Margate Civic Society announces Town Pride Award recipients

Town Pride Award winner 20 Palm Bay Avenue

The results of this year’s Town Pride Awards were announced at the meeting of the Margate Civic Society held at the Walpole Bay Hotel in Cliftonville last night (May 12).

A total of 12 sites were nominated for the 2022 Town Pride Awards, as having enhanced the built environment. The calibre of nominations received indicates a growing awareness amongst the Society’s members of the major contribution that both renovation of often run-down properties and the erection of well-designed new properties, make to the overall attractiveness of our town.

Of the 12 nominations, two were deferred to next year, as they had yet to be completed.

Winner of the Town Pride Plaque and Framed Certificate:

Before

20 Palm Bay Avenue, Cliftonville in recognition of innovative, sensitive and eye-catching design, making a major contribution to the regeneration of Cliftonville.

After

Recipients of Town Pride ‘Highly Commended’ Framed Certificates were:

  • ‘Westcliff House’, 37 Sea Road, Westgate-on-Sea (in recognition of innovative and sensitive design, making an important contribution to the regeneration of the area.)
  • ‘Springfield’, Hengist Road, Westgate-on-Sea (in recognition of innovative, sensitive and eye-catching design, making a major contribution to the regeneration of our area)
  • ‘Wilderness to Wonderland’, Westbrook (in recognition of an outstanding volunteer-led Greening Project, promoting Civic Pride)
  • 106 Norfolk Road, Cliftonville (in recognition of good and sensitive design, making a contribution to the regeneration of our area)

The results of the 39th Town Pride Awards were announced by the Society’s Chair, Pamela Pople and the presentations made by the Vice Chair, Harry Scobie.

Pamela, who organised the event, said: “I should like to thank everyone who has been involved, contributing to making this this year’s event such a special occasion. This year is particularly poignant, as is the first Town Pride Awards’ event that we have held since 2019 and the ideal opportunity to celebrate the positive impact that projects have made in the local area, rather than reflecting on the negative.

“Croft Cast Signs were again commissioned to create the bespoke durable blue plaque depicting the Margate Clock Tower, which has become a symbol of our Society.

“I am delighted once again that we received nominations of such a high calibre, resulting in one Town Pride winner this year and 4 ‘Highly Commended’, each of which was diverse, reflecting the exceptional high standard of new projects that have been undertaken in the areas of Cliftonville, Margate, Westbrook and Westgate-on-Sea, which will contribute greatly in raising ethos and a sense of pride in our community.”

For further information, contact the Society’s Chair, Pamela People on  07903 126 530 or go to www.margatecivicsociety.org.uk.

22 Comments

    • I don’t understand how you can’t like this Art Deco influenced design which is in keeping with some other original Art Deco houses in Palm Bay .
      Why would you object to that being next door ?

      • Compare the neighbours’ windows in the two pics.

        Also, this is a new build. Surely awards should be aimed at re-purposing old buildings (as the Westgate nominees had done) rather than demolition?

        • Sorry Peter but you’ve not made your point well. As a DFL , you obviously don’t know the Palm Bay Area as myself who has lived here much longer than you and this Art Deco influenced house isn’t out of place and is a marked improvement on the previous property hence why it got building planning consent and now an independent award.
          There are other buildings of a similar design in Grenham Bay and in the Birchington area , do you also not like them when you’re out walking ?

    • Indeed – if I lived in the two storey brown brick house shown in the photos which originally had unobscured views from the windows, I would be most upset by the construction of a three storey building a few metres away – more especially as it also casts shadows on the adjacent property as can be seen in the photos.

      It is unfortunately the usual case of a greedy developer cramming nine units onto a space previously containing one in order to maximise profit. Whilst the design may be better than average, it is still a large development shoe-horned into a small space.

      But hey-ho ! – we have our ever expanding population demanding more and more property which, in turn, increases the prices . . .

      • We couldn’t agree with you more. There are other issues with these “awards” that we will comment on later.

  1. Peter- I pass this everyday and think its a fantastic build. Peter- if you are sad enough to have only a few poor impressions of the people in Thanet and its area. Then may I suggest either you leave making comments or leave Thanet.

    • Peter is a negative about everything but Brexit and was against all covid restrictions…. He is a parody of himself at this point.

    • Good for you Ms. Parrot, I’m very happy for you, and all your feathered friends.

      I like the building – but NOT there. It is obviously one of those “Me! Me! Me!” projects, with zero consideration given to their neighbours.

      Both Westcliff House and Springfield would’ve made far more deserving winners. I’m impressed by them every time I walk past.

  2. Peter if it was a me me me project then we would have a fifty story building maximising profit, not a building that fits in with the others in the road. (With a roof for my feathered acquaintances)
    And if you carried on walking you could live in Hearne Bay or Whitstable. They may appreciate your humour and intelligent wit!!!

  3. Great looking building, however don’t judge a book by its cover.the building has many problems.just ask the new owners.love art deco, will it last,just ask Lee,the main man who ouer saw, entire build from start to finish.

    • This building is architecturally influenced by Art Deco properties seen on seafronts in Miami , America
      Flat roofs like Art Deco buildings like this are well known to have problems but my understanding is that modern materials and knowledge of these problems can be overcome / prevented nowadays .
      Their certainly are companies these days that specialise in flat roofs .
      If I was having a new build like this , I would have done my research on any inherent problems with this style of property .
      As regards as to how it will last , these same buildings in Miami are still standing nearly 90 years after being built. !

  4. Margate Civic Society Town Pride Awards 2022

    We have enormous respect and affection for Pamela Pople (& her husband Ray) who gives a huge amount of her own personal time to promote Thanet. Also her work with Northdown Road Businesses promoting them and making the road looked ” loved” with the floral hanging baskets. Again with very little financial reward.

    But let us address the “Awards”
    20 Palm Bay Avenue
    This has been called “Innovative” = forward looking, inventive & futuristic it is NONE of these. It is a repro Art Deco from 1925-1940 Sensitive? seriously, it is the opposite, it is intrusive (blocking views from the block next door and finally “eye catching” to those eyes? This type of development where a single property on a large plot is demolished to be replaced with 9 flats is a blight. There are many examples across Thanet.

    Then there is 106 Norfolk Road

    This has also been given similar accolades to the Palm Bay building by the “judges”?

    Remember “Not in our back gardens”?

    That is exactly what this represents. Built in the back garden of Moylers convenience store Northdown Road, surrounded by concrete and pebbles not a blade of grass to be seen. It is dwarfed by the Terraced Row of 17 Victorian Houses 1890-1900 that it is supposed to copy?. This is in a “Conservation Area”, an absolute travesty.

    We question everything about these decisions, who are you? Because taking just these 2 examples you haven’t got a **** CLUE !!

    On a completely different thread.

    How does the Society manage to have a complete Philistine for a Vice Chairman. Not only does he condone a shop front in yet again a Conversation Area being ripped out. But at retrospective planning meeting he voted in favour, allowing them to get away with it!!!!
    Our case in NOT rested!!

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