Users of the Walpole Bay tidal pool have accused Thanet council of “discriminating against the elderly and disabled’ due to enforcement of the parking ban at Hodges Gap promenade.
The council says it introduced tougher enforcement in August following problems with unauthorised parking, overnight camping, littering and obstruction of emergency access.
The promenade has been covered by a Public Spaces Protection Order prohibiting unauthorised vehicles since 2024 but the council says enforcement became a priority this summer due to the issues and the ‘potential environmental hazards’ putting Walpole Bay’s Seaside Award flag at risk.
Thanet council says the PSPO includes exceptions for any person who is registered blind or has a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
But several residents spoke out at a council meeting last week saying the total ban on parking meant ‘responsible and sensible’ pool users were being ‘punished for the actions of the minority.’
One of the speakers at the meeting, Helen Heckety, said to portfolio holder Cllr Heather Keen: “The recent enactment of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) at Walpole Bay has negatively impacted the disabled community.
“I need to park by the tidal pool and have enjoyed doing so all summer. There is a limit to outdoor activities I can do and this was one. Now you have taken that away.
“You say there’s an exception for disabled people but this is not on the signs, so that’s not an exception, is it? If you think I have time to appeal every time I am fined, then I assure you I don’t. What about my friends who help me in and out of the pool. Where do they park?
“I’ve got a progressive disability and enough to worry about. This enactment makes life worse for disabled people.”
Councillors from Reform UK, the Conservatives and an Independent are now lobbying Thanet council to find a solution through an interim paid permit or licence scheme for around 30 authorised vehicles.
The say this could be operated at defined times and subject to strict conditions, while a permanent solution is investigated
Cllrs Barry Manners, Marc Rattigan (Reform) and Alan Munns (Independent) and Cedric Towning (Conservative) are jointly calling for TDC to urgently examine the interim parking suggestion for this winter and a longer-term solution for controlled parking alongside the tidal pool.
They say action on parking was necessary to address uncontrolled parking, overnight camping, antisocial behaviour and obstruction but do not agree with preventing responsible daytime parking by established pool users.
Cllr Manners said: “This is beyond partisan politics. It is a practical issue that directly affects the residents we are here to serve.
“There were around 70 councillors and officers in the TDC chamber last Thursday, all ultimately supported by the taxpayer. Across the council, we have expertise in law, property, planning, regeneration, coastal management and parking.
“If, with all those people and all that expertise, we are unable to respond to the legitimate concerns raised by swimmers at the council meeting – and we’re seriously being told that this expansive area cannot safely accommodate perhaps 30 responsibly parked cars under a properly controlled system – then I have to ask a very basic question: what is the point of the whole circus?
“Local government must not simply be about administering rules and explaining why things can’t be done. It should exist to bring people together, navigate the obstacles and find practical solutions – especially so to relatively modest practical problems like this.
“That’s why we’re approaching this across party lines. We want to work constructively with Cllr Heather Keen, the Chief Executive and officers to find a solution. Residents aren’t asking for the impossible. They’re asking their council to make a reasonable effort to make something work.”
The Walpole Bay regeneration programme aims to improve access to the coast and promote health and wellbeing. Plans include reinstating the cliff lift and creating new beach facilities. The scheme includes a new café, restored lift, showers and toilets.
The proposal also removes parking from the promenade apart from a designated disabled parking area with traffic-management measures to create a “pedestrian dominant” promenade.
Cllr Marc Rattigan said: “Regeneration has to include the interests of the local residents who are already using and valuing a place. At Walpole Bay we have people who have used this space responsibly for well over a decade, throughout the year, and their needs cannot simply become an unintended casualty of regeneration.
“The whole purpose of the investment at Walpole is supposed to be about improving access, health and wellbeing. We support that investment, but success can’t simply be measured by what gets built. It also has to be measured by whether the people who live here and already use the tidal pool actually benefit from it.
“Nobody is arguing for the return of uncontrolled parking or the problems we’ve seen with campervans and antisocial behaviour. We’re asking TDC to work with residents to find a controlled, proportionate solution which deals with those problems without excluding the responsible users who were here long before the regeneration programme arrived.”
Cllr Alan Munns added: “The Walpole Bay tidal pool is a valued community asset used regularly by Kingsgate residents and many others. Residents have made clear their strong displeasure at the removal of parking by the pool.
“While at the Cliftonville Farmers’ Market, I was again approached by pool users who are very angry about the current situation. They feel the loss of nearby parking is making access harder — and for some, potentially impossible.
“Nobody is arguing for a return to the free-for-all we saw earlier. Antisocial behaviour, overnight camping, littering and obstruction of emergency access needed to be addressed. But stopping those problems does not mean every form of responsible daytime parking has to disappear.”
Cllr Munns added that ‘displaced campervans and motorhomes are (now) engaging in long-term camping at Joss Bay.’
The four councillors are writing jointly to Cabinet member, Cllr Heather Keen, copying in Chief Executive Colin Carmichael, to ask Thanet council to make the matter a cross-departmental policy issue.
They say they want the council to set out the precise legal and practical obstacles to controlled parking; what processes would be required to overcome them; whether planning, licensing or other permissions would be needed; what physical measures such as barriers, markings and pedestrian segregation might be required; the likely costs; and what less restrictive alternatives have been considered.
Cllr Cedric Towning said: “Since Walpole tidal pool was built in 1937 it has been used by a large number of local residents of all ages, especially elderly and disabled people, who rely on parking near the pool.
“TDC is removing all parking by the pool and this action will cause considerable difficult and inconvenience to our community.”
The councillors say there may be legitimate legal or practical reasons why the options cannot be pursued, but believe every reasonable avenue should be explored.
Cllr Manners has also requested further information on the disability exemption, including who can apply, where applications should be sent, what evidence is required, what criteria will be used, how long applications should take, and precisely what an exemption permits.
The PSPO is due to expire next March and a public consultation will be held before a renewed PSPO is reviewed.
A Thanet council spokesperson said: “The council is committed to keeping Walpole Bay safe and accessible for pedestrians, emergency services, and essential vehicles, while recognising the concerns of regular pool users and councillors.
“The Beach and Coast Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is in place to ensure that our promenades and beach access points remain clear and safe for pedestrians and to maintain access to the coastline for emergency services and essential service vehicles.
“The decision to implement the current PSPO was taken by the council’s Cabinet on 25 January 2024, with the PSPO coming into force on 1 April 2024.
“Under the current PSPO, exceptions apply to anyone registered blind or disabled under the Equality Act 2010. Blue Badge holders and those providing proof of disability will not receive a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) when parking on the lower promenade.
“Disabled drivers without a Blue Badge who receive an FPN can appeal through the formal process. All vehicles must still ensure pedestrian safety and avoid blocking emergency access.
“The existing Beach and Coast PSPO ends in March 2027. A full public consultation will evaluate feedback, including equalities considerations before a new draft PSPO is presented to Councillors for review.
“Making the bay accessible and inclusive to everyone is a core aim of our broader regeneration plans for Walpole Bay. These long-term improvements include establishing a designated parking space for disabled users, replacing the tidal pool escape ladders, refurbishing the Walpole Bay cliff lift, constructing new accessible toilets and showers, and providing a café.”
The £1.8million scheme to reinstate the Grade II Listed Walpole Bay Lift, explore improvements for the tidal pool and create a café and public toilets/showers is part of the £22.2m Margate Town Deal (now part of an overall Thanet regeneration fund) which was secured by Thanet council in March 2021.
Prom maintenance
A section of the lower promenade between the bottom of Newgate Gap and Hodges Gap in Margate will be closed on occasion, between Monday 28 September and Friday 11 December. This is for planned maintenance.
The first closure started today (September 29). Local businesses remain open and can be reached via Newgate Gap and Hodges Gap.
People are asked to use the upper promenade during the closures, which depend on weather and tides.
The fat bloke looks like he could do with the exercise of using the stairs.
So the inconsiderate parking of a few over the summer months has resulted in all locals being penalised year round. I challenge Cllr Heather Keen to go to this parking area at Walpole Bay at different times of the day for the next month and see how often many cars are there, what problems there are. I am sure she will not find one day when the car park is full.
If worst comes to worst, just have parking restrictions for the 6 to 8 week summer period and let all locals use it at other times of the year – as we have done for years.
I am sick of the minority being given preference over the majority.