [which] were carved into bedsits".

[Ed. This is 19 Hawley Square, which Orbit has proposed carving into tiny 1 bed flats and a bedsit]

Our housing association owns more than 2,800 homes and is committed to providing 300 new affordable homes over the next seven years, as well as offering training and apprenticeship opportunities to local residents.

This partnership approach is part of a long-term regeneration strategy – in collaboration with local and central government agencies and private investment – which is set to revive Margate. Shopkeeper Tamburlaine Robb-John says in your article: "There are a lot of doubters in the town but I'm hoping it will be the start of the renewal." Margate's greatest asset is its people, who have a growing sense of optimism about the future of their town.

There are no quick fixes, it will take time. But don't write Margate off just yet. We know this once-great town can grow, thrive and eventually flourish. Visit Margate for yourself and you'll see the changes that have already taken place."

£2 million public money - demo in Pierremont Park

2011-03-02T16:56:00.002Z

I got this from over Broadstairs way:

" A demonstration against the cutting down of trees in a Broadstairs park has been organised for this Sunday 6^th March at 11am.

Twenty trees in Broadstairs' Pierremont Park are threatened with the axe in order to make way for a controversial new £2 million community centre in Broadstairs' historic Pierremont Park. Norman Thomas of pressure group, the Thanet Action Group, said there is huge anger among local people at the proposal. He said: "People are outraged by the whole idea. Pierremont is an incredibly small park – losing twenty trees will scalp the place."

The Trust who recently won planning permission to build the new centre have stated that they will replace the trees by planting semi-mature ones – but Mr Thomas denied this will be any compensation for the destruction proposed. "The only places the new plantings can take place will be in open ground used for games. They won't last five minutes. The council has given the go-ahead to nothing less than a desecration of one of Broadstairs' few remaining green public spaces. This isn't just an issue for Broadstairs," Mr Thomas added. "Thanet as a whole has lost vast numbers of trees and green spaces in recent years, mostly to private development. But this is being funded by our own councils – Broadstairs Town Council, Thanet District Council and Kent County Council – all putting our money into the destruction of a piece of much loved public space. This is environmental vandalism of the worse kind – committed by our elected representatives, with our money.

Anger over the new proposal has led to the revival of the Thanet Action Group, first set up to oppose the Westwood Cross shopping centre, of which Mr Thomas was one of the founding members. The demonstration will take place at 11am on Sunday 6^th March, with people meeting in the wooden shelter in the park. Mr Thomas said: "If possible, people should bring placards and ribbons to put round the trees, but above all anyone who wants to save our park should just come to make their voices heard."

More information – Norman Thomas, 01843 604253 THANET ACTION GROUP 11 Grosvenor Road, Broadstairs, KENT CT10 2BT

In the media: Turner Could be World Renowned

2011-03-02T09:19:00.012Z

An article from Kent News asks whether Turner will bring change to Margate.

But I wonder if these changes will really be driven by Turner or more a sign of the times.

Isn't it more the case that British Tourism is changing, as are the lives of the general population?

People now eat quality food at home, enjoy clean homes, sleep in good beds and linen and have nice bathrooms with hot running water and good showers. The tourism industry cannot offer people less than they have at home. They have a choice on where to visit. No longer do seaside resorts have a captive audience. And in the era of Trip Advisor, people find out about other people's bad experiences very quickly.

"Changing attitudes is perhaps the biggest challenge any politician, any opinion-maker, anywhere, faces.

Altering the way people live, interact and behave can rarely be achieved overnight, more often taking a generation to truly bed in.

After all, we all learn methods and modes of behaviour from our parents and grandparents. It takes them to change, to ensure the next generation alters its mindset too.

All of which brings us to what is being expected of the good folk of Thanet right now.

The arrival of the Turner Contemporary has long since split opinion, long since divided the local populace.

But whatever your view on it, a change in the way we act is being demanded.

However pessimistic many are about quite what its opening will mean, how successful, in the long term, it will prove, the one thing that is certain is that it will open the gates to a flood of visitors.

It is a genuine pivotal moment in Margate’s, in particular, history. But to ensure its opening benefits the whole area that different mindset is being required.

Tourism chiefs are urging a sea change in our approach to visitors. Taxi drivers are being required to be more cheerful and helpful, ditto owners of hotels and bed and breakfasts. Other attractions on the isle too are being urged to up their game.

The purpose? To ensure those people travelling to Margate for the first time to visit the art gallery head back down the Thanet Way feeling that they want to return. That they had a good day out and they want to come back and spend more time, and crucially money, in our area.

It makes good sense, after all. The local economy is in desperate need of a boost. To re-activate tourism as a major draw could transform our towns once again. But you don’t need telling that. That has long since been the mantra recited time and time again with every passing mention of the Turner’s arrival.

It would be so very easy, after all, to say that an art gallery cannot, alone, transform an area single-handedly. And the answer is, of course, that alone, it cannot. But it can provide the catalyst for change. Yet it is our attitudes which must change too. We must be open to the concepts of being more friendly, more welcoming. Of proving to visitors far and wide that where we live deserves far more recognition that simply being an area cited as the classic example of a once boom area in a terminal decline due to cheap flights and a changing populace brought about by a lack of local industry and cheaper house prices.

The reality is that if we all shrug our shoulders and say ‘come on Turner, you do all the hard work and we expect to see the changes’ it won’t happen. We’ll just be known as the declining seaside town which even turned its back on a golden opportunity too.

So let us all pull together for our mutual benefit. Let us all embrace the changes and give it a chance to transform our lives. A chance to bring visitors back to our towns, a chance to prove to retailers they should once again be in our town centres occupying empty shops, that this great, beautiful isle is worthy of praise and not patronising comments and sneers."

The Countess of Huntingdon's Burial Ground - Community Gardening Day, Sunday 20th March

2011-03-01T17:38:00.009Z

There will be a voluntary community gardening day on

Sunday March 20th from 12pm - 4pm.

Meet at the gated entrance to the site at the side of BT and the Post Office Sorting Office on Addington Square, Margate.

Google Map

The newly formed Friends Group invite the community to come and discover one of Margate's hidden gems. The day is being supported by TDC and Kent Wildlife Trust.

We need your help to bring this secret garden back to life. Help clear the site and get involved with the project for the future. There will be activities for kids and all the family.

Gloves and tools will be provided but please wear stout footwear and something warm

Free hot drinks and snacks round the fire. Food and drink also provided by "The Old Comrades” and their beloved "ELLIE" campervan

For more information contact:

thecountessofhuntingdons@gmail.com / 07932 713292

paul.pearce@kentwildlifetrust.org.uk / 07872 028947

The Friends of the Countess of Huntingdon's Burial Ground on Facebook. Please join us!

Download a PDF poster to distribute.

There will also be a planning meeting with elections for group officer positions on Friday March 4th at 7pm at The Harbour Cafe, The Parade, Margate.

Thank you TDC. Cliftonville Seafront is wonderfully clean

2011-03-01T16:16:00.003Z

I would like to offer heartfelt thanks to TDC and the cleaning team who have done such a great job in the last few days cleaning up Cliftonville Seafront. It's absoltely remarkable the difference it has made. Thank you TDC, Cllr Martin Wise and all the workers.

We hope it will be maintained and that funds can be found to install vandal proof dog poo bins and litter bins along that stretch. There are many bins placed at Minnis Bay, so one hopes that this could be replicated along this stretch in Cliftonville.

Margate the ideal spring break

2011-02-27T11:05:00.002Z

Margate is in the news as a recommended seaside get away.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/feb/26/spring-break-hotel-margate-devon

Escape to the seaside
When the Turner Contemporary gallery (turnercontemporary.org) opens in Margate on 16 April, it's set to do almost as much for the down-at-heel seaside resort as Tracey Emin has. After checking out the exhibitions, take a wind-blown stroll along the pier for a beer at the cafe at the end, then delve into the town's idiosyncratic attractions, such as the Shell Grotto (shellgrotto.co.uk) and the Mad Hatter's Tea Rooms(01843 232626). Book a night in one of the area's fabulous new boutique B&Bs, such as The Reading Rooms (01843 225 166,thereadingroomsmargate.co.uk, doubles from £135) with elegant white rooms in a Georgian townhouse, or stay along the coast in Whitstable at the gorgeous little Front Rooms (01227 282132, thefrontrooms.co.uk, with doubles from £99).

Camera Obscura events come to Margate - Candlelit tours of the Shell Grotto

2011-02-25T14:29:00.003Z

How exciting. A lovely series of events to come to Margate. As part of the international Obscura Day on the 9th of April, two Margate venues will be holding special events. Billed as:

"A day of expeditions, backroom tours, and hidden treasures in your hometown"

There will be events on at Substation:

On Obscura Day Limbo Arts will be opening its project space, housed in one of the first electrical substations to provide domestic power, for a one-day exhibition of photographs documenting locations in which extra-terrestrial and unexplained activity has been said to occur. This exhibition will be a pre-curser to Limbo’s upcoming program, "Art Lands On Alien Landscape".

The project space at the Substation appears to be in transition – gallery lighting and whitened walls with the imposing industrial structure of the room contrast with the transformers, rectifiers, and switchgear once stood. Taking our cue from this sense of transition we wish to use the space to explore liminality."

And The Shell Grotto:

Explore the mysterious Shell Grotto of Margate by candlelight.

The Shell Grotto is one of the world’s most mysterious places: a series of underground rooms and passageways covered by 2000sqft of exquisite shell mosaic. Discovered in 1835, nobody yet knows who created it, although there are many theories surrounding its origins. Is it a pagan temple? A meeting place for some secret cult? Since its accidental discovery visitors from all over the world have been intrigued by the beautiful mosaic and the unsolved mystery.

On Obscura Day come and explore the grottos mysteries by candlelight on four small group tours

More info:

http://atlasobscura.com/obscura-day

http://www.shellgrotto.co.uk/

http://www.limboarts.co.uk/

Do we want a 5 meter high Buoy on Margate Seafront?

2011-02-25T11:28:00.003Z

**DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS IS TODAY!**

**25th April**

This letter was sent to "Your Views Page" [Isle of Thanet Gazette | Thanet Times | Thanet Adscene]  

New camp for the old buoy?  

I've attended all the consultations possible on what should happen to regenerate the Margate seafront, in the run-up to the Turner opening. I don't remember anyone suggesting the need for a 5 meter high buoy on the roundabout, blocking the view of the sea as you come out of the station. So I can't understand how placing the buoy here could have got on the top 10 environmental improvements.  

The Gazette (11.02.2011) reports Councillor Martin Wise saying: "there are two camps of people in Margate -the art people and those that see it as a seaside town".

Perhaps the situation is a bit more complex.  For simplicity, I'll put myself in the camp of the seaside town believers. Resources should be dedicated to making the seaside more usable to the town. For example, the harbour needs to be dredged, getting rid of the stench of rotting seaweed. The bathing pools need to work, so people can swim in them safely. The mess on the seafront between Margate and Cliftonville needs to be cleared up. Facilities need to be installed so that swimmers can lock up their belongings while swimming, and shower afterwards.  The plan to place a useless buoy on the Tesco's roundabout proves there is a camp in Margate that is neither "seaside" nor "arty".  

Liam J. Nabb Hawley Square, Margate"

Placing the 5 metre buoy there will cost public money. We have not been told how much? But we have been told there are no funds for Margate Caves or Margate Museum and perhaps there are projects you know of that are more worthy. Should you wish to find out, you could ask your local Councillor. Should you wish to make YOUR views known, write immediately to planning.services@thanet.gov.uk or go to www.ukplanning.com/thanet and put the reference TH/11/0047 Land on the South Side of Marine Terrace. Remember, you need to add your name and postal address, or your comments are invalid.

Below are the comments submitted by the CAAG – Margate’s Conservation Area Advice Group

"This seems to be an inappropriate setting for modern industrial navigation aid.
Placing a massive buoy in this location will interrupt Margate's characteristic sea view that has greeted travellers since the Grade II Listed station was built.
The view of the listed Buenos Aires Terrace, as seen from all along the marine drive, will also be spoilt. The View of the station will also be interrupted. Including the view from the Turner Contemporary and the Stone Pier.- hardly a good idea in the run-up to the opening of the new gallery. Interrupting views of key listed buildings will have a detrimental effect on the Conservation Area.

The proposal does not preserve or enhance the appearance of the Conservation Area and therefore should be refused."

The old Lyon Tea Rooms and Pizza Hut building proposed to be flats

2011-02-21T18:19:00.004Z

The building at 40 High Street, used to be a Lyons Tea Room has a planning application to convert the whole building to residential flats. The applicant refers to this seafront side as 'the rear'. The last incarnation as a commercial entity was as the Pizza Hut. It seems a very shortsighted application with a loss of crucial commerical space that would be ideal as a restaurant.

40 High Street is to the left in this picture

The plans can be viewed and commented on at the website:

http://www.ukplanning.com/thanet

Application number: F/TH/11/0085

The applicant's Design Access Statement claims:

"All attempts at marketing the G/F A3 unit since March 2008 have failed...In essence, it is considered by the agents that at 59m2 the unit is too large to be viable. There is, however, a demand for smaller A3 units. In order to maximise the use of the building, it is therefore proposed that the G/F A3 unit be split into two parts: a new 2 bed flat to the rear facing the sea (accessed off the side stair serving the 1/F accommodation) and a new smaller A3 unit directly accessed from the HighStreet, using the existing entrance.

it should be noted that the majority of the properties along Marine Drive in the locality have residential usage at this floor level (i.e. 1/F level off Marine Drive). There is therefore a clear precendent for residential use...

The proposed works will turn a large vacant retail unit for which there is no market into a smaller more marketable retail unit and an attractive large residential unit."

At last a brighter future for 19 Hawley Square and The Theatre Royal

2011-02-16T08:15:00.003Z

Very good news for the Theatre Royal and for Hawley Square. The bid has moved forward for the Theatre to extend and hopefully acquire and renovate 19 Hawley Square.

Number 19 Hawley Square, was a handsome Grade II listed end of terrace Georgian building sitting on the corner of the square right next door to the wonderful Theatre Royal. Number 19 is owned and managed the housing association Orbit.

19 Hawley Square used to be the London Hotel and served the Theatre. In recent years 19 has, despite its listed status fallen into almost total dereliction in recent years. We understand the sizer of the flats proposed by Orbit fall below their own minimum space standards and makes the process of applying for planning permission a precursor to selling the building on with planning for flats.

Orbit came out with planning applications last winter to convert it to 13 1 bed flats and a bedsit with floor space of 26 square meters, no windows in hallways, kitchens and bathrooms and expecting people to walk refuse down a meandering corridors into the basement.

Plans can be viewed and downloaded from: www.ukplanning.com/thanet and searching for the application references:

11th January 2010 L/TH/09/1040

11th January 2010 F/TH/09/1047

24th June 2010 F/TH/10/0429

The proposal intended knocking down the Victorian addition in the garden, building over the entire garden with a full height mock Georgian extension to squeeze in the remaining flats. Just what Margate needs I hear you cry, more 1 bed flats too small to swing a cat in and in true bad old days tradition, a bedsit no less! Perhaps taking inspiration from Margate's bedsit tradition that the council are working to erradicate!

So let's hope this works out for the Theatre Royal who would really benefit from increased space and it would be a sustainable use for number 19.

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Theatre-reveals-application-lottery-money/article-3205130-detail/article.html

Be my valentine, Arlington House

2011-02-14T22:32:00.003Z

Before we get to the end of valentines day, we're squeezing in some love for one of Margate's most iconic buildings.

Arlington House isn't going to be knocked down. We think it is often misunderstood.

Happy Valentines, Arlington House. Some of us love you and we appreciate your finer points. Teak, brass and marble interiors anyone?

Designed by Russell Diplock Associates and built by Bernard Sunley, Arlington was a high spec building. No doubt some might question building such a thing on the seafront, as they do now regarding Tesco. But one thing is for sure, the specification of Arlington is not something the new Tesco seeks to emulate. You can't get rid of it, so why not enhance it? Do it justice, not try to erase it by covering it in guttering and plastic windows.

Happy valentines, Arlington House, from secret admirers.

Window sills that slope downwards that no water collects or birds can gain a footing. The new proposal will see the windows replaced with plastic, pushed out to the edge and guttering attached. Very little consideration has been spent on the refurbishment, it's first in its entire life.

Current planning permission application is available on UK planning. Search for application number: F/TH/10/1061

Last minute meeting called : Margate Museum's Future

2011-02-08T19:12:00.003Z

No idea why it was necessary to call such a last minute meeting in the afternoon midweek to discuss something as important as the future of The Margate Museum.

This came through from TDC's Sharon Sebastian on the ever confusing Creative Margate gmail address. That's Creative Margate (TDC, KCC, MRP) not Margate Creatives (the group of Margate based Creatives) btw.

I'm particularly worried by the suggestions to move the archive to Maidstone!

Margate Museum can hopefully get some force behind it like the Margate Caves group and take things forward. After all isn't this supposed to be the era of Big Society? Safeguarding the contents will be the first task.

"From: creativemargate@gmail.com
Dear All,

Further to our most recent conversation, you may be interested to hear that a meeting has been called by museum volunteer Christine Luck tomorrow afternoon at 2.00pm in Margate Museum.
This will provide an opportunity to continue the discussion started on the 24^th January (notes of which are attached). [I've pasted it below to save you opening a Word doc. Ed].
Many Thanks
Sharon Sebastian
--
How can we best utilise Margate Museum? Notes of a Meeting held at Winter Gardens Jan 24th 2011
Conversation initiated by Christine Luck
Notes taken by Sarah Wren

Museum closed for 2 years due to resources
Now being opened occasionally by volunteers
Use the ‘youth cult’ theme? Eg the clothes of youth cults displayed in the museum
Is the museum the right building – is it DDA compliant? Is it the right place for historic archive – space for research?
Current building connected to Margate’s past
Is the current building fit for purpose?
How do we engage people with the museum eg artist in residence
Need to look at the museum in a new way – not about stuff in cases
Paper-based archive is currently poorly stored/taking up too much space
Picture archive owned by council - remove from museum and store elsewhere or sell them?
Need to work out which parts of the collection could be interactive or are too precious to handle. Use other techniques - video, new display methods, need a donation box.
Margate Museum Trust – this the starting point?
What about resources for insurance, heating, staff etc.? £3 per head not going to cover costs.
Need a new model of finance / operation – look at current good practice
One museum for Thanet?
Archive – move to Maidstone/KCC or to Whitfield? Is this too far to go?
Annual themes – manageable/achievable
Estimate £1m to re-build current building. Big commitment.
HLF bid? Who writes the bids – the new Trust??

Do guerrilla stuff/events that build support/engagement and underpin the need to raise funds (eg calls for submissions that bring the exhibitions to life).
Can we put an extension on the current building?
Need a designer to design the space?
How do we resolve the current lease issue etc? Being restored in April 2011?
Real issue with funding. Only income generator is archives.
How can we utilise Margate museum?

We all want the Museum open
Secondary considerations – What is the content? Is the current building appropriate? Where does the archive go?

Next steps: Set up trust
Guerrilla projects to create/generate interest
Fund raise – duty to trust
Turner Contemporary opens on 16^th April 2011 – can we set up Trust by then??"

Friends of Margate Caves website is go!

2011-02-08T18:55:00.003Z

How fabulously fast these good people have worked to get a website up and running and also fully constituted. Check out: http://www.margatecaves.co.uk

We also received this info from the group:

"Please circulate to anyone whom you think would be interested in the future of the Caves.

Good evening everyone,

Over the past three weeks, I've been struck by the number of people I've met who have enduring, visceral and tangible memories of being inside the Margate Caves. I've met people who've returned to Margate/Cliftonville to live and who visited the caves every time they came to Margate/Cliftonville as children on holiday and even now still regret their closure in 2006. The scientific, geological, historical and cultural heritage of the Caves needs to be conserved and it is because of this that I am forwarding the following information from the Friends of the Margate Caves.

A message from the newly formed "Friends of Margate Caves"--
Thanet District Council has submitted a Planning Application to build houses on part of the Margate Caves site. The community reaction to this application has led to the formation of "The Friends of MargateCaves" (FOMC).

The FOMC have two aims:

• To safeguard the Margate Caves and gain recognition for the heritage site as one of national interest and importance

• To re-open Margate Caves as a prominent, popular, public amenity for the benefit of all who visit or reside in Margate/Cliftonville/Thanet

There’s strength in numbers so please join us! We’ll send you regular email updates on the latest Caves news and FOMC activities. Simply email info@margatecaves.co.ukwith Please make me a friend in the subject line.

The website for FRIENDS OF MARGATE CAVES is now up and running. Please consider leaving your comments, suggestions, memories and a donation to the FOMC www.margatecaves.co.uk

The Friends welcome any and all contributions. The issue of building houses on the Caves site has been simmering for a while and despite assurances that the plans were on hold, everyone has been amazed to see that very recently TDC cleared the land, chopped down tree(s) and poured concrete to seal off the main entrance to the Caves.

The current TDC planning application flies in the face of the results of its own Margate Caves Consultation (2009). Over 90% of respondents opposed the sale and development of the site. Specific concerns voiced included infilling of any part of the Caves and the potential loss of a tourist attraction for the town. Representations included one from Margate Civic Society and a petition of 2,592 signatures.

The Caves are an important and fascinating part of our area's tourism offer. Their potential worth is far greater than that of seven poorly-designed houses, which would be built immediately adjacent to a conservation area. With Margate on the brink of a bright new tourism future, FOMC believe that this is an ill-conceived proposal that will extinguish any hope of the Caves being re-opened as a tourist attraction.

If you would like to read the application, you should go to:

http://www.ukplanning.com/thanet

and search for application number: F/TH/10/0546

If you would like to object to the application, click the "Comment on Application" button.

You will need to complete your name and address. Then click Object to the proposal.

There is also a Save the Caves Facebook Group"

Spread the word!

Nice article on Turner and Margate from Will Gompertz at the BBC

2011-02-07T17:28:00.003Z

"Margate doing a Bilbao

The sun was brilliant, the light fantastic, and there I stood in amongst it. At the end of last week while others toiled under leaden skies, I'd taken off for brighter climes.
You have to travel to find such locations, where sun and sea unite to reveal colours that are normally hidden. And I had travelled. To the place that Turner loved more than most, for the light it gives (and for his host): a place where the French would visit and mingle with other metropolitans who too were "en vacance". Not that I expected to see them on my trip, but I hoped the sun might shine.
And it did: in buckets and spades. But then, that's Margate for you.
Admittedly it's a town that has been struggling with its image of late. Once a popular seaside resort, many holidaymakers now consider it a last resort. They say cheap flights and package holidays did her in, but Brighton, Hastings and North Berwick are all doing okay. The truth is Margate went out of fashion and stayed there. And without the free-spending tourists to put a smile on her face, she became depressed, which was bad because nobody wants to holiday with a misery.
So in an attempt to cheer the old port up, the council have "done a Bilbao". That is built a funky modern art gallery in the hope that fortune will favour a brave contemporary design. It's a bold move, but is it a wise one?
Yes.

Turner Contemporary, as the David Chipperfield-designed building is known, is a success inside and out. But then what would you expect from one of the world's most gifted living architects, who on Wednesday evening will pick up the highly-prized RIBA Gold Medal at a ceremony held in his honour. You only have to look at his portfolio of cultural projects on his website to know the man and his practice would create something special. Which they duly have while delivering the Holy Grail for any art-gallery-as-urban-regeneration-project: and that is a building you'd travel to see regardless of what it contains."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/willgompertz/2011/02/margate_doing_a_bilbao.html

The state of the seafront from Margate Harbour down to Palm Bay

2011-02-06T18:20:00.004Z

slipway to the seafront

I have long been distressed at the state of the seafront walkway from behind the Harbour in Margate down to Palm Bay. It is a disgrace. It also doesn't appear to get cleaned at all. I went down over a few days and photographed the same dog crap, broken glass and litter that just didn't get cleared up. There are also hardly any bins to speak of and some people have started rigging up their own by tying up carrier bags on the railings at the entrance to the slipways that take you up to the main road at the top by the Lido. These unfortunately end up bursting with dog crap and just left hanging there. Which leads me to question:

What is the cleaning rota for this public walkway?

Why are there so few dog poo bins?

Is this part of the Viking Trail? If yes, this is a disgrace? There is a sign directing the Viking Trail users to divert down to this stretch of seafront while works are being undertaken at Turner. So are we really directing tourists and visitors down this stretch of seafront?

Don't get me wrong, this bit of coastline is magnificent and it should be one of our best assets. Visitors to the area are walking along here to Broadstairs. Isn't it shameful that they have to navigate 20 minutes of filth before they get to North Foreland?

How much nicer wouldn't it be for the user of the jet ski, Palm Bay if this stretch of seafront was maintained?

Can we really be serious that we'd rather spend money on hoardings for private properties along Margate seafront, or paint the lighthouse stripes and place large maritime buoys on the roundabout in front of the station (more info to come on this later)? This area deserves to be just as well maintained as the seafront at Birchington along to Minnis Bay. We will never increase all round family usage of this area if it left in such a mess.

I'm going to continue to photograph this area to see how long it takes for it to be cleaned.

broken glass left for days

walkway behind the Lido littered with dog poo and glass

The view from the Lido to Walpole Bay

The walkway next to the Lido

Behind the Lido

Dirty beach at The Lido