howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,803
"LoveDover will meanwhile force tenants and owners to maintain their premises properly, and address the “dumbing down” of town centre architecture, and unattractive and aging surroundings."
I thought that meant hopefully buying run down buildings like those in Cannon Street, not seemingly well looked after ones in a prime location.
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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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Guest 1831- Registered: 1 Sep 2016
- Posts: 395
The silence is deafening
What have we got 18 to 19 Town Councilors?
Who attended the meetings?
Who agreed or disagreed with the purchase of this one property?
It is a going concern, in a very attractive and desirable building .
Not a derelict, empty retail property, we were given to understand would be purchased and
renovated.
Why so much secrecy and silence.?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Keith was at the meeting this week and hopefully give us an account of how he reads the situation, I doubt that any other of the councillors in attendance will say anything.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Bit of a carve up tonight, once difficult questions were asked the shutters came down 20 minutes before the end of the scheduled meeting.
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Reginald Barrington
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,231
Did we get any answers on the purchase of Dickens Corner or news on a main contractor for St James?
Arte et Marte
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,803
That will not install confidence in what is going on behind the closed doors and only fuels the gossip.
When will these representatives of us the public realise people want to know what is going on when they spend our tax money in an apparent dubious way, it would be so easy to quash any rumours.
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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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Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,302
I gave up and left when the lady started wittering on about Love Dover opening charity shops.
Still, I'm glad I went.
Er, note to DTC, two microphones and a decent "runner" would have been better.
Terry
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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Guest 782- Registered: 4 Oct 2012
- Posts: 357
Oh, I didn't see you at the meeting Howard, but then it was packed, standing room only.
Guest 1849 likes this
Guest 1849- Registered: 12 Sep 2016
- Posts: 440
Simon Crowley wrote:Oh, I didn't see you at the meeting Howard, but then it was packed, standing room only.
Yes but plenty of forum members will have been in attendance and will duly report their findings.
lol
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Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,018
Post 7 That's the answer Simon.People don't like being kept in the dark.i knew it would be a waste of time attending .
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,803
Interesting that Simon who is closely involved prefers to let the rumours continue rather than clarify matters in any way.
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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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Guest 782- Registered: 4 Oct 2012
- Posts: 357
The trouble is Jan that some people here are not really interested in the truth when they can make up what they want the story to be.
The meeting was told what is happening in very clear terms. I have attempted to tell the story on this forum before but it gets me in to trouble. So with all due respect, I am not going down that road again myself; but the actual truth is in the public domain and it is not devious, not corrupt, just good for Dover. Many will be glad about that, many others will still be suspicious, but I can't do much about it. If the people who roll their sleeves up and put themselves out, stop because of the keyboard warriors, then Dover will be much the poorer. I see many of the same faces at the various groups I attend, but never, ever people on forums like this although to be fair, some on here remain faceless by virtue of a gutless pseudonym, so I may be wrong.
Guest 1385, Jan Higgins and Guest 1849 like this
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,696
I went this evening but left just after the start of the Q&A session
Ingleton's presentation on St James's, as always, was delivered in his dreary monotone and told us very little other than the sub-contractors are pressing on with the work, there is no main contractor yet but negotiations are ongoing and that the intention is to open late 2017 but this will be driven by the tenants. This was all pretty much well know or deduce-able from the photos on numerous websites of progress. his only other point of note was that the master planning of the Dover Waterfront scheme is progressing well.
Neil Wiggins gave a good if slightly over long presentation on the Town Teams scheme for the Market Square area; this included the artist impressions of what it will look like which to be fair is pretty impressive and if it gets the money will make a big difference to the look of that part of town. The funding decision is expected late March/early April. The money is from the Coastal Communities Fund, The work must start within 6 months of the grant award and be completed by Dec 2019, though Neil stated it was hoped to complete Dec 2018.
Finally Allison Burton gave a very cursory and speedy presentation on Love Dover.
She told us nothing of the reasons for the lack of transparency around the legal structure fiasco but did confirm that the Charitable Interest Organisation was formally registered on 4th January.
She mentioned that they were in the process of appointing additional trustees and that applications were being received but did not disclose how one could apply, or who other than herself were the current trustees.
She mentioned the first purchase in passing and when questioned said that it was chosen as it had the potential to be a "quick win" (my words) in terms of conversion of the upper floors to residential accommodation and therefore lead to a reduction in the business rates for the retail premise.
Certainly I learnt nothing new and most of what was said is already here, albeit across a number of threads, on this forum.
I gave up with the Q&As when someone suggested we look to Folkestone & Whitstable for our inspiration on how to regenerate - clearly he has not been to Folkestone recently and seen the negative impact the Asda shopping mall has had on Guildford Street, the lower high street and upper Rendezvous Street or cottoned on to the fact that they have a major benefactor in De Hahn, equally they missed the fact that Whitstable is nothing like Dover - one is a fishing town with a quaint high street and the other is an industrial port town with 13m people transiting the town each year.
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"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
Guest 1849- Registered: 12 Sep 2016
- Posts: 440
Excellent post Ross
Captain Haddock
- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 7,939
I too attended last night. It's a shame Ross left early as there were some interesting(?) questions on LoveHoney from the floor.
Firstly a reporter from the Dover Express had Sniffer Rix squirming over whether he might have a conflict of interest when the companies raison d'etre is 'doing up property' which almost invariably involves the erection of scaffolding. Our obfuscating Mayor and Arthur Mullard look-a-like said 'Nah' and pointed out that it was due to his benevolence there were hundreds of Dover families living off the wages he so generously provides for his workers.
Some interfering fellow from Deal then asked whether the £350,000 paid for the property in Market Square was actually the correct 'market price'.
Apparently the property was up for auction with a much higher reserve price for two days. When the vendor realised that LoveHoney was interested he withdrew it from sale and sold at a lower price than he would have got from auction (!) so everything is perfectly transparent and above board.
Hopefully both the reporter and the man from Deal will now keep their interfering noses out of this matter and Dover's regeneration can carry on apace.
Photo of Pam Brivio inaction.
Ross Miller likes this
"We are living in very strange times, and they are likely to get a lot stranger before we bottom out"
Dr. Hunter S Thompson
Guest 1862- Registered: 23 Sep 2016
- Posts: 163
Well, I came away, none the wiser and failed to be impressed. I do get the feeling that it's mainly decisions made by those who stand to profit out of tax payers money. The town clerk was her usual assertive rude self and Q&A were shut down as soon as it became obvious people have little confidence in some of the major players due to lack of transparency. One gent asked me " who gave this secret group the right or permission to use our money as they please without as much as a by your leave?"
I don't believe" those who roll up their sleeves ", but stand to make money out of it, will give the answer. The money paid in was for services which this town, by all accounts, did not get .
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Guest 1849- Registered: 12 Sep 2016
- Posts: 440
Neil Rix gets so much stick, I've no idea why, I can only put it down to petty jealousy. He may, or may not, have sniffed a bit of powder a few years ago - who cares? Bob is correct, he provides employment for loads of local men and their families and does great work in the community.
Far more than the faceless backstabbers who snipe away on t'internet and have never lifted a finger to help anybody.
Especially those egotistical councillors who never waste an opportunity to tell us how lucky we are to have them.
The self appointed Saint Keef was going to keep us all informed of goings on at DTC but we don't hear a thing from him, word is he's independent in name only, it seems he's just a Labour puppet.
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Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,803
Many thanks to Ross and Anna for the updates, a shame the Captain did not give an unbiased report.
Neil Rix is unpopular because he should have had the integrity to have resigned after the sniffing incidence became public. With regard to him employing people yes he does but only so he can make money for his company, not out of the goodness of his heart. If his company gets the scaffolding contract or any other work that will simply be seen as wrong by the majority even if he does provide the best tender.
I am surprised Keith has gone quiet lately but with the continual jibes and attacks on him by David I can understand why.
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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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Guest 1862- Registered: 23 Sep 2016
- Posts: 163
Who would sell a place well below the going rate? There must have been news about it coming on the market. Tersons being involved with Love Dover obviously jumps out into the main frame. Who, if it's not indelicate to ask, will do the marketing of the refurbished accommodation above Dickins corner? Who paid for valuation of the property and how did they manage to get somebody in so quickly, get the report, discuss it's merits and decide to buy?
Prior to this meeting there were 2 coach stops on the plans for Market Square, that has been reduced to one with no set placement for it yet. But, and my sleeves are still not rolled up, suddenly there is talk of coach stops by "Pebbles" in agreement with DHB. Now which Cllrs are on a committee there? So how does that bring business into the town? Will those out of the coaches go down the town or will they go to Ditz ? Walk the other way and they end up at Bradelie Warf. They are ringing the death knell for Dover town, which, when all is said and done, will be turned into the long ago planned lorry park. I have not been here long but the writing is on the wall.
