WALMER PARISH COUNCIL MEETING TONITE ( LONG I am afraid ! ) In summary 2 items were addressed - the Storage sheds nr the sea cafe and the proposed dog control orders for the seafront, Walmer Green, Hawkshill Freedown etc I actually thought the WPC were quite welcoming letting the 15minute interruption to their scheduled meeting turn into nearly 2 HOURS of interruption The 2hrs were split by about 70mins discussing the beach huts ( which the whole council are against ) and 50mins about the DCO There were 45 members of the public in attendance - standing room only - plus a few outside who had turned up with the dogs ( not allowed inside ) ( apologies - I didnt write down names and am doing this from memory ) BEACH HUTS The Chairman explained the process that planning was applied for by DDC and that from the outset WPC had raised objections - and provided a list of the objections - also noting that planning notices WERE posted near the site as required and that only 20 objections had been lodged with DDC in response to the planning application A gentleman in the audience has identified that the planning application was incorrectly completed - the applicant failed to declare that he was an employee of DDC so in fact the application should have failed and could be challenged in court. Unfortunately that would be VERY expensive DDC applied for the planning permission from DDC - and approved it themselves. A number of speakers questioned the validity of this and whether it was possible to be over turned. Also as the planning application states Beach Huts but DDC are marketing them as Storage sheds they are contradicting themselves. DDC HAVE responded and visited site a number of times and acknowledged that they are too crammed in and unsightly and have agreed to remove 9 of the 20 by Saturday this week. Further site visits will then take place to see how they look. Another gentleman raised that the railway sleepers that the sheds sit on contravene environmental legislation as the creosote / tar that they are soaked in is not only carcinogenic but also harmful to the environment and gave a printout relating to this to be forwarded to DDC. @peter St Ange from the Sea cafe spoke very strongly about not only are they an eyesore but also that they bring shame upon the area - which everyone applauded and agreed with. He presented the chairman with a petition with over 500 signatures collected in a WEEK to be forwarded to DDC. The Chairman playing devils advocate explained that there was a long waiting list of people wanting a Beach hut and that they have been offered one of the storage sheds as an alternative - but the list has been suspending until the issue of the site has been addressed. He did not answer how many of them have accepted the offer of a £6k 5 year lease on a Storage shed as opposed to the £300 a year rent for one of the existing beach huts. Proceeds from any of these rents or leases go to DDC - NOT WPC or DTC SO - people power HAS had an effect - but I think it will continue Lets see how they look after saturday and indeed if anyone is prepared to Lease a Storage shed at those prices. DOG CONTROL ORDERS ( DCO ) The chairman explained the DCOs and stated that WPC were in favour of them. - which only ONE lady ( Margeret ? ) councilor had opposed originally and still is against She spoke strongly in OUR support for objecting to the restrictions The Chairman supports the restrictions - but as they represent the community, if they are made aware the STRENGTH of feeling in the community - they HAVE to represent us. Same goes for DDC - petitions are all well and good, but an individual LETTER to the Chairman of the Parish Council, The Representative on DDC, etc etc etc carry FAR more weight than a petition ( although a petition looks good for the media ) One lady ( didnt get her name ) asked about whether the WPC would obtain some poo bags for distribution - they agreed, and in return she offered to do poo picking on behalf of the irresponsible dog owners ( which she shouldnt HAVE to do - particularly in light of the message from the Community Officers earlier that if reported to DDC then someone WILL come and clear it up - There is a feature on their website where you can report dog poo and irresponsible owners that do not clear it up. I asked about Hawkshill ( The Glen ) and said that the only people that go up there are dog walkers - he replied that the working parties that look after the area do find and tread in dog poo. Councillor Margaret ? Explained that she regularly walks her dog up there and VERY rarely encounters any dog poo that hasnt been picked up I challenged the chairman about the alternatives to where we could let our dogs off lead - he was not aware of the two muted alternatives, and indeed thought they were ridiculous ( as they are enclosed childrens play areas !!! ) @Debbie Evans said that at least one more poo bin should be sited up there ( at the nothern end ) but he didnt respond to that even when challenged. Margaret ( the counsellor ) said that as the only one to have objected AND as a dog owner, since December she has only seen ONE dog poo unpicked at the Glen I asked the chairman again about poo bins and he explained that WPC have purchased 8 but have had problems getting them sited due to no one wanting them at the end of their drive / garden. I asked whether WPC would support local businesss SPONSORING poo bins and if so how much - he replied that WPC would support such a campaign and that the bins were £100 to purchase and install and £100 a year to be emptied I wonder. . . . . . . .. Dog Friendly stickers in shops/cafes/pubs - in return they get listed in the WELCOME TO DEAL and WALMER Doggie tourist information sheet ( that they can distribute along with some poo bags ) And they sponsor a poo bin ! Cheap advertising for them Maybe even get local media involved ???? There were 45 members of the public at the meeting - after the sea/storage huts/sheds had been discussed approximately half left Once the DCO had been discussed the remainder left - I think all that remained for the rest of their meeting were Councillors. I thanked them for listening AND warned them to look out for ORANGE BANDANAS Apologies for omissions, typos, repetitions but I am tired but wanted to post this asap.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 10:58:32 +0000
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