Friends of Margate Caves website is go!

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

"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

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

Margate Conservation Area Advisory Group praised in new English Heritage publiction

English Heritage have published a new publication: Valuing Places: Good Practice in Conservation.

Our very own Margate CAAG gets a mention as well as a nifty picture of TDC Conservation Officer Louise Dandy and Margate Renewal Partnership's Derek Harding gets a mention too. Check out section 4, page 12.

Ironically, the feature centers on the newly created Dalby Square Conservation Area. But soon after it was designated there was all the hoo-hah over the loss of the green space at the top end of the square to not very nicely designed houses.

The publication is available as a pdf to download from here:
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/valuing-places/

Plans for Arlington and Tescos

Plans are now online for Tesco's at Arlington. You can view at TDC's offices or online at UK Planning.

http://www.ukplanning.com/thanet

Search under the application number:

F/TH/10/1061

The plans are quite big so might be better to view in hardcopy. I'll comment back when I've looked in more detail.

In the meantime, TDC's press dept released a joyous press release about the site. No mention of the impact on local businesses, traffic, visual impact of such a huge store in close proximity to Margate's main asset, the main sands. Let's not forget the impact of supermarkets on towns.

http://www.cabe.org.uk/news/supermarket-led-development

"Hannah.Thorpe@thanet.gov.uk>

Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 10:50 AM
Subject: Plans in for new superstore in Margate

Plans have been submitted for a new retail superstore next to Arlington
House in Margate.

The application is for a superstore, which would be built on the
existing car park. A total of 409 new parking spaces would be provided
at the ground floor level, with the store located above. Because the
shopping area is at the first floor level, the building includes a large
front lobby to enable customers to get to the store, and a raised
platform for lorry deliveries. Neither of these are usually required
with ground floor stores.

The shopping area of the store is similar in size to the existing Tesco
at Manston Road, Ramsgate. In total, including delivery areas and the
entrance lobby, the store would be 7,565 square metres.

The store is expected to bring 300 jobs to the area, according to
information submitted as part of the application.

The application also includes improvements to Arlington House,
including new windows, repairing and treating the concrete panels, new
lighting and a roof canopy on top of the building. The existing retail
units in Arlington Square would be demolished and replaced with new
shops, cafes, restaurants or bars, with a hotel above. The ground floor
of Arlington House would become either shops, a cafe, restaurant, bar or
community facility such as a doctor's surgery.

Details of the application are available on the council's website using
UK Planning under reference number 10/1061. The plans can also be viewed
by visiting Thanet's Gateway Plus in Cecil Street, Margate from 9am to
6pm, Monday to Friday, with extended opening until 8pm on Thursdays.
Thanet's Gateway Plus is also open from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.

The deadline for comments to be received is 28 February 2011. Comments
should be sent to planning.services@thanet.gov.uk The application will
be considered by the council’s Planning Committee in spring 2011.

ENDS



Hannah Thorpe
Corporate Communications and Marketing Officer
Thanet District Council
www.thanet.gov.uk
Direct Dial: 01843 577120
Fax: 01843 296866"

Pfizer's closure comes as a big blow

Oh bugger. Pfizer's research center in Sandwich closing comes as a big blow for the area. Others have covered it better than I can.

http://bignewsmargate.blogspot.com/2011/02/pfizer-withdrawal-will-reduce-east-kent.html

So what's that big road for that they're constructing out to Pfizer?

Other places in the world also suffered when Pfizer pulled out. Such as New London Conneticut The now infamous case went all the way to the US Supreme Court Kelo v City of New London was a landmark case. In the end Pfizer left a desert in it's wake after they then pulled out of the area.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/pfizer-deserts-its-monument-corporate-welfare

Perhaps we should also be wary of jobs promised at the airport and whatever happened to the number of jobs that Thanet Earth would bring or China Gateway for that matter.

Margate & Cliftonville praised for work on Conservation Areas

Nice to see some praise coming Margate's way. I was a founder member of the Margate Conservation Area Advisory Group.The wonderful sounding CAAG. Hopefully the roll out of Conservation Areas in Cliftonville will help to preserve some of its fine buildings and green spaces. We meet once per month.

Do get in touch if you would like to know more about the group or get involved.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-12333146

"A seaside town in Kent has been praised by a conservation body for its attempts to preserve its historic character.

English Heritage (EH) said Cliftonville in Margate should be seen as a benchmark of conservation success.

It said volunteers had worked with the district council to set up a conservation area and make "dramatic improvements".

Derek Harding, a director at Margate Renewal Partnership, said preserving its character attracted investment.

He said: "Much of the historic townscape of Cliftonville is intact. The quality, scale and setting of the buildings present some real opportunities."

The town is singled out in a new English Heritage guide called Valuing Places: Good Practice in Conservation Areas.

The report said one in 13 of England's 10,000 conservation areas were threatened by neglect and decline."