Dear Friends and supporters,
I promised not to clog up your in box but today the sun is shining on Princes Parade and it seems even more ridiculous to think that it should be covered in tarmac and concrete! I attach below the words of the planning inspector who put pay to Shepway District Council's last attempt to develop the site in 2004.
It makes very interesting reading and one has to wonder how categoric a statement has to be to made to Council stop wasting local people's money?
The full report is available on:
saveprincesparade.org1
Under the "Documents" section
Inspector's Reasoning and Conclusions
3.1.349 To my mind the prospect eastwards along Princes Parade from the vicinity of the Hythe Imperial Hotel is one of the finest vistas in the District. The main characteristic of the area is its grassy openness coupled with public access to the seafront, somewhat akin to the clifftop open space of The Leas and rare elsewhere in the District. The character, appearance and historical interest of the area is enhanced by the Royal Military Canal (RMC) which separates it from the built-up part of Hythe to the North. The view is closed to the east by the high ground of Sandgate, and inland by tree clad slopes rising towards the AONB. The sharp contrast revealed in travelling westwards between the closely-developed nature of Sandgate, constrained by topography, and the sudden openness of the Princes Parade area, adds to its character and strong sense of place.
3.1.350 In my view dwellings on the site, particularly if of 4 or 5 storeys, would be unacceptably disruptive and harmful to the attractive open character of Princes Parade and its long vistas, particularly in looking eastwards.
Dear Friends,
The petition2 is one way that we are trying to get Shepway District Council to listern to local people. We are well on our way to 500 signatures. Thank you for signing the petition No Development on Prince's Parade, can you help spread the word by forwarding the link below to your friends?
you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/no-development-on-prince-s-parade2
Thanks
Jim Martin
This is part of my site The Folkestone Gerald that I set up in a fury of excitement when we first moved here sometime in 2004. I'd been a frequent visitor for a while previous to that but I am technically one of those Down From Londons you get nowadays. This site was updated more frequently with a gig calendar + voting for favourite places + things, + I know it was a useful reference for others who were moving to the area. Now I've moved out of Folkestone again (though only to Hythe) it doesn't get as much love as it used to. Ironic really as The town is becoming the exciting place we knew it was just about to. My name is not Gerald by the way, the name comes from the name of a pretend paper in an episode of The Day Today or something, the Portsmouth Gerald, and how there is a local paper here called the Folkestone Herald. Puns like this are great aren't they? Do get in touch if you have something to offer, email anythign @ this domain, or try @folkestone or @pauly on Twitter.