Home Society news March 2011 News Update

March 2011 News Update

This issue of the Society's newsletter contains:

Annual Report of the Executive Committee

Introduction, and planning in Deal

Robin Green writes:

It will not be long before the Deal Society celebrates its 50th birthday. From 1964 to the present day there has been a long and distinguished history of standing up for the community of Deal and Walmer and seeking to ensure that the highest standards of architecture and town planning are maintained and that the beauty and history of our environment are not jeopardised. That requires constant vigilance. There always needs to be “a watchman at the gate of the city”. This year we have been helped greatly in that task by the formation of the national body, Civic Voice. I am delighted that we joined because we now have access to excellent advice as well as alerts to major issues in our national civic life.

We have been active in our engagement with all levels of local government. I am pleased to say that we have now established a regular meeting with members of the DDC Cabinet and I hope that this will continue after the May local elections. We have contributed to the discussions about new sea defences for the town and are hopeful that these will be installed within the next two years. We are regarded as a stakeholder in the discussions about a master plan for the future of North and Middle Deal. John Goodban has continued to represent your interests on the Walmer Parish Council and I have been to every meeting of the Deal Town Council planning committee. I would like to think that our objections have led to some awful planning applications being withdrawn or completely rethought.

We have studied all the new government advice for the conservation of the historic environment and have tried to get to grips with the Localism Bill which promises greater power to local neighbourhoods and should make some improvements to the planning system, although it is not as radical as I would have liked in devolving more powers to town and parish councils. I have made representations to our member of parliament about this and he has accepted our views on the Localism Bill.

We have taken on board the criticisms at our last AGM that we are not bothered about younger people. We are organising a competition for all primary school children entitled “Love the place I’m in” to coincide with Civic Day 2011. This will culminate in an exhibition at the Astor Theatre on 25 June. All members will be welcome at a drinks party the night before at the Astor for the prize giving.

I heard recently that a resigning member had written to Ant that the Deal Society is “only interested in cream teas”. I hope that this annual report will convince all of you that that is light years from the truth. But none of it would have been possible without my wonderful colleagues on the Executive Committee and its sub-committees. To them the whole Society owes huge thanks.

Planning in Walmer

John Goodban writes:

The impact of the country’s economic troubles may well explain the reduction in the number of new planning applications submitted for Walmer during the past year. Dover District Council did, however, approve the construction of ten detached residences in Station Drive and, on a brighter note, virtually all the boat sheds bordering Walmer Green are looking good.

Since Christmas things have been remarkably quiet. There has been very little in terms of new building projects, with the main focus being on applications for the approval of improvements such as side extensions and garage conversions.

Walmer Parish Council’s most controversial issue for discussion has been the alternative site proposals for significant residential development within the Local Development Framework. Four sites are in Upper Walmer, on the rural urban fringe, with two being in areas designated to be of great natural beauty. None of the sites met with any support from the Council, and it is hoped that these proposals will be progressed no further.

Membership

The membership stands at 373 (3 more than reported last year). As I go to press, renewal subscriptions for 61 of the 373 remain outstanding. I hope that they heed the reminder which was sent to them last month, but, if not, the grim reaper will delete them from our membership database. Sad – especially as they have not contacted me.

For the benefit of new and continuing members, here is the current mailing schedule:

February: Papers for the AGM to be held in April and the prospectus for the forthcoming social programme (I trust that you have received these)

March: News Update (herewith!)

July: News Update and the “Yellow Card” with preliminary details of the forthcoming programme of talks, trips and parties

November: News Update

Talks and social programmes

The past twelve months’ activities have been reported in the News Updates and on the website, so this is just a resumé of events between the 2010 and 2011 AGMs, particularly for the benefit of new members. The talks given last month and this month are reviewed below.

Talks: In November, Bob Ogley gave a a wide-ranging, information-packed and amusing account of “Kent in the 20th Century”. The great storm of October 1987 inspired him to write “In the Wake of the Hurricane” and led to the setting up of his own publishing company. He regaled us with “firsts” in Kent (such as Bleriot’s landing near Dover Castle in 1909), with the numerous authors living in the county, with the glory of Kent cricket and with successes such as the Channel Tunnel and disasters such as the IRA outrage at the Royal Marines School of Music.

Social programme: A chilly but beautiful April evening saw 70 members and friends enjoying the annual Spring Drinks Party at Glenhill, that wonderful party-friendly house and garden. Next month, the first coach trip of the year took us to Squerryes Court and Aylesford Priory, a combination of a magnificent manor house filled with exceptional pictures and furniture and the tranquility of a Carmelite community, whose oldest buildings date from 1170. Our June excursion, to board the “Princess Pocahontas” for a river trip from Gravesend to Chelsea and back, was memorable in many ways. An unprepossessing start in cold weather and in what appeared to be a boat that had seen better days, improved as the sun appeared and we started to enjoy the sights on both banks of the Thames, accompanied by a salty commentary from the skipper. Alas, a member then took a tumble, and the rest of us watched, with admiration, the rapid arrival of two rescue dinghies (one River Police, the other RNLI). Our gallant friend was whisked off to an ambulance waiting on the Essex bank and, happily, met us in Gravesend, bloodied but unbowed, as we disembarked. The glories of our capital, in particular Greenwich and Westminster, are spectacular when viewed from the Thames! The Summer Supper, the first to be held at the Walmer and Kingsdown Golf Cub, was a resounding success. Welcoming venue, superb views, good food and wine and the added bonus of having Lord and Lady Boyce joining us (and charming us). In September, Finchcocks Living Museum of Music wove its magic again. So much to see and, above all, hear. Richard Burnett gave his usual brilliant recital (with the sparkling addition of concert pianist, Helena Lloyd) and he and Katrina were gracious hosts. 2010 drew to a close with the customary Christmas Drinks Party in the Town Hall – it may be the same format in the same venue, but it is always enjoyable.

Appeals from the Chairman

Robin Green writes:

At the heart of the Good Society is the principle of volunteering! That is what makes a Society big. I have two appeals:

1. For family reasons David Bridgen has had to give up organising our three lectures a year. David has done a wonderful job and we have had some outstanding speakers. We need someone to succeed him. The job is not onerous. It involves finding and negotiating with speakers and then finalising the arrangements closer to the talk. Most of it can be done by email. Please get in touch if you are inspired to organise inspiring others.

2. I need to remind you that, according to our constitution, a Chairman is only allowed to serve for a maximum of four years. So you will be immensely relieved to know that I cannot go on forever! In the next year we need to start the search for a successor. The Society works best when we do not crisis-manage but try to ensure sensible transition. So please start thinking now. I can assure you all that it is a job that has given me the most enormous pleasure.

Freddie Green, OBE

With regret, I report the recent death of Freddie Green. When he and Joan lived in Nelson Street, Freddie was an active member of the Executive Committee, with particular responsibility for monitoring the Deal Local Plan in the early 1990s. He was awarded the OBE for services to education. Our sympathy goes out to Joan.

Society Business

New members

Since last November’s Update went to print, Peggy Mercer, Stephanie Bowles, Michael and Janet Hartley, Janet Marshall, Malcolm Hillier and Rodney Engen have joined the Society – welcome to you all.

Annual subscription for 2011

As reported above, 61 members have not renewed their subscriptions. I sent out reminders with the AGM mailing last month. If you have not paid this year’s subscription by 31 March, you will not receive any more mailings from the Society. But thank you for your support in the past and please know that you can always rejoin us.

This Year’s Social Programme

You will have read (I trust) in the 2011 prospectus sent out last month that we are limiting the coach trip on 15 June to one venue only – namely Bateman’s. It will make for a more relaxed day, and there is plenty to see and enjoy at Rudyard Kipling’s home. The walk with Simon Gregory on 17 September is limited to 40 people. In the event of a trip or party being oversubscribed, I keep a reserve list, based on the dates of original applications. If you have applied for an event and do not receive a request for payment nearer the time, your name will be on that list. Do not despair, however, as I normally receive a number of cancellations and it is rare that a member is disappointed.

As the text of this Update wings its way on 9 March, via our webmaster in S Africa, to our printers (the ever-helpful DDC Print Unit at Whitfield), the places still available for trips and parties are as follows (with the surnames of those on the reserve list in brackets): Spring Drinks 45, Bateman’s 0 (Probert, Telfer, Hartley, Kennison and Austin), Summer Supper 27, Simon Gregory’s Walk 0 (Probert, Hartley and Wall), Tower of London 17 and Christmas Drinks 30.

Deal Festival of Music and The Arts

Because of the Open Golf Championship in July, the Festival has been brought forward to the end of June and early July. This year Robin Green has been invited to deliver one of the lunchtime talks. As his theme he has taken “Deal - will its past shape its future?”. He will be contrasting the period in the early 1960s, when a masterplan was drawn up for the future of Deal under the aegis of the Allen Plan, with contemporary events when Dover District Council is drawing up a master plan for the future of North and Middle Deal. The talk is at lunchtime on 1 July at the Astor Theatre. It will be an excellent opportunity for the Deal Society to promote what we stand for, and members are more than welcome to attend.

Talks Reviews

“Planning for the historic environment – a new approach”, 1 February

A member writes:

In the July 2009 News Update our Chairman asked “is it ever possible to make planning and development exciting and interesting?” Fortunately for those of us with a keen interest in such matters, Clive Alexander, the Heritage Manager and Urban Designer for Dover District Council, held our attention as he explained just how complex those matters had become since the Coalition Government came to power, the continuing shake up of planning and related regulations and the Whitehall view that local communities should take on a greater rôle in managing and shaping their towns and villages.

Clive’s guiding principle for conservation? It was, he said, a process of maintaining and managing a heritage asset in a way that sustained and, where appropriate, enhanced its future. We could all understand then his everyday dilemma of trying to manage expectations of what he could and could not do. Constrained by legislation and regulations he was, he said, resigned to the fact that he could not please everyone all the time. He regularly disappointed developers trying to squeeze extra houses onto a site, homeowners wanting to extend a property regardless of the impact on near neighbours or the neighbourhood and those strongly averse to change at all.

The previous government’s Planning Policy Statement No 5 (PPS5), published in March last year, had been adopted as the bible for the future of conservation areas, listed buildings and historic assets. Clive reminded us that English Heritage was responsible for listing an historic asset or ancient monument and that EH, rather than the local authority, was responsible for listing a building. However, the responsibility for determining a planning application for internal or external work on a listed building fell to the local planning authority. Non-designated assets, including buildings or structures, were identified by the local authority through the planning process and/or local listing. Conservation areas were also determined locally and the inclusion of unlisted buildings and, indeed, some trees in those areas also afforded them a measure of protection.

Clive reassured us that PPS5 did not set out major changes and that, together with the Historic Environment Planning Practice Guide, it provided extra guidance for those living in or working for our historic environment. In summary, he considered the new legislation placed a greater emphasis on an applicant to provide a statement of significance with a planning application and an evaluation of the impact on the area of the changes proposed. Also, it gave some importance to non-designated assets and seemed to give local planning authorities greater control over all heritage ones.

With much food for thought, we appreciated the planning application examples Clive illustrated. We saw just how ambitious and over-optimistic some applicants had been as they sought to satisfy their own desires to extend or develop with very little regard for the impact it would have on their neighbours or communities. He also treated us to his list of regularly received, but completely irrelevant, objections to planning applications and educated us on how to submit a meaningful letter of objection should the need arise. He ended with a quote from William Morris, “A place without old buildings is like a person without a memory”. We have been warned!

“Golf – how did it start, how did it get its name and why is it played over 18 holes?”, 2 March

Geoffrey Cox writes:

With the 140th Open Championship soon to be played at the Royal St George’s Golf Club, it seemed only right that we should know something about this “good walk spoiled”. And who better to teach us than Philip Sparks, one time professional at Prince’s, presently director of the Manston Golf Centre and the first professional in the world to qualify as a golf course architect?

So why “the Open” and not “the British Open? Because we Brits started it all at Prestwick in 1860 and it has remained the oldest and most prestigious championship in the world. And why “links” courses? Because their tumbling terrain forms links between farmland and shore (and, incidentally, creates the most challenging conditions for players). It is no accident that all open championships are played on links courses.

Golf goes back a long way – about 4,000 years. It was the Chinese who first started hitting a wooden ball with a stick. No fairways, no greens – just a start and finish, the winner being the one taking the least number of swipes. Over the millennia the sport has taken two routes, golf and croquet. While the latter has stayed with a solid ball, the Romans began making balls by stuffing wet leather with wet feathers. As they dried out, the leather contracted and the feathers expanded – as did the Roman empire, so that over the course of 500 years or so the game spread across Europe.

Ironically, the first written record of golf in Britain dates back to 1457, when James II banned it because it stopped people practising archery. Happily, James IV was made of finer stuff, had balls and clubs made by a bow maker in Perth and used them in the first recorded golf match, against the Earl of Bothwell. It was, however, another 250 years before golf took formal shape. The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, founded in 1744, was the first organised club and wrote the first rules – all 13 of them. Ten years later the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews became the golf world’s ruling body.

Three more “firsts”: the first English club was Royal Blackheath, the first Open to be held in England was at Royal St George’s in 1894 and the first ladies’ golfing society was entitled “The Fish Wives of Musselborough”. Today there are about 5 million golfers in Britain and over 100 million world-wide, of whom several tens of thousands will flock to our corner of Kent in July, bringing with them several millions in cash.

How’s that for a good walk?