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  Thanks John
  
  By "old high street" I assume you mean Biggin Street & Canon Street rather than The High Street (which runs from Ladywell to the lights by The Eagle PH).
  
  As for item 1 I agree that this is an option, but given the state of local authority finance what services are you proposing to be trimmed in order to offer reduced business rates in the town centre?
  
  Regarding item 2, indeed Hastings and others have been highly successful in their use of compulsory maintenance orders, I understand that a few years ago our district councillors visited Hastings to understand how they made it work and their experiences; sadly it appears to rely on political will from the cabinet and management team and a half decent legal team, neither of which we appear to have in Dover. This shouldn't stop you or other councillors representing Dover wards from pushing for this to be done; the rally is a chance for you to garner popular support for this course of action.
  
  Finally, there was an excellent report commissioned 5-6 years ago with excellent recommendations on enhancing the town centre built environment but due to budgetary costs it was shelved. There is also a superb proposal from the town team to enhance the market square that needs to be incorporated into any thinking on the street scene. Most importantly there is a need for Town and District to agree to work not only together but with the community to design, develop and deliver any enhancements - none of which is going to be easy.

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