Flat Rate In Margate

I thought I'd tool off to the smoke (London) today to grab myself a property bargain in the smoke (Margate)! All sorts of flats and houses in the Arsonist's Playground are going at knock down prices courtesy of Allsops the auctioneers, who are, er, flogging it at the Cumberland Hotel today and Thursday. Click here for the Margate sale list.

Flats start with a guide price of £25,000-£30,000, and apparently the entire freehold is up for grabs on that lovely, refurbed Royal York Mansions on the Piazza (Parade in old money). There's more about it on the excellent Margate Architecture blog.

I must say that, having been on a bit of a bender in Margate with some millionaire chums over the weekend, things definitely seemed to be looking up. For the first time in living memory, the number of private vehicles going up and down Fart Hill actually outnumbered the cop cars!

Update: Margate Architecture has now published the results of the auction. Click here to view.

Assets Under The Hammer

Sold! For £370,000 to the man in the trilby hat and sheepskin coat standing at the back. And may I say, sir, you've got a bargain. The deeds will be with you as soon as your brown envelope is deposited behind the the third cistern from the left at Ramsgate station.

Thanks to everyone who bid in my online auction of Albion House. We can all take comfort, I think, in the knowledge that the money will be going towards helping the isle's disabled lead more active and fulfilling lives, once a small, er, commission has been taken to carpet my office and double glaze the old cliff top mansion.

Thanks, too, for the hundreds of emails I've received following yesterday's item about the swinging member of Thanet Council. One particular name keeps cropping up, but as I've said before, unless they've hopped it to Panama or killed a kitten, what our elected officials get up to, perfectly legally, in their private lives really doesn't concern me.

East Of The Wantsum

Here's this week's East of the Wantsum (click it to big it). A slightly premature ejoculation, as the results of the public inquiry into our beloved Thanet Council's sell-off of the Montefiore site was still ongoing as the Gazunder went to press.

In fact much more heat has been generated in today's paper concerning Ramsgate Town Council's decision to abandon the sinking ship that is Albion House and decamp to the newly-renovated Custom House on the harbour. The red brick edifice has recently been tarted up by Neath Properties, who, according to the Gazunder, are the same people who brought you the, er, 'redevelopment' of our Grade II listed Marina Restaurant. Not only that, but they got grant money from the Ramsgate Seafront Townscape Heritage Initiative Scheme for the Custom House scheme. And now they'll have a guaranteed rental from the public purse.

Don't get me wrong, they seem to have made a much better job of the Custom House than they did of the Marina Restaurant. But should they really be rewarded for their previous abysmal efforts with our taxpayers' sponds?

Anyone For Tennis?

Just a quick reminder that today sees the start of the Montefiore tennis courts inquiry at Albion House, here in the Ms' P. Campaign group HOOT (Hands Off Our Tennis Courts) is hoping to overturn a decision by Thanet Council to flog the facility to developers by having the tennis courts designated a village green, one of four such applications currently under consideration around the isle. The poor HOOTers have had to prepare all their evidence themselves, whilst the council has gone to great lengths to ensure even more taxpayers' moolah is wasted by hiring a barrister.

Of course, Albion House itself is also in the process of being sold off by the jurassic junta, begging the question of where future inquiries into asset sales would be held once all the assets have been sold. Er... Anyway, the inquiry's public, so do feel free to pop along. Or if you're trundling past in the old jalopy, why not give a honk for HOOT??!!! Let's hope it's game, set and match to them!

Click here for HOOT website

Flog It!

I've received a few emails regarding the council's asset-flogging meeting later today. I could moan on about selling the family silver (Albion House), or the bollocks they've made of negotiating with the leaseholder of the dilapidated Coach House in Northdown Park, a former TDC councillor.

But I won't. I'll just give you the link to the council's latest assets update, and let you make your own minds up!

Click here for TDC assets update