A Cliftonville community group created last year to campaign against the demolition of the roof at the Newgate Gap shelter has slammed Thanet council after the roof was removed and a second shelter was covered with hoardings in the run up to the Turner Prize opening at Turner Contemporary this weekend.
Friends Of Cliftonville Coastline say they are “dismayed” at the ‘last minute clean up’ at the Newgate Gap and Fort Hill shelters.
A spokesperson said: “Our beautiful and iconic international moderne sea shelter on Fort Crescent has been boarded over in its entirety, blocking the view of our famous sunsets over the Turner Contemporary. There is no plan for renovation.
“The Edwardian Newgate Gap sea shelter has been partially demolished without planning permission, in a Conservation Area. Planning permission was withdrawn after countless objections last year. We were given no warning.
“We are dismayed and upset by Thanet District Council’s panicked last minute *clean up* of our beautiful but neglected shelters. Our council is whitewashing the issues that continue to beleaguer our district, prioritising short term national glory instead of tackling the systemic problems that blight our beautiful home.”
But Thanet council says that section 78 building control notices have been issued for both shelters because the structures were in a dangerous condition.
A council spokesman said: “Recent repair work at the Newgate Gap Shelter in Margate has been carried out in the interests of public safety. On June 13, our Building Control team deemed it a dangerous structure and served a Section 78 Building Act notice to remove the danger immediately.
“The site was originally fenced off but the repeated trespass placed an unacceptable risk to the public which we had a duty to mitigate against. This is compounded by its close proximity to the Viking Adventure Playground.
“Contractors were therefore appointed to remove the timber roof covering to make the site area safe. This work does not require planning consent and was an emergency measure to remove any danger to the public.
“All the timber has been taken away and stored safely. It will not be disposed of until it has been tested for contamination. Important aspects of the shelter such as the pillars and floor tiles will not be removed.
“Following the removal of the timber roof covering, the contractors have raised concerns over the steel roof structure stability. Our technical services team are therefore assessing the site and ensuring that additional emergency repair work is undertaken to make the structure safe in line with the Section 78 notice.
“This will include getting the contractors to support the steels, testing to check for further loose materials and adding netting to the underside to stop any materials falling and to deter people from climbing on the structure. Once this is done and the structure is deemed safe, Heras fencing will be removed.
“The shelter has already been approved by Cabinet for Community Asset Transfer and the closing date for expressions of interest is October 9. Please email estates@thanet.gov.uk with your submissions. The structure will also be subject to an independent evaluation commissioned by Thanet District Council to assess any further steps required ahead of an asset transfer process.”
Organisers at the Margate Now festival, running alongside the Turner Prize, are due to create artwork for the hoardings at the Fort Hill shelter.
The council spokesperson said: “Fort Hill Shelter has been temporarily boarded up in the interests of public safety. On August 22, the council’s Building Control team deemed it a dangerous structure and served a Section 78 Building Act notice to immediately make it safe. The danger has now been removed in accordance with these requirements and the Shelter is now deemed safe.
“The organisers of Margate Now are due to display artwork on the hoardings in celebration of the Turner Prize coming to Margate. One of the festival’s key aims is to use disused and empty spaces with the hope of bringing new attention and life to these areas.
“Following the Turner Prize exhibition, an independent assessment will take place to inform future options and ensure due process is followed.”
Friends of Cliftonville Coastline say money should be dedicated for the shelters to be repaired.
The spokesperson said: “Young people have no dedicated spaces to hang out, and there is nowhere for our large elderly population to rest and sit along the coastline between the two shelters.
*Rather than fix endemic and deep rooted problems TDC are spending our money on barges costing £1.5million for the commercial port at Ramsgate.
“Friends of Cliftonville Coastline have been in talks with TDC for an asset transfer of the Newgate Gap shelter. Health and safety grounds have been cited but we have seen no formal assessment, nor are we certain that the pigeons roosting in the roof were adequately and humanely removed.
“Despite assurances by contractors the original wooden seating has been removed. Demolition of the structural steels was only halted by the actions of a concerned resident. TDC are still tendering for asset transfer by early October, but do not appear to be actively engaging with the community.
“We believe this is part of a systemic problem within TDC – a lack of vision or strategy for our built and natural environment that includes the disregard and neglect of our coastline and utter disinterest in preserving our unique heritage for locals and visitors alike.
“Despite much of Cliftonville being within designated Conservation Areas concerned community activists struggle to access funding or the necessary help to make any headway. Cliftonville is one of the most deprived areas in the country and there are huge problems stemming from such poverty. We believe that taking care of our unique buildings and environment should be at the heart of any efforts to improve the area, due to the huge benefits they bring to a sense of well being.
“Instead TDC have gone into chaotic last minute overdrive to gloss over the huge issues in Cliftonville: crashing around with thoughtless and no doubt expensive short term solutions that do nothing to improve the area or address the root issues. All because the Turner Prize is in town in a matter of days.”
Thanet District Council should be ashamed of themselves once again. They will not engage with anyone about anything concerning and they waste huge sums of public money on works to remove and board up these shelters instead of spending those funds on repairs to get them back into use as they should be. They should have transferred the maintenance over to groups that want to keep them in use but only want to do this at a price!!!
It’s funny that our filthy streets have had a sudden clean up and eye-sores boarded up in the area, all when the arts festival comes to town, but as soon as it’s over things will go back to how it was before. What a disgrace those in charge are. Just like national Tory policies our local authority follows suit.
Shelter was in a state and fenced off back when Iris was is charge. Red or blue, they are as bad as each other.
It’s time to board up Cecil Towers.
TDC must be sick to death of the constant negative criticism they receive. If I was head of the council I’d throw my towel in exclaiming “this just won’t do anymore! We HAVE to engage with these people and listen if only to remove their constant berating.”So TDC here it is: Listen and work with US. We care about the place because we live here. We know what we need and you need to start listening because ultimately you work for all of US!!
If the shelters were unsafe, that annoys me even more, as it suggests they only bothered to act in the interest of safety when they expected the turner prize spotlight. Changes in Thanet need to benefit the area in the long term. I’m fed up of the same people trying to pump money out of tourism without trying to fix the long standing problems in the area. The public, including tourists, will notice, and Thanet will be back to square one in a few years.
Thanet has no money, the news regarding arrow grass and the almost certain end to the sale of dreamland to them means that the money TDC was expecting to receive ain’t gonna arrive. There will be lots of emergency cost cutting and things done at short notice under the guise of safety/emergency etc.
When you’re a council that has a disproportionate number of problematic residents with the attendant “deprivation” in the absence of outside grants and works by volunteer groups, shelters/ open space/parks/toilets etc are fast becoming unaffordable luxuries ( in the thanet scheme of things)
Not just in Thanet, and the council’s cash shortage is not because of “problematic residents” but a problematic, to say the least, government.
Yet they can find money for a new council building… priorities.
I believe that plan was cancelled
Yet again a cynical stage managed use of legislation to mask the fact that TDC is failing in its duties and responsibilities to its residents . Typical of a corrupt council that it chooses now to try and hide its failings by boxing in and hiding the problem .When will this local council wake up to the fact that residents are sick to death of their maladministration and listen to what the public want . p
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