Additional reporting by Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Esson
Plans to create a café and events bar, wellness garden with outdoor gym, greenhouse, shipping containers for food and drink retail units, a community book shop and perimeter fencing at The Oval Bandstand and Lawns have been approved by Thanet council.
The part retrospective application by GRASS Cliftonville CIC also includes plans for covered outdoor seating areas, wildflower meadows, mini forests, interpretation and notice boards, bike racks, bins, bollards, seating and a boulder water feature.
The bandstand amphitheatre project, which also features The Oval Pavilion, will include a cafe, training and job opportunities, better toilet facilities, and an events bar.
Two 20ft shipping containers and one 10ft shipping container at the bandstand amphitheatre, in addition to the 20ft storeroom already present on-site, are to house five new retail units for local food and beverage businesses. Inspired by the success of Ellington Park, one of these units is earmarked to become a community bookshop.
All the shipping containers are to be clad to reduce the industrial appearance.
Raised planters, recycling stations with signage, a fence either side of the pavilion covered in climbing plants, and a decked terrace with picnic tables are also included.
Temporary permission for the Heras fencing at the site will run until the end of 2026. An application will be made for permanent fencing to continue after that point.
The wellness garden will have a series of garden spaces connected by paths and will have features such as bird friendly water features, bug and bee hotels, seating and lighting. An outdoor gym area will also be included.
The fencing around the amphitheatre is to “safeguard the site during the night-time and shield it from vandalism.”
A number of public submissions, both in support and making objections, were lodged over the plans.
Objections include complaints about the ‘prison’ fencing and the siting of the shipping containers in a conservation area, Supporters said the works will improve the site and offer wellbeing and cafe facilities.
At a planning committee meeting last night September 18) GRASS co-director Simon Bell told members: “Since the installation of the temporary fence in spring 2023 the transformation has been remarkable, the site has become more secure, enabling proper ticketing and creating a family-friendly environment, free from drug dealing and antisocial behaviour.
“We’ve always intended to open it daily for people to freely enjoy the surroundings and access the toilets.
“With this planning permission we can now start opening every day, operating the kiosk, café and community bookshop ensuring the amphitheatre remains fully accessible and free from vandalism.”
Mr Bell says more than 100 events have been hosted at The Oval Bandstand and Lawns with more than 37,000 visitors since GRASS took over community ownership of the site in 2021 when the freehold was transferred to the group by Thanet council.
The scheme was well-received by councillors, with Cllr Kristian Bright (Lab) saying: “I’m really impressed with this.
“It’s a place of entertainment it always was and will be in future – I think it’s returning it to its historic place.”
“I’ve watched what has happened at the Oval over the last few years and seen all the fantastic development that’s gone on there and the events that have gone on so I’m very supportive of it,” added Cllr Heather Keen (Lab).
TDC’s planning committee voted unanimously to approve the bid.
Speaking after the meeting, GRASS co-director Stephen Darrer said: “It’s been a long slog but it’s been great to finally get it done.
“We’re delighted and the whole team is delighted.
“It’s an exciting time for Cliftonville, obviously there’s lots happening within Margate and it’s great to give something back to the community.”
GRASS has also received a “significant” grant from government, with a deadline of March next year to spend funding they were given.
Mr Bell said: “It’s been a long and stressful process, but we are absolutely thrilled to have received a unanimous vote from the councillors, who expressed huge enthusiasm for the project.
“We would like to thank all our supporters who have attended our events throughout the summer, including a special thanks to Green Councillor Tricia Austin for her invaluable support at the committee meeting, and to the Thanet council planning officers for their guidance and hard work throughout the process.
“We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of people who sent letters of support to the council and signed our petition. Your voices were crucial in helping us achieve this positive outcome.
“With this approval, the secured government funding we received for the upgrades can now be put to use, allowing us to move forward with transforming The Oval into a dynamic space for the community. This is fantastic news for everyone involved, as the funding will help us create sustainable facilities that can be enjoyed by all.
“The hard work begins now, as we aim to complete construction over the winter months to ensure The Oval amphitheatre is open during the day next summer, providing a welcoming and revitalised space for the public to enjoy.”
GRASS is open to expressions of interest from businesses that would like to take up space at the shipping container units.
To celebrate, residents are invited to the bandstand for a Taking Care of Vegas concert on Friday, 20th September, from 6pm to 8:30pm.
Cliftonville’s Oval Bandstand and amphitheatre dates back to 1897.
A temporary bandstand there before was replaced with an ornate wrought-iron structure complete with a landscaped amphitheatre, which was surrounded by 2,000 deckchairs.
In the 1970s it hosted a model village and well-attended wrestling matches.
The bandstand and lawns was later used by Cliftonville Farmers Market and Cliftonville Residents Association with a farmers market started in 2001, This is now based at Walpole Green.
Grass (Gordon Road Area Street Scheme) Cliftonville was allocated £500,000 from the £22.2m Margate Town Deal in 2021 to refurbish The Oval site but this was officially withdrawn following a row over a non disclosure agreement.
Project leaders Stephen Darrer and Simon Bell have since sourced funding from elsewhere, including the most recent government grant and an award from Sport England announced in May.
I’m sure the struggling businesses in Cliftonville will be thrilled at more competition here… NOT!
Looks like yet another Thanet slum.
It’s in a conservation area too so shouldn’t change the character of the area, not that TDC bother to enforce anything that is not as it should be. It’s easier for them to allow whatever is presented, but I hope this is a quiet success for those using the area and security is not too fierce on anyone walking through like it has been so far.
Lets hope TDC can deal with all the extra litter…..NOT.
A great idea. Best wishes to all concerned.
Lovely ol’ Cliftonville. Onwards and upwards 👍
Deptford-on-Sea.
Would like to know what salary the Grass people pay themselves……
Yes, like you I hope they are well rewarded for their vision, their hard work, their enthusiasm and their determination. Especially when there are so many negative people on this website who are eager to bitch but have done nothing to improve Thanet in their lives. Good for you, Mr Brim, for supporting the new Cliftonville.
I’ll never support anything GRASS do. Not after the way they treated the farmer’s market.
I can’t believe they received a grant, after the debacle with the farmers market heres one thanet resident who won’t be parting with their cash.
I hope still keep the cafe thats already there and the disability toliets and if that’s not going to be used as a cafe mybe it could be used for broadstairs information
Broadstairs information in Cliftonville? Maybe we can have Ramsgate information in Westgate while we’re at it.
this will be a prime spot for the grafitti idiots that blight thanet , and no doubt the fire bugs and vandals will lend a hand in its downfall
Can we at least all agree that anyone creating graffiti deserves to be shot, and the bill for the bullet to be sent to their families? I think that’s fair.
No, we certainly can’t, and”Hatty Nuff”‘s comment is not at all amusing.
Thats a bit harsh Hattie, and has a smell of German NAZI’s about it who would send a Bill for the cost of a bullet to relatives after shooting dead people who opposed them! How about breaking the fingers of these so called Grafittie artists(sic) surgically, and in public, that could help. But what would help more is to ban spray paint, and fine anyone caught concealing a tin on their person?
The whole thing is a downer man. I used to be able to wander over there on a warm afternoon with a good book and just enjoy the peace!
It’s just a cold steel fence now, 8a ring of steel man.
Except it’s not quite a ring coz some of it is concrete.
Is the fencing there to keep folk out or, keep them in?
Reminds me of an enclave or, compound.
Still, every cloud, at least it’s free. Wait a minute! It’s not free.
It’s free if you pay two pounds.
I find it such a massive downer man. Two pounds has to feed me for a week.
It does not matter one jot what any of us post on this site about this group.
Clearly,Thanet District Council are in thrall to them.
The fact that they TDC, gifted them this 4 acre public site, FREEHOLD for £1 says it all.
You can call it a CIC, or a Social Enterprise group or whatever, but I personally think it is a business.
Directors of a CIC can legally pay themselves a salary.
TDC also seem to not care what it looks like, even though it is in a Conservation area.
As far as the 20 foot shipping containers, words fail me.
Did TDC gift the site, purely because they did not want to manage the maintenance of the lawns & grass and painting, what was their properties at the time, the bandstand, kiosk & toilet block.
Then we get to the metal fencing, again, words fail me!
I will be interested to see where the 420 saplings are planted.
Do take a look at their site, they have had huge grants from all sorts of gifting bodies and they even had £26,000 from the Margate Town Board funding when they were originally awarded £500,000, yes that is right, half a million pounds, even though one of these directors was on the committee of this board, in my opinion a blatant’conflict of interest’
Meanwhile other community groups struggle to continue.
It is not what you know, but who you know.
Shot?
No we cannot agree.