In my time in Thanet, I have watched with sadness and frustration as recession, changes in habits, TDC incompetence and lack or vision have dragged Thanet in general, Margate and Ramsgate in particular to dereliction, a sad shadow of their former selves.
Can this sad decline be arrested, yes, I believe it can! It needs certain issues addressing. It needs the vision of these towns to change from trying to preserve a picture of the past that people have already discarded. If people wanted streets full of amusement arcades, they wouldn't close as they would make money. The "Heritage theme Park" if it's ever built i believe is doomed to failure.
Which theme parks are successful, the ones with the latest/biggest rides, if that's not the case, why would the big players spend £millions on them? Not to mention of course it's season will be at BEST 6 weeks. Nice idea, sadly flawed.
Is that the biggest problem, no.
Nimbyism is by FAR Thanet's biggest problem. It's choking Thanet slowly but surely as it simply delays the investment that the isle badly needs, that attract people with money to spend, that then go on to visit the isle time and time again!
EVERY major development in Thanet has been protested against, delayed or frustrated.
Manston, Manston night flights, the port access road, Westwood, further development at Westwood, China gateway, Thanet earth, Pleasurama, Tesco at Arlington, Tesco at Westgate, development of the Sea bathing Hospital, the water treatment facility, the Margate airshow, now even folk week on Broadstairs is coming under fire!
When you look a little closer, it is ALWAYS either the sad little band that believe that Thanet should be preserved in aspic, sometime around 1963, and that profit is clearly a dirty word, that EVERYTHING should be dedicated to the "community" at 0 cost, the money to picked from that magic money tree that apparently the government/council possesses! We even have the laughable suggestion that the pavilion on Ramsgate seafront should be a community centre!
OR it's people who have lived in Thanet for 5 minutes, moved next to an airport with one of the longest
runways in the country, and are then STUNNED that aircraft fly in and out! I would LOVE to see the RAF return, and fly Eurofighters from Manston, OH how they'd whine!
Thanet MUST put these luddites in their place, and stop pandering to their bleating! In addition, those dragging everything through every court they can find, to try to frustrate what Thanet needs and it's people want, should be made responsible for the costs to BOTH sides of such actions, why should they abuse the legal system simply to practise their nimbyest agenda!
If these luddutes aren't dealt with, then Thanet is doomed to continue it's sad and tragic decline into further obscurity.
NIMBYism, and also pessimism! Seems like they can only see the bad things about everything: Airports are noisy & pollute the atmosphere, Tesco will cause traffic chaos / shut other shops, The Lido housing plans will spoil the view (probably the best one was those against bringing down the crumbling Richborough Towers because the noise would desturn the seals!).
ReplyDeleteHow do KLM pilots know when they have arrived at Manston?
ReplyDeleteThe whining goes on after the engines have been turned off.
Section 37 National Assistance Act 1948. And seedy, unskilled Thanet saw the opportunity to prolong gaining income from its aging building stock. Care Homes for the Elderly.
ReplyDelete1880s 1890s. Thanet folk in the Westgate area resented visiting Londoners, who worked and had a bit of money, so the Thanet long term useless took to vandalizing the railway.
1836 Visiting Devon fishermen, scornful of the moaning do nothing locals, have a riot against the corrupt council. The locals prefer just to whine whine whine.
Richborough ? When it was built many of the contractors decided on no local labour. Sick of the whining.
Sericol used local labour on the ex BOC site 1960s. Oh dear Darwin was watching. Tonnes of chemicals contaminate aquifer by a 30 year leak and contamination will continue for foreseeable future.
Ferry at Ramsgate. Walkway collapsed.
Pfizer development sub standard pipe and vessel welds.
The only thing in the area that worked was Jimmy's matches.
Maybe the biggest obstruction to progress has been TDC?
ReplyDeleteHow many meetings have actually resulted in any positive action beyond setting the date of the next meeting. From here it looks as if the only words they have ever learnt are 'defer to a future date', 'refer to a meeting of the full council' etc. Anything so that they can sign for their expenses and toddle off home without accepting responsibility for anything. "After all, if we don't do anything we cannot be blamed for it if it goes wrong"
No wonder our councillors run away to Panama.
It's not TDC who start the "No to Everything" groups!
DeleteExactly that Peter!
ReplyDeleteWhen you think about it, the case is SO obvious and easy, yet the nimbys simply whine that Thanet is dying, yet protest when anything feasable is proposed to address that slow death.
KLM and Manston want more flights = people/freight = wealth creation = regenertion = PROTEST
Westwood = shops people WANT = people use shops and travel from afar = PROTEST
Phizer want new access road = protects jobs = PROTEST = jobs lost
Tesco at Arlington wanted by VAST majority of Thanet = jobs = increased footfall = opportunity = Nimby PROTEST = delay = possible jobs and opportunities lost
Pleasurama burns = opportunity = proposal for shops n flats = delay in recession = whining nimbys = PROTEST possible loss of viable development
I could go on, but why bother, the residents I am forced to share this lovely part of Kent with are SO naive and self centred they are unlikely to EVER see the big picture, and thus must be ignored.
Only just read the main article. John - why dont you write more like this? These are good words dude. Its when the hate shows through that I begin to tune out. Good piece. Well put. Made me think. I like that :D
ReplyDeleteBecause most of the time my audience consists of occutards, FORS members and nimbys to whom I have to dumb down the difficult parts to 4 letter or less words.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame you choose to live in their fairy land, where facts are replaced by inuendo and bullshit.