The post you are reporting:
I note, with pleasure that at least some of the postings agree with me, that legend is of importance to Dover's history and tourism, as is fact.
Fact, from an historic perspective, rests of course, on the interpretation of those who write the history. As it has been said countless times, it is usually the victors. However, as a successful researcher/historian, I am known for my being pedantic, in checking 'stated facts'.
For instance, Jeff Howe, who incidentally wrote a book together with Paul aka Scotchie states in his deliberately derogatory statement of the present Braddon housing, 27 July 2012 - 9:20am #1423, that, ' I became interested in the Western Heights in about 1991.'
I was heavily involved in the fight for Western Heights at that time but do not remember Jeff taking an active part in the proceedings. I do however, remember the stance that English Heritage took.
Their agreement, following my win, was to use profits from the Castle to pay for the work on WH. Now, if memory serves me correct - and I may be wrong - it was about this time that Jeff joined the Friends of Dover Castle and subsequently became the Chairman.
During the period from 1993-1998, as I have recounted many times on this Forum, a lot of promising work was started on the Heights. Besides clearing and disposing of wanton rubbish such as abandoned cars, washing machines etc; a lot of money was spent on repairing and rebuilding the Grand Shaft and some £¼m on re-pointing of the exterior wall of the Redoubt by English Heritage. They also paid for the wooden steps installed by the WCCP.
However, in 1998, as Jeff points out, he started his web site 'Western Heights Today', at that time I did not have access to the internet neither did many others. Albeit, a meeting was set up and much of what had been done since 1957 was 'conveniently forgotten about.' Indeed, in posting #1456 Jeff reiterated the same point he made at that meeting.
At the meeting, I pointed out all that had been done in the intervening seven years but was told, in a very surly manner that I did not know what I was talking about. When I mentioned my 1993 Planning Inquiry win, I was told that it no longer held. I received a letter from DDC confirming this, but in the 2002 LDP showed otherwise. Suffice to say, the officer who wrote that letter backed off.
Now we come to the nitty gritty of this particular set of postings, the proposed CGI development of WH and Farthingloe.
i. This contravenes both local and national local planning schedules and therefore, if given permission, DDC leave themselves wide open to Judicial Review.
ii. The future of WH - as I have suggested several times, that pressure should be put on EH to put money where their mouth is - but this has been met with outright derision particularly form those connected with the WHPS.
iii. Farthingloe - besides being an AONB protected valley also features in recognised in the anthology of Arthurian legends and therefore is a tourist asset.
So it is not case, as Paul # 1554 and Jeff back in 2000, '15 minutes of fame and picture in the paper, and a bit of anti-establishment shouting alongside Lorraine'.
It is trying to get the Establishment, who have shown scant regard for Dover and even less for the Western Heights or Farthingloe, to wake up.
Lorraine