Thursday, June 07, 2007

Up The Front

Thanet Adscene's front page lead today is: Life Changed By A Rhino. No, no, sorry, that's just the ad wrapper extolling the virtues of some kind of Davros undercarriage...

No, the actual front page screams: A Beautiful New Front. And the front they're talking about isn't Dolly Parton impersonator Mandy Winters's either. It's jolly old Ramsgate! Apparently we're about to get a massive £1.5m injection up our front, which will be used to repair some of the 215 listed properties we have in this area over the coming five years. Of course, I shall be applying for a grant to spruce up the old cliff top mansion, a few Gs should do it.

We were told a year ago that the Heritage Lottery Fund was giving us a load of dosh, and Margate and Boredstares got their handouts way back when Cockie was an egg, so this announcement, if it's approved at tonight's council meeting, is a tad overdue but nonetheless welcome.

I don't know. What with the prospect of repairs to our crumbling cliff, the library being rebuilt, and now this, I might have to hang up my computer and retire.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh! don't do that! Whatever would we do without you? Anyway you should know from past experience that just because we are told something is going to happen doesn't mean it will. PIgs might fly!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Why don't we have a fest to paint the horrible fence around the Pleasurama site if we've got to put up with it for a n other year?

Anonymous said...

Painting the fencing is a commendable idea but it would result in TDC amending their noticeboard to "Phase Two" ?

Anonymous said...

And changing their logo from the one before last to the one before the current one.

Anonymous said...

TDC may have logo envy now though. If the Olympics can have a logo which causes epilepsy ....

I hear that TDC approached the College of Heraldry for a Coat of Arms reflecting the history for the site.

Swan Vestas Rampant

Motto Godd en Country

Anonymous said...

On the subject of antient texts and so forth

Don't the Knights Templar degree, before perambulating about the Masonic Lodge in contemplation, swear to defend God en country against the Turks and The Moores ?

That's what is needed there. A Mosque. A Bazaar. And a Turner Centre annexe.

Anonymous said...

Richard don’t know if you know this but we have another years delay.

After a considerable number of attempts I managed to speak to the architect who is now working on the Pleasurama development, Steve Wood of PRC Fewster Architects.

He told me that the intention now is for Thanet District Council to repair the cliff in the autumn (2007) and for the development to start next year (2008) the car park is being redesigned to allow for maintenance access to the cliff, he said it would now be even smaller.

There will be no pile driving involved in the construction now, the foundations for a concrete framework will be augured.

He told me that the height of the ceiling of the car park is slightly in excess of 4 meters, which although it won’t he high enough to admit larger lorries it should be sufficient.

I asked him about the flood and storm provisions, he was unable to give me the height of the car park above datum or the expected flood level. When I expressed my concerns he said he would take them up with the civil engineers.

He also told me that the revised plans should appear soon, Steve Wood is not the original architect and told me he was not familiar with the history of the plans, although the firm he works for PRC Fewster Architects did produce the original plans.

I am very concerned that neither the council officers nor the cabinet members have publicised the fact that the development is to be delayed for yet another year. I am also concerned that no effort is being made to tidy up the site for the summer season, something I have repeatedly asked for since 2004.

I am also posting this on other blogs spaming ayone I can think of publishing it on the internet at http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/tdc/ where I will publish any replies unless they ask me not to.