A demonstration will be held on Friday (August 14) to show opposition to Thanet council’s decision to sell the Pierremont Park depot to the highest bidder, dashing the hopes that Broadstairs and St Peters Town Council would take on the site.
A decision notice published by the authority last week (August 6) says: “Following open market exposure, the accepted bid represents the highest financial offer obtained,”
The park depot site, without the access road, was marketed with a price tag of £475k.
The price achieved is not listed, other than “the preferred offer exceeds realistic commercial expectations (£300,000 to £315,000),” and there is no indication of the buyer’s identity as yet.
The town council bid, which was lower than the figure noted above, included a social value element, including retaining the depot for use by town council staff and the community for gardening.
However, Thanet council says the town council bid was rejected because it “was significantly below two independent professional valuations, as well as two other commercial offers, which were both considerably higher.”
The authority added: “While local authorities can consider community benefits in certain circumstances, strict legal rules mean non-monetary benefits cannot replace direct financial value unless they deliver clear, cash-equivalent savings to the council.”
The Friends of Pierremont Park, who had been campaigning for the site to be kept for community use, have now organised the demonstration.
Spokesperson Lorraine Williams said: “The town is up in arms – we want to demonstrate the strength of local feeling about this decision and hope it can be reversed before any sale to a developer goes through – which we believe would diminish the amenity of the public park irrevocably.
“The Town Council first expressed interest in taking on this site shortly after it was closed but have been told that their formal bid was not considered strong enough by TDC decision makers who seem only concerned about money to plug gaps in their finances.
“The Town Council employ gardeners who used to work for TDC, who are struggling to take care of the areas they are responsible for and have told them that having access to the depot would save significant amounts of public money, allow the park to be better cared for and be much more sustainable as it would allow propagation and composting on site.
“As TDC will shortly cease to exist (due to local government reorganisation into unitary authorities), Friends of Pierremont Park has come together to try and influence this decision which has appalled so many in the town as well as visitors.”
However, TDC leader Cllr Rick Everitt said: “It is time for the leadership of Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council to be honest about the size of the bid they made and the legal reasons which mean it could never have been accepted by the district council.
“This was set out in detail in a letter to them which they could release but haven’t. Why not? Town councillors, particularly those also on TDC, know that we have to follow the law. They should explain where they think the professional lawyers are wrong if they think we could have made a different decision, not just pretend that we could ignore the law because it suits them politically.”
The protest will be held on Friday 14 August at 4pm, outside the Depot gates in the park. A chalk protest has also been building at the gates this week, with community members chalking what they think on the tarmac path.
The gathering will then go along the high street to the seafront where they will stage a ‘die in’ in support of the trees and to show collective distress.
Some councillors, including Scrutiny panel chairman Phil Fellows, have submitted a request to “call in” the decision for it to be reviewed.
The former district council depot had been in use since the 1970s but TDC said it was “vacated due to its condition and its location, which is too far out from the council’s main depots to continue as an operational basis.”
A decision to market to site was agreed by council Cabinet members last year with notice that a bid had been accepted this month.
The council will retain ownership of the adjacent access road through Pierremont Park, although campaigners say they believe there will be disturbance by commercial development.
The site was advertised as having “flexible options for redevelopment, community use, or investment.”
An application by Thanet council for four properties, made up of three terraced houses and a bungalow, on the 0.2ha plot was refused by its own planning committee last year.
Will any Labour TDC cllrs break rank and join them?
It is truly disgraceful that thanet council would do such a sale this should be handed to the community for progeys wildlife children disabled etc
Not for another fast sale to build more flats property developments sould not be built on these quick sales underhanded deals I hope this sale can be stopped good luck
TDC have wasted too much of our money, and are nearly broke… and as they’re being disbanded soon, they don’t care what plebs like us think!
Hand it over to Broadstairs and St Peter’s thanet council do something honorable for a change
I heard Helen whitehead sent an FOI to herself about it
Haha!!
I consider TDC property disposals to be a fire sale, meaning selling goods or assets at a huge discount because the owner urgently needs cash.
A chatty Google operative affirmed this to me, so it must be true. Very pleasant protestors and excellent aerial view from Get Wild, who is on Facebook and YouTube. Very interesting local creator.