Birchington traders have backed a Parish Council initiative -Your Village, Your Voice, Your Say – which aims to raise awareness of an outline planning application to build 1,650 new homes on 185 acres of agricultural land south west of the village.
The parish council says villagers complained the application, which runs to more than 60 documents and 1,000s of pages, was hard to understand due to the volume of documents, the technical assessments and sometimes complex cross references.
Residents were also concerned that strict lockdown rules meant information was only available on the Thanet council website – and the developer’s website – which they found intimidating. Others without internet access felt excluded.
The outline planning proposal to build 1,650 homes, a primary school, shops, a 70 bed care home and a community park on farmland at Birchington has been submitted by Ptarmigan Land and Millwood Designer Homes.
Aims to develop the site are contained in the Thanet Local Plan a blueprint for housing, business and infrastructure on the isle up until 2031. A vote aimed at retaining aviation at Manston airport in 2018 resulted in a reallocation of properties, including a further 600 homes for Birchington, making a total of 1,600.
Birchington Parish Council says the planned development is such an important issue for the village that steps should be taken to better inform as many locals as possible about the plans through social media, social networks and more traditional print methods.
As part of the ‘Your Village, Your Voice, Your Say’ initiative the Parish Council has produced a short leaflet which sets out some key points from the planning application in easy to read language. The leaflet also explains how comments can be submitted during the consultation period. An eye-catching display dispenser has been designed so that the leaflet is easy to see and pick up.
Sixteen businesses in Birchington are supporting the initiative by having the leaflets and dispensers on display in their store.
Carol Adams, who has run Priceless Discount in Birchington for 30 years, said: “Something was needed to make these plans easier to understand; people are frustrated that they cannot comment properly because they don’t know what it all means. We hope that by supporting this initiative we can help the council to better inform people in the village.”
Neville Hudson, Chairman of the Parish Council, said: “We hope that by putting more information out to villagers in terms they can understand and by means that are comfortable for them, they will then be more engaged with the consultation process. This planning application proposes changes that are without precedent in Birchington, it is important that we do the right things for now and for future generations.
“The Parish Council is grateful to all those businesses that are able to help us distribute the leaflets, and to those who have expressed support but for various reasons have been unable to participate.”
A letter objecting to the plans has been sent to Thanet council by councillors George Kup (above) and Phil Fellows (below).
In it the Birchington representatives say there are questions over how an expanded medical centre and a school will be funded. They also say there are concerns over extra traffic and pollution and over who will maintain the green areas shown in the development proposal.
The ‘Your Village, Your Voice, Your Say’ leaflet is part of the Parish Council’s public information programme which is also being delivered across social media and through other established and informal social networks in the village.
Leaflets can be picked up, free of charge, from the following shops in Birchington:
| Best One Store, Minnis Bay | Priceless |
| Both Birchington Co Op’s | Macy News |
| Monty’s Fruit & Veg | The Village Florist |
| Mandy’s Deli | The Bottle Shop |
| Poomastore, Station Road | Harbour Bakery |
| Naga Mini Mart, Station Road | Courts Pharmacy (Pending approval) |
| Brills | Gulf Filling Station, Brooksend |
The parish magazine, which includes an extensive article on the plans, is being delivered to every home in the village this week. The aim is to ensure that as far as possible local people know about the planning application, what it includes and how it might be implemented.
When Park Avenue and Quex Road were built as well as other roads in Birchington, access roads were left into open fields. The same fields you are talking about now. One of the highlights is access to Canterbury road and Park Lane, already a nightmare. Some of us who grew up in Birchington, have seen this coming since the 60′ and it was only a matter of time short of building from Park Road towards Westgate and Margate. just make sure it is managed by people with a memory of the history of the area, not DFL’s who know NOTHING.
With TDC allegedly charging and limiting residents objections, something needs to be sorted very quickly to overturn this decision otherwise the voice of the public will be nil.
This is not true.
There is a proposal out for consultation that lengthy, complex submission *might* attract a payment, but submissions through the portal will continue to be free. So folk can still make their thoughtful and erudite comments along the lines “not enough car parking”, “too expensive so only DFLs will buy them”, “Too cheap so they will be full of DFL council rejects) etc.
It’s ironic that the noble burghers of Birchington, so vociferous in their support of aviation at Manston, now have an extra 600 homes to contend with as a consequence.
DFL numpty hater… crawl back to the sea
Crawl back to London, surely?
As a “local” who came from London 36 years ago, I’m not sure which way to crawl! ; )
“Hater” is a very strong word. Is a “DFL numpty hater” someone who hates people from London or someone who is a person from London? I shall have to look up “numpty”.
You are a clown!
And you’re a weirdly coloured wild mammal!
How many of these people voted to re-open Manston, when it already had Planning Permission for 4,000 new dwellings? There is still a chance this may happen, if the Judicial Review finds against the American Hedge Fund company who want to use Manston for cargo aircraft, 2 or 3 an hour, flying low over Ramsgate Harbour the town, before landing! Go to the Crowd Funding site, and make a donation if you would sooner see houses at Manston!
would sooner see houses on your doorstep you moaning minnie
Stop talking nonsense Thanet council will still allow developers to build where they want you obviously don’t know about Manston Airport do you??? That place can NEVER be built on and stop telling people to waste their money and time!
Another DFL
Excellent news! Let’s hope they build another 6000 homes around Birchington, maybe then they might move on with all the village nonsense… life changes, places change, and most of Thanet came from London, so all the plonkers moaning about DFLs, check your history
You sound a right charmer obviously not having any new houses built on your doorstep.or perhaps you are a DFL? whatever you problem keep your nasty remarks to yourself
Don’t we know most of Thanet is made up of DFLs they have taken over and being Thanet born and bred it does not matter how long a DFL has lived here they will never be a local and my family are DFLs here for sixty years or more but still not local all we have to thank most of them for is an increase in house prices and worse still in most recent years an increase in population.
It’s more a matter of attitude than where one originates from. I know “outsiders” that have quickly joined local community groups, and both work and shop local, yet there are others who’ve been here for decades who contribute zero to their local village/town. I personally love the more rural/village parts of Thanet, and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Peter you had better make the most of what is left of the more rural parts of Thanet because they will not be here for much longer.where I live now used to be semi rural now I have got new housing estates popping up all around killing every thing in their path including me.
Visited Westwood Cross today, that is where TDC should be looking to build houses – it beginning to look finished as a shopping centre.
True, though many shops in Margate and Ramsgate are also unikely to ever reopen.
Westwood Cross is having more than its fair share of houses being built thank you very much.
It makes perfect sense to build houses within walking distance of shops, far more so than in Cliffsend, Monkton, St.Nicholas and all these other places where everyone is forced to jump into a car.
does that go for Westgate too?when the gallops are built it will have its own little shopping centre and Westgate will be finished because people are too lazy to cycle or heaven forbid walk any where.they will jump in their cars and why should one part of Thanet be subjected to more housing than others Broadstairs is having no new estates built the villages you mentioned have very few shops so why build there?your reasoning does not make sense
I think we’re talking at cross purposes here. I support housing at WC, NOT anywhere else.
Do we really want London over spill coming our way, god knows what kind of rubbish we will end up with, let’s try and keep Birchington the lovely place it is. Knife crime more drug dealers etc
agree
Are you aware of how many houses are being built in the Westwood Cross area?at the last count I totted up 5 thousand from coffin corner/Salmeston Grange to Nash Rd/Haine Road/Manston Court Road.All farmland going under housing no open spaces nowhere to walk your pets just one big housing estate no trees no wild life nothing except more crime and goodness knows what else so the number of houses being built in Westgate and Birchington are nothing compared to the amount being built around Westwood Cross still Peter so long as they are not builtin your area and someone elses you’re quite happy?that is a selfish attitude to have.goodnight
That IS my area…
I certainly wouldn’t call Coffin Corner (etc) Westwood Cross.
I did not say coffin corner and the other places I mentioned were AT Westwood I said they were IN the area of Westwood there is a difference. One thing has become very clear Mr Checksfield and that is a lot of the people in thanet are selfish burgers and are keen to upset others in order to save what they themselves believe in .
*yawn*
don’t like the truth do you Peter?you think you know it all when in reality you know very little. I have lived in Thanet for 70 years so there is very little if anything you can tell me about it and might I suggest you get an early night if you are tired?or are you being rude?’ll go for the latter byeeeee
Kay, here’s your original comment (MY capitals):
“WESTWOOD CROSS is having more than its fair share of houses being built thank you very much.”
Then, after I said “It makes perfect sense to build houses within walking distance of shops”, you drifted off track about Westgate, a LONG way from walking distance to Westwood Cross shops. Which is why I clarified:
“I think we’re talking at cross purposes here. I support housing at WC, NOT anywhere else.”
Then you got all argumentative and aggressive, so I gave up trying to have a polite and measured debate.
Enjoy your long memories of Thanet Ms. Bee.
so many sod you jacks out there yes I will memories of when Thanet was free from DFLs If you have a problem with my comments do not answer them do not go looking for arguments when a man calls you selfish for wanting to blight other peoples lives.Thanet is not London and locals do not want where they live to be dirty and overcrowded like that shite hole up the line I am saying no more so please do not respond to my comment.
My name is not Kay why would you assume that? know all know nothing.
What’s your name then? Mine’s David.
…and please refrain from swearing.
as for my name none ya you sure your name is not dick?
Kay, you’ve got a dirty mind!
Which place up the line is this “shite hole” which KB refers to ?
Chestfield and Swalecliffe? Walmer? Lenham? Your guess is as good as mine!
my god you must be thick dick
Marva it is London the place every one wants to escape from to live in Thanet hence the name DFLs
Ahhhh… the place where people have travelled from to largely support the Thanet economy since the mid-nineteenth Century.
whatever
Not everyone wants to escape from London and move to Thanet. London has as wide a variety of people as Kent does. It is not full of criminals.
Peter my name is not Kay so please stop calling me that stop being so blasted rude I am of the male gender.and it seems your mind is in the toilet not mine. I can carry on like this for hours Peter but I am going to be the bigger person and stop this now
KB’s style of writing is very like that of a couple of other contributors to these comment threads.
yeah yeah yeah
With a love like that, you know you should be glad.
“I am saying no more “.
What went wrong?