Saturday, November 24, 2007

Regeneration In Action

At least the flowers are getting a lift over on Ramsgate's less salubrious West Cliff. About the only thing that has for years!

7 comments:

Michael Child said...

Not the first time the lift has given cause for concern, when first installed in 1928 it had no alarm bells, escape hatch or ladder. All had been included in the architects design but somehow got left out by the builder, something not noticed by the council.

There was a council meeting about it that got very heated, one councillor refused to withdraw calling another a liar.

I took some pictures of water after the recent heavy rainfall to make a point to an engineer about the likelihood of a cliff collapse in Ramsgate http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/water/ the two pictures, first and last, of the trapped pools of water on the cliff top are adjacent to the 1947 collapse site http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/collapse/ you will notice the lift is shown in both sets of pictures.

Anonymous said...

Michael

Nothing new in history then ?

When Ramsgate's new Sports Centre had its opening ceremony in recent years I understand that the Fire Brigade were called during the proceedings because the wheelchair friendly lifts halted and stopped mid journey.

I was interested in setting up a weightlifting for disabled club in Thanet. I looked at the new Ramsgate facility. And I queried how it could have got past fire precautions. Was it that the balcony, from the upstairs gym, had been classified as an area Fire Brigade could reach within half hour ?

Exit from first floor appeared to be by way of two stairways with no ramp.

Yet they claimed to have designed an disabled friendly gym !!

There was no argument from the council who suggested I look instead at Hartsdown. I made a visit and sent the councillor photos including one of the gym attendant leaning out a rampless fire exit doorway having a crafty fag. The very role model for a healthy gym and swim lifestyle.

TDC seemed so wedded to the idea that TADSAD does such a good job that some sort of award was suddenly produced for the TDC TADSAD man if I recall.

At the time of querying the new sports centre fire precautions I also queried whether it was correct that the TDC core funded Maritime Trust had been operating Ramsgate museum without proper fire precautions and whether their premises had just been picked up by a KFB officer ?

Funny how sometimes you get no answers.

Anonymous said...

Michael

I should add (re no answers on health and safety and ethics questions) that I obtained a witness statement re holocaust denial lectures delivered to pan European pseudo military cadet units in a marquee at the 1999 War and Peace Show.

A copy of the statement was sent to Lord Greville Janner and the organiser of War and Peace, Rex Cadman, was also written to.

I gained the impression that the Invicta Military Preservation Society (Rex Cadman)subsequently (or consequently) withdrew sponsorship of the Thanet based pseudo military cadet group "Kent Adventure Training Corps".

I believe that TDC or Charter Trustees stopped public grant to Kent Adventure Training Corps. I don't know if it has been re-instated.

Worryingly it was not just me whom TDC and Thanet Police refused to give information. It was also the KCC Youth Affiliation Officer who was kept in the dark.

Little Weed said...

Looking at Michaels pictures, I wondered how long the 'temporary fencing' was left in place

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of the smuggling ring run by Geoff Capes in the 1970's. Despite me writing personally to Ted Heath, Mr Capes was still permitted to promote his sordid trade via "The World's Strongest Man".

Richard Eastcliff said...

What has all that got to do with the lift? If you want to ramble, please do it in the countryside!

Michael Child said...

Couldn’t agree with you more Richard, I find it puts one off continuing to discuss what the thread is supposed to be about. For those of you actually interested in Ramsgate’s lifts Terry Wheeler has produced an excellent publication on the subject, a snip at £2.25 from your local bookshop