Guest 1535- Registered: 27 May 2015
- Posts: 399
ray hutstone wrote:I guess when you've borrowed £45m based upon a flawed assumption of planning permission, then you ain't going to give up.
Its in the bag the consultation is a red herring
If only everyone could be kind and honest what a better world we would be in.
ray hutstone- Registered: 1 Apr 2018
- Posts: 2,158
#441 - On what basis do you make that assertion?
There are new faces in CGI but the debt still remains. Their influence in local politics over the past 2 attempts to despoil this part of our countryside has already been exposed. It is a totally unhealthy influence and needs to be exposed once again. Dover has absolutely nothing to gain from this. It is about profit and political machinations to achieve that profit.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,018
They are building large houses at Whitfield.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
nothing wrong with a large house, at least its better than those rabbit hutches that have been building.
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Guest 1535- Registered: 27 May 2015
- Posts: 399
I presume these people will have children who will be working at one stage in their lives Dover is already struggling to supply school leavers with jobs as are other towns.
If only everyone could be kind and honest what a better world we would be in.
Guest 1535- Registered: 27 May 2015
- Posts: 399
ray hutstone wrote:#441 - On what basis do you make that assertion?
There are new faces in CGI but the debt still remains. Their influence in local politics over the past 2 attempts to despoil this part of our countryside has already been exposed. It is a totally unhealthy influence and needs to be exposed once again. Dover has absolutely nothing to gain from this. It is about profit and political machinations to achieve that profit.
Well just see how things panned out in past that will tell you a lot Ray.
If only everyone could be kind and honest what a better world we would be in.
Guest 1535- Registered: 27 May 2015
- Posts: 399
The (DDC) Council has aspirations to develop new affordable homes itself and may decide to charge an affordable rent for these homes which will be set at 80% of the local market rent but capped at the
Local Housing Allowance rate.
Private Landlords in Dover are charging average 650 to 750 per month with mainly young couples renting because they cannot get affordable homes, council home and cannot buy a home (prices and shortage). On average 1,000 take home for a young person even less, meaning two people have to work to survive couples are putting off having families because they cannot afford to have them because of the high rents, lack of housing they can afford and I know what I am talking about here. Its not about us the ones who are already stable in our homes this is for the future of our children and their children.
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If only everyone could be kind and honest what a better world we would be in.
Judith Roberts- Registered: 15 May 2012
- Posts: 637
I believe Dover needs good quality new homes at the top end as well as starter homes at affordable prices. Houses rather than flats. We need more people on middle and high salaries to attract businesses such as shops and leisure facilities to the town centre. At the moment anyone from Dover who has worked hard and been successful will struggle to find a nice large family home here and will move out to Deal or the villages.
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ray hutstone- Registered: 1 Apr 2018
- Posts: 2,158
The 2 day unadvertised "consultation" did not last. They shut up shop prematurely after lunch today. Perhaps just dipping their toes into the water?
Of course all new homes are to be welcomed provided they are built in the right place with due consideration to all other factors. The prices of the proposed development here were in the half million plus region. Similar to the Newlands development at Whitfield. I very much doubt many Dovorians would be in the market for what would become, in any event, yet another village on the outskirts of town.
DDC has already spent a considerable amount of Dover taxpayers' money propping up this lamentable project. Don't you think it could have been better spent doing some real good for the town rather than losing forever a delightful area of our surrounding country side?
Guest 1535- Registered: 27 May 2015
- Posts: 399
Ive been informed that flat pack houses are being delivered to companies or ?? Im trying to find out where these are going to, but a lot has been on the move I have been told. Not sure if these are just some towns putting up for housing shortage or someone building on cheap and selling at high price. Dont know where they are being build but have asked for all info on this.
If only everyone could be kind and honest what a better world we would be in.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
manufactured by ikea amber nector.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
Ihope they are it is the right place to build them, well that is what I think anyway.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,018
These will not be affordable.Why ruin more country side ,Whitfield is being developed rapidly .another Hawkinge in the making.We need to bring back derilict sitesin Dover. Restore vacant shops .Recently the Planning was turned down for Lydden circuit. Would have brought employment for seventy people.It cannot be seen from the road
listened to the nimbires.
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ray hutstone- Registered: 1 Apr 2018
- Posts: 2,158
I agree, Sue. You alone of the Tory hegemony seem to have stood on a point of principle in this one. One could add to your argument sites like Buckland Mill, Connaught Barracks, Westmount where development seems to have fallen by the wayside. All are much more appropriate sites than burying the Farthingloe Valley in concrete for perpetuity.
But there is something wider going on here. CGI has no assets except Farthingloe. There are new faces on board. The main man resides in Cambodia. This is about one thing and one thing only - money. Money which has been borrowed on the expectation of a compliant council and MP who will, however long it takes, force this development through. Our professional planning offices at DDC paid due regard to AONB legislation initially and greatly reduced the original plans. CGI then called in their consultants (BNP Paribas) who obediently said that the reduced development was impossible to make sufficient profit from (in a nutshell). The High Court and finally the Law Lords (Supreme Court) rejected both arguments and simultaneously made rare and direct criticisms of the councillors who met in secret to overturn their own officers' recommendations.
DDC has seen fit to squander a quarter of a million pounds of taxpayers money fighting the decision. Why is Charlie so vocal on this project but happy to stay quiet on other sites? Why has he chosen to vilify the CPRE so blatantly? The whole thing stinks.
I love the Farthingloe Valley along with many other people. If it has to go in the name of progress then it should be done in a manner commensurate with its AONB status. I hope that planning officers retain the courage to scrutinise this next attempt to wipe out CGI's debts with the thoroughness it deserves. And thereafter I hope that DDC councillors will put environmental value ahead of financial gain.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
That is the bit I can't quite get, why is Charlie so set on this development and why does he attack the CPRE who are effectively an organisation that is on the side of the people most of the time?
As for local young people getting on the housing ladder!!
Captain Haddock
- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 7,937
As I have written before - were one to want to build a few hundred homes in the area the Farthinloe site is close to ideal in terms of connectivity - close to A20/M20, close to HS1 link to London, easy access to Eurotunnel.
Whilst in an AONB the status is almost by default - the line outlining the area just happens to enclose the site which in itself is not that outstanding, natural or beautiful - mostly being almost a brown-field site covered with the bases and roads from the old Channel Tunnel workings.
As for affordable housing, as long as the houses are actually lived in, and the new owners previous accommodation was not either a tent or a caravan, presumably they will have sold their previous accommodation to someone and when you go further down the chain one of the properties on the end might be affordable to one of our local paupers.
And as for the developers making a 'profit' errrr that's what they do. As do most employers, be they factory, shop, airline, ferry company or whatever - otherwise they cease trading. At this point you get zero homes, affordable or otherwise, for anyone anywhere.
"Shall we go, you and I, while we can? Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds"
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
"Rob Prince, a director at the project's investors China Gateway International, said last week: “I want to give priority to Dovorians who want to get on the housing ladder. I care about Dover being a town on the up and giving young people a chance to buy their first home."
I wonder if he kept a straight face when saying that?
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,018
I see where Bob is coming from but the principle is when the channel Tunnel was constructed and I was on planning at that time and various other committes we were given assurance the site where the workers were housed would be restored.
Yes I'm very principled I never go back on my word .The truth is there is money to be gained and when Councillors went against officers re commendation I was appalled.
if Jo Bloggs paints his house the wrong colour that is wrong but taking away our country side is not ?
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Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 7,937
Sue,
If the choice is between building over even more high grade agricultural land at Whitfield with all the traffic problems that will cause and at the old Channel Tunnel site at Farthingloe, I view it as least worse option.
FWIW I have spoke to Rob Price and he confirms that there will be both one and two bedroom properties, the former somewhere north of £100,000, that's what a property of that size is 'worth' in Dover. If they cost much more they would never sell them. Obv.
"Shall we go, you and I, while we can? Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds"