Saturday, March 29, 2008

Fency That!

Oh dear. I think the hangover's beginning to kick in. That must be the worst pun yet. Anyway, moving swiftly on... Regular contributor Samantha writes:

I heard that the council was going to do something about the dreadful eyesore-cum-flytip-cum-toilet round the back of Granville Court in Ramsgate, so I was pleasantly surprised when several Mears vans turned up in the pouring rain yesterday. However, once the workmen had gone I was shocked to see that all they had done was put up yet more temporary fencing in true Thanet Council style.

When will our council properly get to grips with these problems? What they have done is the equivalent of putting up barbed wire around a dog turd and saying: 'Job done!' I attach some photos for your blog.

Well, I must say that I prefer the more salubrious sobriquet 'barker's nest', Samantha. But I take your point.

Before Thanet Council's clean-up operation

After Thanet Council's clean-up operation

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh! No not more Heras fencing!

Anonymous said...

Has anyone looked up (no not at the Oasis 747) but up at the new part of the Granville building...be careful if you do, you may get a slatefull - or is that an eyeful of slate the whole roofs parting company by the look of it.

Anonymous said...

Yes I noticed that too. Broken slates on the pavement. They've got a 10 year NHBC guarantee though so let's hope they notice the rain coming through their ceilings in less than the six years it's got left to run.

Anonymous said...

Good to see they found a use for that fencing off the west cliff, I understand the locals have become rather fond of it.

yogi bear said...

The sale of the plot seems to have been withdrawn.

http://www.wardandpartners.co.uk/auctions/auction-details/lot-details/?LotID=536

Anonymous said...

Seen a lot of rats on that site and I understand surrounding properties are being affected.

Anonymous said...

Are the rats leaving the sinking ship?

I believe they are of the genus Ratus Ratus and are a protected species (much like TDC) so therefore no development can take place "lets Heras for the rats"!!!

Anonymous said...

Dear ECR. Some more awful pun suggestions for future fence related behaviour:
'More Offencive behaviour'
'It's simply HERAS..see!' and finally...
'Best defence is a fence'

I'll get my coat.

Anonymous said...

What on earth are you dear people moaning about over on the south side? This 'heras' stuff is at least 'temporary' if you allow for 3 years or so. TDC is in the process of putting up eyesores by the kilometre around allotments all over the Isle which will be with us in 50 years time! You might have our friend the brown rat(Ratus ratus) up on the Eastcliff but rumour has it that there might be Meles meles over in Dane Valley allotments holding up work! It says something about the state of the allotment site if nobody knew! Looking at parts of the Dane Valley Allotments one might be tempted to say that TDC is fencing in similar derelict and rubbish strewn land to the pictures here, but permanently!

yogi bear said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Meles meles - the Eurasian Badger. So the question is: Thanet Allotments - TB or no TB?

yogi bear said...

Part of the reason the Dane Valley allotment site is so unkempt in parts is that half or more of the plots are empty. This is because many people cannot put up with having their hard work and money wasted time after time by repeated vandalism, and so they give up. Hopefully the fence will put a stop to that and the site will become well used and better kept.
Sorry if it offends your eye but the vandalism affects many peoples wallet and state of mind.
Perhaps you would prefer no fence,therefore no takers, therefore, no allotments, therefore housing development..

yogi bear said...

Latest vandalism at Dane Valley alotments.

Last night (Saturday) a number of sheds were broken into and vandalised including a new metal shed for the School for the Deaf. Green house smashed.
The fence is not completed.

Michael Child said...

Sue thanks for the Granville details, what a shame they haven’t gone for retaining the original style of the building as they did when they rebuilt the font part. It’s very strange with modern building design these plans are less than four years old and yet they already had a slightly dated and jaded look to them.

Head, SMEG said...

sue, do you know how much the allotment fening is costing over the island? £750k apparantly. Allotment holders time is priceless, but thats a lot of rhubarb vandals have got to kick over to make it that money well spent.

yogi bear said...

You don't get it. This money has come from a sale of an allotment site worth £4.5 million. The council has a legal responsibility under the Allotment Act to improve allotments across the island using as much of this money as it takes. We want the whole lot spent on allotments actually.

Anonymous said...

Bollocks to the allotments. When's this bloody Granville eyesore going to be sorted out?

Head, SMEG said...

sue, for £4.5mm you could employ a chunk of Thanets unemployed to turn your soil over for you.

You could refit albion house, or the pavillion in Ramsgate for half that

Anonymous said...

Sue - I think that you and i are the only people amongst Thanet bloggers who understand the work that goes into allotments, the fact that money was raised specifically to improve them and the total lack of respect for us by everyone else

yogi bear said...

It would appear so.

Anonymous said...

So, I guess we can say that the £4.5 million obtained from the sale of another allotment site is 'ring-fenced'.

(With apologies for the pun).

Fred

yogi bear said...

Hehe. Definitely.

Head, SMEG said...

The money was raised by the sale of an allotment site. Should that be spent solely to other allotment holders, or shared amongst other community projects?