Thanet Greens & Abolition of Kent County Council

Thanet Greens welcome the emerging debate about the future of Kent County Council (KCC). In collaboration with community organisations, residents and business groups, and other political parties, we will play a full and active role in developing ideas for a new system of government which might ultimately replace KCC.

For many years Greens have argued that KCC is too large and unwieldy and lacks any real connection and accountability to the people it serves. We believe that local government should, by definition, be based as close to its electors as possible.

This is why we think it’s sensible for Thanet District Council to join with Dover or Canterbury councils to create a unitary authority covering a population of 250,000 – 300,000 people; rather than setting up an East Kent super council comprising of Shepway, Dover, Thanet and Canterbury councils to serve over 700,000 people, as favoured by both Labour and the Tories. Mega-councils on this scale would be just as inaccessible, out of touch and unwieldy as KCC.

In any event the Greens will be arguing for a referendum so that the people can decide for themselves what form of government will replace KCC, rather than having what might be an unpopular or unworkable system imposed from above by Kent’s political elite.

Thanet Greens also believe that if there is to be a fundamental restructuring of local government in Kent, the new councils created by this process should be elected on the basis of proportional representation ensuring that everybody’s vote really counts. We believe that the voting age for these new council should be reduced to 16 and that the new councils are run by a cross party committee system rather than the uncountable, secretive, single party Cabinet systems of governance which are a sad feature of most of Kent’s Town Halls.

Thanet Greens believe that the abolition of old fashioned, out of touch KCC could herald a modern, dynamic system of local government in Kent which could be the envy of the rest of the country.

Labour's Manston Mind Change Opens Way to Red/ Green Collaboration?

Thanet Greens warmly welcome the TDC Labour Group’s decision to drop its support for the compulsory purchase of Manston Airport.

 

We are delighted that the Labour Group now agrees with the Greens that a mixed commercial, leisure and residential development on the former airport site is better for the people of Thanet, and better for Thanet's economic and environmental well-being, than its use as a polluting airport, even if running it as such was a realistic possibility.

 

In light of this very encouraging and positive decision, we invite Thanet Labour to -
 

• Work with Thanet Greens to build on our existing positive relationship with Stone Hill Park management, to ensure that the development of the former Manston Airport is economically beneficial, environmentally friendly and sustainable.
• Review its position on the environmentally damaging Thanet Parkway Station, and work with us to oppose this development and promote sustainable alternatives.
• Work in partnership with Thanet Greens to develop a response to the forthcoming Thanet Local Plan which will protect and enhance Thanet's environment and promote sustainable development in the district, to provide a legacy for our children and grandchildren.

 

 

 

 

Thanet Greens "In Principle" Support of Former Airport Development



SHP's Ray Mallon with Thanet Greens Tricia Hartley, Derek Heptinstall and Ian Driver

Following meetings with the owners of the former Manston Airport Thanet Green Party have announced their “in principle support” for plans to  transform  the site into a mixed  residential, leisure and commercial  development. It is understood that outline plans will be submitted in April and will be subject to public consultation during the summer.

Thanet Greens believe that the re-development of the former airport site is a “once in a generation opportunity”  to kick start Thanet’s ailing economy by attracting significant inward investment into the District, creating thousands of desperately needed high-quality jobs, and business and training  opportunities for local people.

In a document submitted to the airport owners (see below) Thanet Greens also stress the importance of ensuring that the development is sustainable and environmentally friendly including measures such as

• connecting the site  to the rest of  Thanet through improved public transport links, walking and cycling routes and that charging points are installed around the site for electric vehicles
• ensuring buildings on the site meet the highest sustainability standards including solar PVC panels, the use of environmentally-friendly building materials, high levels of insulation, water re-use  and energy micro-generation technologies and LED lighting.
• providing nature areas  and community allotments on the site  

The Greens have also called on the owners to use the site to promote and provide leisure and sporting opportunities for  the people of Thanet such as a modern state of the art skate park for young people and an open-air theatre.

Former TDC councillor, Ian Driver, who attended the meetings with the airport owners said “I got the  impression that they took  our  concerns very seriously and that they want to build a development which is sustainable and respects Thanet’s environment. I think there is a unique  opportunity  for Stone Hill Park to come up with plans which will set new , ground  breaking standards for large scale mixed developments in the UK. We are happy to support the plans but that  doesn’t mean that we will be uncritical cheerleaders if the detailed plans are not good enough”.

More information contact Ian Driver 07866588766

 

 

 

Thanet Greens to Meet Manston Airport Owners

Thanet Green Party branch officers will be meeting the owners of the former Manston Airport on Friday 22 January to discuss plans for the development of the site.

The Green Party supports a mixed industrial, leisure and commercial development on the site, which it feels offers the best opportunities to generate the substantial variety of jobs and training opportunities that Thanet so desperately needs. However, Thanet Greens wish to emphasise the need for any development to be sustainable and environmentally friendly, including building in high levels of insulation, renewable power generation and water re-use technologies, which in turn will make the site cheaper to run and will help create the sort of ‘green jobs’ that will be needed in future. They also hope to persuade the owners to develop nature and food growing areas on the site.

A Green priority for discussion is an effective public transport system between the site and the Thanet towns, which is vital to enable local people to work at the site without generating massive extra traffic on inadequate roads. The Greens are opposed to the damaging and totally unnecessary Parkway station which is proposed to be built to at Cliffsend, and believe direct links to the Thanet towns will work more effectively.

Green Party Co-ordinator, Ian Driver, said “I am looking forward to meeting the Manston owners. I’m very optimistic about the role the development could play in tackling Thanet’s deep seated problems of deprivation, unemployment and low pay. The transformation of the site into a thriving mixed use area could create hundreds   of desperately needed jobs and provide training and business opportunities for local people.

“I also believe that if managed sensitively, especially with regard to its environmental impact, the proposed Stone Hill Park could become an example of best practice in sustainable development which could set new standards for others to follow.” Driver added “Part of the reason that I welcome the chance to have a full and frank discussion with the owners is to ensure we can hold them to account over their development and management of the former airport, and to make it clear that we will speak out if things are not right.  But equally we hope to establish a strong relationship with the owners, which will allow us influence the sensitive development of this large strategic site for the benefit of local people and our environment”.  

promoted and publishes by Ian Driver 45 Sea View Rd CT101BX on behalf of Ian Driver and Andrew Jefferson Green Party candidates in the Newington by-election.

Thanet Greens Call for Ramsgate Seafront People's Plan

Andy Jefferson and Ian Driver Exciting Plans to Regenerate Ramsgate Seafront

Thanet Greens have called for a Ramsgate Seafront “People’s Plan” to act as a blueprint for investment and regeneration for over 3 miles of the seafront, from the former Lido to the Port.

Ramsgate resident and Green RTC by-election candidate Andy Jefferson said: “Ramsgate’s seafront is a fantastic asset which, with solid investment and sympathetic environmental management, could easily become a driving force behind the town’s economic revival. A regenerated seafront would attract thousands of new visitors to Ramsgate every year as well as attracting past visitors back, creating much needed new jobs, training and business opportunities.”

The development of this type of plan would need to be supported by Ramsgate Town Council (RTC).  But it would have a key difference from RTC’s previous Ramsgate Maritime Plan which, according to Green Party co-ordinator, Ian Driver, “was devel 
oped behind closed doors and only involved a tiny handful of pre-selected consultees”. This new plan, on the other hand, would be a genuine “People’s Plan” for the seafront, based  on extensive consultation with local residents young and old, community organisations and businesses, big and small, all of whom would be actively involved in developing it.  Experts in seafront planning and development, and politicians and officers from successful seaside towns would also be invited to provide advice and expertise.

“It’s hard to be definitive about what such a plan might include”, said Driver “but I’m sure that the talents, energy and creativity of Ramsgate people will produce some very exciting ideas. Personally I would favour the transformation of the Port into a modern 21^st century marina to supplement the capacity of the Royal Harbour. The possibilities for regeneration and change on the seafront are immense, and the potential is massive”.

The Greens are upbeat about securing funding to regenerate Ramsgate’s seafront. They point to EU and UK regional development and other grants, which have already supported business development in the harbour arches, as possible sources of finance, and raising money through Council borrowing against increased income coming into the town in future. They would also support investment from appropriate private companies who wish to become partners with the Council in developing the seafront. Said Driver “The time has come for Ramsgate residents to start building up an ambitious People’s Plan to regenerate their beautiful seafront.”

“The best plans are always developed by the community from the bottom up, rather imposed on people from above by bureaucrats and politicians.”

 

 Ends

For more information contact Ian Driver 07866588766 e-mail  ianddriver@yahoo.co.uk

promoted and publishes by Ian Driver 45 Sea View Rd CT101BX on behalf of Ian Driver and Andrew Jefferson Green Party candidates in the Newington by-election.

 

Thanet Greens Defend Social Housing

Thanet Greens announced today that the Government’s Housing Bill, which has reached the report stage in Parliament, “will have extremely serious implications for Thanet if it becomes law”.

The Bill includes measures which will force Housing Associations to offer their tenants the right to buy their homes at heavily discounted rates, and will force local Councils to sell off a third of their  properties, which will be the most valuable.

Party Branch Secretary Tricia Hartley said “The Housing Bill could easily be the beginning of the end for social housing. If this goes ahead, thousands of homes will be lost from the social housing sector every year, and it's highly unlikely that they will be fully replaced by new properties. The effects of the Bill will also make it extremely difficult for Housing Associations to balance their books and do what they were set up to do, and many may close.”

Andy Jefferson Green Party election candidate for Ramsgate Town Council in the forthcoming Newington ward by election said “Thanet has the longest social housing waiting list in Kent. Passing a law which reduces social housing numbers in Thanet will make an already difficult situation much worse. Because council and housing association are important for people on low income I believe that if they are to be sold then the money raised should be ring-fenced and used to build at least one new home for every one sold. Any new homes built by council and  housing associations homes under such a scheme must be built to the highest environmental standards. This would ensure that tenant's energy bills are kept to a minimum and help meet greenhouse gas emission targets that the UK has agreed to."

Ian Driver who is standing for the District Council vacancy in Newington added “in Scotland the SNP has passed a law in the Scottish Parliament which  ends the right to buy council and housing association homes in August 2016. In WalesPlaid Cymru is committed to using  its devolved powers to do the so the same thing. It beggars belief that in England, despite the overwhelming evidence that we need much  more social housing, the Government is trying its best  to destroy it”

promoted and published by Ian Driver 45 Sea View Rd CT101BX on behalf of Ian Driver and Andrew Jefferson Green Party candidates in the Newington by-election.

 

 

 

Newington Election Address

Ramsgate Pleasurama: Thanet Greens Call for Flood Assessment

In light of the devastating flooding in the UK in recent weeks, Thanet Green Party Co-ordinator, and candidate in the forthcoming Newington by-election, Ian Driver has written to TDC Leader Chris Wells, building company Cardy and South Thanet MP Craig MacKinlay,  urging that a full, independent Flood Risk Assessment of the Ramsgate Pleasurama development site should be conducted before the construction of 107 flats and 60 bedroom hotel begins next spring.

He said, “The Pleasurama site is located in a designated high risk flood zone, but because of various technicalities and omissions the original developers, SFP Ventures, did not include a flood risk assessment as part of their 2003 planning application.”

The Environment Agency wrote to TDC in February 2008, after planning permission had already been granted (1), expressing concerns about the design of the proposed Pleasurama flats which could, in the event of a flood, “leave residents stranded in their homes without a safe means of escape”. It concluded that it was “difficult to determine whether the development can be considered safe”. The Environment Agency “highly recommended that a full Flood Risk Assessment is undertaken which could inform appropriate resilience and resistance measures”.  However, TDC and SFP Ventures did not follow this advice, and no such assessment has ever been carried out on the Pleasurama site and development plans.

Said Driver, “I am extremely concerned that, despite the Environment Agency’s strong advice to conduct a full Flood Risk Assessment on the Pleasurama site, this has not happened. I raised this matter with senior council managers and politicians on at least 3 occasions between 2012 and 2014, but each time my request was rejected (2)”.

“Bearing in mind the rapidly increasing number of extreme weather and flooding incidents in the UK during recent years and the terrible events in Scotland, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire over the past 2 weeks, I want to urge TDC once again to ensure that the site and its future residents are properly safeguarded against potential flooding through a full risk assessment and action on any safety recommendations it may propose.”

“This is a moral issue for TDC, as it directly affects the personal safety of Thanet residents. It is also a practical and financial one: if the development is completed and there is a flooding incident, residents and businesses living and operating on the site would almost certainly be able to claim huge compensation settlements from TDC for its failure to take reasonable steps to ensure the health and well being of residents and other site users”.

He added: “Cardy, which is taking over the development of the site from SFP Ventures, has a well-deserved reputation as a responsible building firm. I’m sure they will want to protect their reputation and the safety of residents by being fully aware of any likely risks. Mortgage  and insurance companies will review their policies after the  recent flooding and will be wary of providing loans and cover for developments on flood risk zones, especially if a full Flood Risk Assessment cannot be produced, which could direct affect sales of Pleasurama flats”.

Driver’s call for a Flood Risk Assessment of the Pleasurama site is supported by Lord Krebs the Chairman of the powerful House of Commons Climate Change Adaptation Committee which published a major report on flooding in March 2015. In a recent letter to the Times Lord Krebs said that “local councils, developers and  landowners must share responsibility … over where to build new homes, how they are designed and how water is managed”. He also suggested  that the forthcoming Government review of flooding policy should seek to hold to account those  councils, landowners, and developers who through bad decision making  or negligence “contribute towards  the scale of flood damage (3)”




Labour's  Iris Jonhnston struck a deal with Cardy over Pleasurama but with no Flood Risk Assessment required. Shameful negligence which could put people at risk!

Thanet Green Party does not wish to see the Pleasurama site remain derelict for any longer, but feels that the safety of residents should be paramount. Thanet Greens are happy to support development on the site that it is sustainable, safe and independently risk assessed. If an assessment determines that it is not safe to build residential property on the site, however, it would urge TDC to resume possession of the site and consult with the people of Ramsgate about its future development as a safe leisure and tourism facility integrated into a wider investment and regeneration programme for Ramsgate’s seafront. “The Green Party has high hopes for Ramsgate’s seafront which could easily become the driving force which kick-starts the town economy, but it must be a safe, properly protected seafront which people and businesses are able to use and enjoy all year round” said Driver.

Ends

promoted and published by Ian Driver 45 Sea View Rd CT101BX on behalf of Ian Driver and Andrew Jefferson Green Party candidates in the Newington by-election.

For more information contact Ian Driver on 07866588766 or email ianddriver@yahoo.co.uk

 

1. See attached letter to TDC from Environment Agency
2. Ian Driver raised the issue with former Chief Executive Sue McGonigal in 2012, who refused to approve a Flood Risk Assessment on the grounds of cost. He raised this matter again in 2013 when he was a member of TDC’s Pleasurama Working Group but Labour councillors, supported by senior TDC officers, voted down his proposal. In 2014 he  asked that  conducting a FRA of the Pleasurama site and development plans should be included in negotiations between TDC and Cardy, which  was then in the process of  taking over the site from SFP Ventures. TDC’s Labour Cabinet refused his request”.
3. Lord Krebs Letters Page The Times 1 January 2016.