Public meeting over Thanet council attempts to axe green spaces from Broadstairs neighbourhood plan

The Club Union greens are at the crux of the row

A public meeting will be held next week over Thanet council’s consultation on proposals to modify the Broadstairs and St. Peter’s Neighbourhood Plan modification.

The proposal from TDC would mean two green spaces being removed from the town council’s plan which had already approved by an independent examiner.

The town council says if the green spaces are removed from the plan they are at risk from development – especially the space in Reading Street at the entrance to the former Club Union Convalescent Home.

Taking the fight to Government

Last month the Town Council vowed to take its battle with Thanet council over the two ‘community green’ sites to government following legal advice.

Town  councillors agreed to ask the Secretary of State to force Thanet District Council to hold a referendum on their Neighbourhood Plan.

The move was in response to Thanet council Cabinet members agreeing that two areas out of 18 proposed as Local Green Spaces in the town plan should be removed and that those changes should go out for a six week consultation.

Those areas were the corner of Rumfields/Fairfield Roads and the green spaces at the entrance to the old Club Union site in Reading Street

The Town Council says the sites were agreed after a rigorous approach recognised by the independent examiner and refuses to remove them.

One issue is that a planning application has been lodged for the old Club Union site which would mean moving the entrance across the proposed green space area.

According to a legal document from Town Legal LLP “the Town Council is frustrated by TDC’s inaction and suspect that the delay in progressing matters may be a deliberate stalling tactic to enable a pending planning application to be determined, which requires the Reading Street LGS for access purposes.”

Campaigns and planning rejections

Reading Street residents celebrate the rejection of the last planning appeal

The site has been put forward previously for town green status but has been delayed by planning applications which have twice been rejected on appeal.

Campaigners against the Club Union development include Mike and Brenda Boniface, the treasurer of the Club Union Action Group, and Jenny Matterface.

Jenny said: “Residents of Reading Street have known the green spaces at the entrance to the former Club Union Convalescent Home, (they are not grass verges), for decades and we have ample evidence of their use. A village green status application is currently with Kent County Council but cannot be dealt with while there is a live planning application.

“We know they have been used for carol-singing under the Christmas tree, for picnics, for bird and bat-watching. The memorial benches are well-used as a welcome resting spot for walkers, cyclists and for those on their way home after a day on Joss Bay beach. We now have a much-used post box in addition to the dog poo bin and planters maintained by the town council.”

If these green spaces aren’t protected as local green spaces, many residents feel an integral part of the village would be at risk.”

Meeting details

The public meeting will be held on Tuesday October 8 at 7.30pm in St.Andrew’s Community Hall, Reading Street,

There will be speakers and an opportunity to ask questions on this and the latest planning application for the site.

The Thanet council consultation runs until 5pm pn November 1. Find it here

6 Comments

  1. Typical. Tdc probably has so much important stuff on their plate, yet they want to give some rich nurd the opportunity to make some more money with putting up some unwanted properties in these spaces. Force the foresaid nurse to convert unused flats above shops, plus houses/ properties which are left derelict.

    • Plus respond to the consultation as soon as possible. We have been fighting the planning application in its various forms since 2016 but the site has been the subject of applications since 1998 but apart from trees being felled no actual development has taken place. The green spaces aren’t part of the development as the applicant has right of access over the roadway but wants to move the entrance over the green spaces. They could be lost to public use if not protected

  2. Plus respond to the consultation as soon as possible. We have been fighting the planning application in its various forms since 2016 but the site has been the subject of applications since 1998 but apart from trees being felled no actual development has taken place. The green spaces aren’t part of the development as the applicant has right of access over the roadway but wants to move the entrance over the green spaces. They could be lost to public use if not protected

  3. Not sure how my comment ended up twice but to add to it could I say if anyone coming to the meeting has time to spare between now and Tuesday check out the planning application on the TDC planning portal reference F/TH/19/0813 and read some of the more than 150 objections on there.

  4. Thanet is not allowed to have any wasted space. Council must build as many flats as possible to fill its coffers with council tax. No empty space is allowed. Hang on what about all these nice empty roundabouts…. 100s can be built on those surely

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