Thanet Planning Conference, The Pavilion, Broadstairs, 18th
March 2008
Summary of Discussions
Workshop 1
Part 1 – A Vision for Thanet in 2026
- The vision - Was it sufficiently
ambitious/aspirational? Thanet is in competition with other areas
and the vision should stress our uniqueness and special features.
Needs to be joined up.
- Training/Education - A recurring theme. Seen
as key, including vocational training for over 21’s. Encourage more
employment opportunities to attract graduates/key workers into the
area.
- The Retired - Vision does not reflect, or take
into account retired residents.
- Environmental issues - Vision needs additional
focus on environmental and ecological issues. Keep green wedges,
playing fields, gardens etc. Make area attractive.
- Tourism - Not seen as the salvation of Thanet
but general feeling that it could play an increasing role as more
holidays taken in UK. Heritage is important.
- Transport - Agreed it is key but some
disagreement on solutions. Improve public transport including rail
– station for airport? More encouragement for cycling etc but
others wanted road widening.
- Housing - need decent high quality housing.
More executive/family homes, less flats/lower densities.
Infrastructure is key - retail outlets, doctors’ surgeries, water
supply, roads etc.
- Business – Airport/Port key. Create jobs. Need
employment for local people. Support small local business. Growth
yes but not at expense of environment – quality development. Need
cheaper sites as well as Business Parks.
Part 2 – Visions for Specific Areas
within Thanet
- Coastal towns - Need to define roles in
relation to Westwood. Need to identify, maintain and enhance their
separate identities (while being complementary) and provide better
links between them. Improve public areas, tackle eyesores. Keep
housing in towns not on Greenfield.
- Margate - Endorse vision. Speciality shopping,
encourage tourism, quality development on sites, more residential
in town centre, encourage cultural quarter. Consolidate High
Street?
- Cliftonville - Quality accommodation, more
employment opportunities. Break cycle of deprivation – more
investment required. Quality development. Build on one bed flat
policy.
- Ramsgate - Support tourism, speciality
shopping, resist too many one bed flats etc.
- Broadstairs - Maintain identity, keep local
shops, resist overdevelopment - keep it the same.
- Westwood – Has had impact on towns but
attracts people to Thanet. Disagreement on whether it should be a
“town centre”. Needs identity - more housing? Issues of free
parking.
- Villages - Transport issues, different to
towns, keep distinctiveness. Concern at people leaving – high house
prices.
- Central Island – Understand vision. Transport
issues, inadequate public transport, loss of agricultural land is
of concern. Eurokent could be mixed use. Development at Manston
affecting skyline and views.
- Airport – Key but needs infrastructure. Needs
more passenger destinations. Is terminal located in right place.
Rail link? Needs promoting with political confidence.
- Port of Ramsgate – Wide range of views on
Port. Key - Needs port development authority. Consider alternative
uses for spare land. Potential for windfarms – going green.
- Coast and Countryside - Promote tourism in
countryside. Conserve the countryside/protect agricultural land –
helps make the area distinctive. Is Thanet Earth beneficial?
Will be affected by airport growth.
Conclusions on a vision
A very wide range of views has been expressed.
In terms of developing the overall vision while there were no
fundamental disagreements with the vision put forward we clearly
need to look more closely at the issues of skills and education and
the needs of the elderly. Increasing the quality of development and
ensuring adequate infrastructure were seen as vital.
In respect of specific areas, once again there
was no strong feeling that the visions were intrinsically wrong,
but there are a lot of detailed issues to be resolved in achieving
the vision.