Crikey! I see our glorious leader Sandy Beach has written a joint letter in today's Times (that's The Times, not the Thanet Times) with that ruddy-faced man from Kent County Council!It follows a row over seaside regeneration that's been rumbling on in the Thunderer's letters pages ever since Weston-super-Mud's pier burnt down last month. On Tuesday Ramsgate DFL Steve Higgins had a scathing letter published complaining of a 'total disregard for the town’s heritage by its rulers, Thanet District Council', which even attracted a comment from Plain Simon, viz:
As a local councillor and Margate Charter Trustee, I can assure readers that every effort is being made to preserve local heritage and local history. The council can encourage development and new projects but it can't dictate what should take place on what is often privately owned property.
Not unless the council's 'privately owned' too, eh Simon? Now Sandy and the R-FM have waded in with their size 12s and the paper has, er, ironically illustrated their missive with a photo of long-gone Dreamland's long-gone Looping Star:
Sir, Contrary to Steve Higgins’s letter, there is a lot going on to improve Kent’s coastal towns — you only need to look at Whitstable as a successful example. Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs have received heritage lottery funds to restore Victorian buildings to their former glory and Pugin’s Grange on the cliff top at Ramsgate has been renovated recently. We will soon be starting work on the building for Turner Contemporary, designed by the Stirling Prize-winner David Chipperfield etc etc blah blah yackety schmack blah
(As an added bonus, there's a letter on the same page from a Mr Anthony Hodges of Broadstairs who's counted the number of red traffic lights he's encountered recently. And you wonder why they call it Boredstares.)
Anyhoo, this got me wondering how many of our super-duper attractions we've lost on the island since our beloved council came into being on 1 April (I kid you not) 1974. Let's make a definitive list, eh? Just click on the comments link below to add your two pennorth!
20 comments:
to start
marina restaurant (died 2008)
pleasurama (1998)
pav/casino (2008)
thanet shopping outside of Westwood Cross (2007)
Well although not necessarily the councils fault (although they could have helped save it!).......
The Classic Cinema (Now an Iceland Supermarket!) It was a wonderful place.
The Motor Museum
The Royal Pavilion
(neither completely gone but definately going)
Cliftonville Lido
West Cliff lift Ramsgate
Nero's
-most of the public toilets
-the pier & the sun-decks at Walpole Bay and Palm Bay - (ok an act of nature but did they attempt to rebuild them)
-Margate caves
-Dream land - (of course)
-Ramsgate Lido
-Dreamland cinema
-Ramsgate Cinema
-Margate highstreet (the undead equivalent of shopping experiences)
-Ramsgate model village
-Manston air show
and the outspan car that turned up at every carnival
All the illuminations
Skinheads
Ramsgate's scenic tunnel railway
I question the bit saying can't do much about those buildings in private ownership - what about all the buildings TDC own that they are flogging off by auction this week
I love the way he sites Whitstable as a successful seaside town , that is because you were no where near it Sandy , and a local businessman Mr Green of the tile business got the Oyster restaurant going again and put it on the map. Our local business men are too busy lining their own pockets to care about the areas future.
The Grange survived and was restored by English Heritage and the Landmark Trust both smart operators, if TDC had had anything to do with it , it would now be a chinese knocking shop or more executive style flats, for Tiny Terry to bang out.
The greyhound track
Margate Pier and the Sundeck
I'd forgotten to mention the old Marina Swimming Pool!
Should we include the screw up they have added if so the list should also include.
1. The Western undercliff lorry Park
2. A nature reserve (Pegwell Bay) on a leaking rubbish tip.
3. The most polluted towns in Kent.
Having read the KCC/TDC article it is very clear that both gentlemen do not have a clue what the real person in the street has to deal with - and its perfectly clear that TDC and KCC could not care!!!
Don't forget the international hoverport at Pegwell Bay. Built on spoil from the Kent coal mines, it was the first of its kind - and now a major pollution threat because the spoil is 'leaking' from what's left behind.
On the bright side the council claims to have reduced the number of rat outbreaks in Thanet - or have even the rats had enough and decamped elsewhere?
What has the Margate cinema got to do with the council? It closed because it was making no money because it was out of date. I am not a fan of the council but facts etc.
how about supporting the vandalism of the only royal harbour in the country - by allowing and encouraging the growth of KIA to 10mm passengers a year, this unique place will have a 737 or bigger flying over every 7 minutes for 18 hours a day if Infratil, Paul Carter and Sandy get their way.
Coming to us all by 2020.
whitstable. As nice as it is, its a town predominantly with its back to an estuary. hardly a coastal town, and in reality a few nice restaurants and over-inflated house prices don't make a council success.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the town have to fight tooth and nail to stop a supermarket being built on the quayside until late last year? Only because the whole townm signed a pettition did planning get revoked. They failed to add that line to its success story.
Then of course in Whitstable you have the two-tier economy - one price for locals and another, much higher price for the DFLs. Applies to all kinds of retail and services I hear.
what has the council got to do with margate cinema? - planning permission for Vue at WWX.
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