Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,782
So our beloved council have a cunning plan for Bench Street.
I wonder how many years it will take for the work to be completed and will it end up as portrayed.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,007
The Dover District council are doing a very good job in hard times to get the Town better and they are wining so well done to them get rid of the town council and give the district council the funds from the town council to help with the project they are working on, the town council have done some good but Dover only need one council that must be the district ,sorry with that, is not sounding good but that is the way forward not running the town council down just they do not have the power to push Dover forward but they have alot of cash which they can not spend ,on the projects that need it.
Captain Haddock
- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 7,848
Here we go again. Someone has been having ideas and it's all going to cost us.
Dover could be fantastic if only we had the White Cliffs Experience, or St James', or a Chair Lift (how much did the old Co-op cost), or a revamped Market Square, or a FastTrack bus route etc etc and this time the back of the envelope shows Bench Street!
No mention I note of how much this land acquisition has cost us and hoping for £2 Million from 'the Government' (i.e. our taxes) to complete it.
Just an idea. How about t'council concentrate on doing the important stuff like emptying the bins, cutting the verges and generally keeping the town tidy and sack the rest of their staff (there's 1.1 million vacancies out there - surely some of them are re-employable).
We've hardly built any homes that people actually like to live in since the The Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 (most of the middle class people I know live by choice in Edwardian/Victorian or Georgian properties wherever they are in the country) so the Planinng Dept would not be missed for starters.
With the council sticking to the basics, business rates could be a fraction of what they are encouraging shops and SMEs.
To quote the blessed Rod Liddle 'The lower down the democratic pyramid you go, the more various institutions are likely to be staffed by goose-stepping social inadequates who fill up the gaping holes in their lives by taking it out on you'.
Let's storm Fort Whitfield and set our people free!
Dover Pilot likes this
"Shall we go, you and I, while we can? Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds"
Dover Pilot- Registered: 28 Jul 2018
- Posts: 342
Acquiring the properties is an important step in the council’s bid to secure around £20m
The amount of money that DDC have had from central government over the last 10 years is staggering and apart from a few new fast food shops and metal rings in the square nothing has really changed in Dover. All anyone really wanted was for DDC to buy the Banksy
Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 7,848
Dover Pilot wrote:
The amount of money that DDC have had from central government over the last 10 years is staggering :
With respect, 'central government' have no money other than taxes they have taken from us and are graciously willing to return part of, like some latter day Lady Bountiful, expecting us to be grateful.
It was all our own money in the first place.
"Shall we go, you and I, while we can? Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds"
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,693
Bob whilst there is some truth in your line - [I]We've hardly built any homes that people actually like to live in since the The Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 so the Planning Dept would not be missed for starters.[/I}
I would argue that architects & developers have got them selves stuck in a blind alley.
This is par& conservatism of Joe Public & partly through the desire to build as cost effectively & efficiently as possible; all of which delivers a bland conformity that no one likes but everyone can tolerate.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,693
I would also contend that you are fully aware of the mistruth/deliberate misdirection in your line:
With the council sticking to the basics, business rates could be a fraction of what they are encouraging shops and SMEs. as business rates are centrally government mandated, assessed & levied & only a proportion of what is raised is returned to local authorities to supplement the funds raised from domestic rates/council tax.
I share some of your views on what local authorities should focus on & the things they ought to stop doing, however as you are more than aware many of the schemes introduced by Central Government to provide capital funding to local authority areas requires the local authority to lead & manage the project (wrongly I believe but little I or you can do about that). Of course their delivery focus should be on their statutory responsibilities & everything else should be undertaken solely on an advisory/facilitatory basis.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Karlos- Location: Dover
- Registered: 1 Oct 2012
- Posts: 2,466
victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,007
Kings st, A real gun shop along there in the 1960s and a bait shop.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,823
It's fair to say having three council's comes at a high cost , mostly on staff wages which in today's climate we can't afford.
Getting the three council's to look at themselves and see how they can get to a position to reduce to two council's could help.
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,693
So the DDC Levelling Up Fund Round 2 bid for their oddly titled Dover Beacon proposal was successful with the government awarding it over £18m, let's hope they get the ball rolling on the necessary property acquisition & public consultation, but I am not holding my breath...
If it is anything like the renovation & repairs of the underpass, we will all be pushing up daisies before it gets started.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Dover Pilot- Registered: 28 Jul 2018
- Posts: 342
I know the money comes from different pots but I am still staggered we can't afford to fund the essentials like bus services but have vast amounts of money for these vanity projects.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,017
Agree Dover Pilot.When you cannot get a direct bus service from River to Whitfield.Im sure some of the people from St Radigunds used to catch the bus direct to Whitfield via River.They have cut the service two instead of three.Some people cannot get on the bus .
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,823
Locals are wondering if this is value for money
Arthur likes this
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Karlos- Location: Dover
- Registered: 1 Oct 2012
- Posts: 2,466
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,823
It has always looked like a bomb site .
Not good as a first siting of Dover
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Karlos- Location: Dover
- Registered: 1 Oct 2012
- Posts: 2,466
It appears that the council have been given millions of pounds for something that there is no definite plan for yet?
Dover Pilot- Registered: 28 Jul 2018
- Posts: 342
One can only surmise that the 'creativeness' will be on how to waste the money.
Arthur, Jan Higgins, The Gov and
1 more like this
Arthur, Jan Higgins, The Gov and Andy B like this
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,823
Without public approval
Another white elephant ?
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Button
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 22 Jul 2016
- Posts: 3,003
The image at #157 looks to me like too much of an uninspired box for a creative quarter. How about one that looks like this...
(Not my real name.)
