Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Yes see the plans re Dame Vera Lynn.memorial .
I think there will be a back lash on this proposal .DDC will need to put money into the project .Why do DDC juggle so many projects .
ray hutstone- Registered: 1 Apr 2018
- Posts: 2,158
I read the Atkins report. I've had dealings with them before. I'm assuming they are the same group as W.S.Atkins who served as consultants on the Channel Tunnel many moons ago.
I couldn't help but notice that they couldn't even get the spelling of 'Folkestone' right. They omitted the letter 'e'. I'm being pedantic, I know. It doesn't affect the substance of the report but you can't help but wonder whether anyone in DDC read it before it was published.
Captain Haddock
- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,101
900 additional jobs?
£50m in net additional visitor spend every year?
What are these people smoking?
Time for random drug testing at Fort Whitfield methinks ..................
https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/plans-transformational-dame-vera-lynn-5689298The Gov 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
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Bob yes what are the On .
The Gov likes this
Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,101
Sue Nicholas wrote:Bob yes what are the On .
In Dover the top earners are council chief executive Nadeem Aziz who earned £131,000 in 2020, including £18,000 in pension contributions and £2,000 in expenses.
Mike Davis, strategic director for corporate resources, and operations and commercial director Roger Walton both earned £114,000, including pension contributions of £14,000 each and expenses of £8,000 each.
For comparison the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is entitled to an annual salary of £161,401.
The Prime Minister’s earnings are made up of £79,496 for his role as Prime Minister, and an additional £81,932 for being an MP.
But he IS actually responsible for the whole bloody country rather than a tiny district on the coast!
"We are living in very strange times, and they are likely to get a lot stranger before we bottom out"
Dr. Hunter S Thompson
Reginald Barrington
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,257
I guess Nadeem's expenses are so low because he does bugger all to incur them?
ray hutstone, Jan Higgins and The Gov like this
Arte et Marte
Gary39- Registered: 7 Jul 2017
- Posts: 451
So both routes up to Western Heights, South Military Road from Aycliffe and North Military road from town are fit for more traffic including HGV’s for the music festivals.. What happens during TAP etc… Leave it as it is a lovely place to get away from it all and glorious views of the harbour..
What about the wildlife as well
I expect the people living on the Western Heights will strongly be against this. It will destroy their peace and quiet..
900 jobs love the way they pulled that out of thin air.. Is that only during festivals.. as for parking where will the cars and lorries go? Western heights will be over run.
Another area of Dover DDC want to ruin..
Gary
Button
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 22 Jul 2016
- Posts: 3,057
Although I agree with Ray about the standard of spelling (applies to DDC's application as well), I was impressed by the photo of the proposed memorial set against the run-down and derelict Western Docks backdrop. Clearly a neighbourhood in need of levelling-up.
(Not my real name.)
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,931
But this question keeps coming up on the chief staff wages
And then look at Dover
.any other job you would have had your cards years ago
But on they go earning these amounts whilst we pay for quite a poor service .
Threaten to withhold your council tax
They soon come to life !
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Some very good points covered.Seems as long as the dangle carrot of hundreds of job creation the public will be swayed to think jolly good idea .The secret detail is hidden.Look out the window today jolly good for sitting on a cliff top..A decent indoor facility which has been asked for that’s where the money is.For those probably old enough to recall the war and Vera Lynn singing ,with the images of blue birds probably memories best left to the history books .
We have a part of the eastern cliffs named after her .
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,931
I think Sue
If we pay this kind of money we should expect at least the basic service .
It's falling so far short in so many areas iv had to spend the last few months getting them to do the basic job .
Even then it's only done because I chase them
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Dover Pilot- Registered: 28 Jul 2018
- Posts: 346
Should get a great view from there of the shipping container hotel and I wonder if the cable car will stop off at the memorial.
Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,101
Another take on it in the press:-
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/vera-lynn-statue-gets-backing-of-prime-minister-251130/
I remember well the campaign for statue of Sir Norman Wisdom in Deal!
Norman was a diminutive popular film star whose trademark was reducing himself to hysterical laughter over nothing in particular and tripping over his own feet.
The local Wetherspoons is named after him.
Make of that what you will ......................
"We are living in very strange times, and they are likely to get a lot stranger before we bottom out"
Dr. Hunter S Thompson
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,879
What always amazes me is how DDC can find money for something like this silly plan but never have any for anything that the locals actually need and want.
This new proposed white elephant has poor access and will be virtually unusable in poor weather unless you want to get wet and or wind blown, not exactly what a passenger from a cruise liner will enjoy. From the Kentlive article.
"12 million passengers are said to use the Port of Dover each year, with a small number stopping in the town.
It is hoped that the memorial will give them a reason to stay and explore Dover, drawing visitors from around the world."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
if it goes ahead two things might turn up.
1/ the whole lenth of militry hill would be resurfased.
2/ a regular bus service . at least 2 an hour from town center to aycliffe via western hieghts.
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
This has little or nothing to do with DDC, talking to my sources there are no officers who want this or believe it is what Dover needs.
As far as I can tell this is another vanity political proposal driven by the PMs office with support from The Cabinet Office - the apparent trade off for DDC is that they are a shoe in for the funding they have requested (approx £12m more than the estimated cost of this nonsense) so there should be some benefit to us just not £26m ish
ray hutstone likes this
"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
Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,101
Ross Miller wrote:
As far as I can tell this is another vanity political proposal driven by the PMs office with support from The Cabinet Office
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."
Ronald Reagan
"We are living in very strange times, and they are likely to get a lot stranger before we bottom out"
Dr. Hunter S Thompson
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Why ? Do the government want to impose this on Dover.Our MPsorts this .Whats happening behind the scenes?
Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,101
Because Sue, with a very few notable exceptions, most 'politicians' have damn all experience of how life works and merely wish to massage their egos by being seen to do something, ideally a big and expensive something which involves cutting ribbons and leaving a 'legacy'.
In an ideal world you would hardly notice an ideal government. Services would be delivered seamlessly from drains to education, health to policing, efficiently and at a reasonable cost.
Instead we are governed by the sort of people you meet on public transport who initially seem perfectly 'normal' until after five minutes you realise they are barking mad.
They ask you if you like sausages.
You reply 'yes' and the next thing is they are inviting you back to see their collection!
I was talking to a Councilor in Deal today who is also a leading light in the local Chamber of Trade.
He was saying how badly the town was doing and that footfall was down.
I said in my extensive travels over the past year (1,100 miles by canal) or so I had not come across a town doing so well, the only empty single fronted commercial premises being empty because the lease has expired and the restaurant next door is expanding into it.
He then went on about how 'they' had wanted a Travelodge where the old M&S is but 'we' had lost out to the Discovery Park.
(Discovery Park Travelodge is less than 20 minutes away from Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Dover and has about four times the footprint of M&S. M&S Deal is in the middle of Deal and has no parking!)
The latest plan for M&S is to look into following the idea of Co-Innovation at Stembrook in Dover as though a rather tatty and sad tinker's-market is going to be a big draw with the DFLs!
But what do I know?
Arthur 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
Dover Pilot- Registered: 28 Jul 2018
- Posts: 346
The Chamber of Trade in Deal are insane if they think the old M&S is structurally suitable to be a Travelodge and as for footfall, when I was in Deal the other week it seemed very busy and the owner of The Rose was telling me business has never been so good. As you say, many councilors just have no idea how life works.
(Not my real name.)