Guest 761- Registered: 10 Jul 2012
- Posts: 115
English heritage took a long time to comment last time and their comments along with other listed consultees have still never been posted on the DDC planning website against the application. I think this the sort of thing which fuels suspicions about the handling of this sort of application.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
i saw a plnning notice tied to the bus stop ar farthinloe farm this morning,it made intressting reading under artical 13.para 2 sub sectin 5 [i think] 31 houses for western hieghts,plus 1,130 bed hotel with a 150 person conferance center and a museam/visitor center plus appropiate footways for the drop redoubt.
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
Sadly I will do a Vic and say I have no more to say on this matter - not worth it !
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Why, Paul? What's it all about?
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
You know jolly well why I am not going to discuss CGI on here....
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Haven't a clue, Paul.
I'm trying to figure out Brian's post and yours. Has some decision been reached by DDC Planning?
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
Ah one of those postings eh Alex?
You know forwell about the revised CGI plans submitted to DDC in December as discussed already in this thread....
End of !
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
The revised CGI planning application is known, Paul, and I submitted my representation to DDC Planning weeks back.
So what is Brian's post about? Is it just an old planning application notice for the revised CGI application?
Can't see what all the secretive aspect is about here, as we have all gone our own way in accordance with public consultation process and have nothing to hide in regards to our respective views.
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
Strange that you find the open public meetings by CGI and the documentation on the DDC planning portal as 'secretive'
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
In reponse to #29 and your £30,000 will see the Heights clear of grafitti and reset a few bricks, I will remind you this image......
That sort of money will barely get professional expertise in place around the logistics of accessing the moats and how to carry out the work, before you get as far as the huge scaffold towers, materials, professional labour. This mere resetting of bricks is probably 40ft wide by 20ft hight and several courses of bricks lost
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
I will add that i have heard from English Heritage, via a 3rd party, who apparently have spent in the region of £186,000 over the last 10 years on the Heights, mostly in responsive repairs and fencing etc. With their budget cuts this is likely to fall dramatically. There isn't even a local contact for the Heights and they now come under Guildford.
A worsening situation for the Heights and hence I am willing to listen carefully and invest a huge amount of my personal time to understand all possible opportunities that may available for the Heights including CGI, Heritage Lottery Fund (where is the match funding?) and other areas like heritage skills training......
With any of the ways £30k to a small bunch of volunteers certainly won't ensure the Heights are still there is 200 years time......
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
I wasn't referring to all the bricks, Paul. But there are a few outstanding ones that need repairing in areas close to Military Road.
But the graffiti could be painted over with that figure of 30K.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
I just hope that the funding needed is found,It would great to see it put back as it was 100s of years ago and opened up like the castle, it would draw the same amount of the public that the castle does,but the public will have to help by paying to see it all,that way it will help to make this great history part of Dover even better.With paid members working full-time,it could happen one day.Dovers past history can put Dover back to being a great place not only for a dayout but for us who live here,yes a dream but it could come true.
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
Resetting a few of brick "close to Military Road" and "painting over graffiti" isn't going to ensure the future protection of the Heights
This really is a pointless conversations, I am sure others on here welcome input from people that spend a lot of time on the Heights, experience the problems first hand that happen up there day and night, and now the true extent do the deterioration, vandalism, fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour that are a regular occurance
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
Glad you see the potential of the Heights Vic !!
I want the Heights to be a fundimental part of the regeneration of Dover. Alongside the Castle, White Cliffs and the Roman remains (and a lot of other stuff) it should be possible for the Town to be a weekend destination with more than enough to keep a visitor busy. It's a big target, but it is why a dedicated group of volunteers travel miles and spend a huge amount of their time working towards the eventual target
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
It's not pointless, Paul.
People would not want to visit an area full of graffiti, for starters. So it must be removed sooner or later.
To start doing something that is financially possible may lead to future donors investing some money for more expensive projects of restructure-maintenance.
So, to request a limited fund of, say, 30K, to do something essential such as getting rid of the disgusting graffiti, could lead to more substantial funds later.
After all, Western Heights belongs as much to me as it does to you, Paul.
I live on Western Heights, as it is part of my back garden.
So my input is as relevant as yours, considering I am proposing making the Heights look more presentable.
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
I can only suggest that if requesting (from who??) £30k is so simple then you get on and do it!!
Build your business case, negotiate with the owner (English Heritage), source expertise on the restoration of scheduled buildings, complete Scheduled Monument Consents, source scaffolding, get security to ensure equipment isn't stolen overnight, get some training at working at Heights, do risk assessments and method statements. Still a simple resetting of a few bricks at North Military Road
For some reason i get the feeling that I have some sort of vendetta against you. Far from it, I welcome all all input, views, suggestions and offers, but I am speaking from 12+ years building up trust with the 'authorities', making small positive steps, and knowing the problems that are experienced on the Heights...... I am not being obstructive or awkward, just telling how it is when dealing with scheduled monuments, there is no such thing as a 'quick job' !!
For information to everyone:
It took several years of building up the relationship with English Heritage that enabled a couple of relatively minor SMC works to take place in the Drop Redoubt over the last couple of years.
It has taken this time for EH to begin to talk to WHPS on a level and even approach us to discussed taking on more control of the Heights (already we are carrying out monthly inspections to report back to EH any issues)
Also, as WHPS mentioned at their open public meeting a couple of weeks back, we have been talking to EH for the last year about doing some tree clearance works in the North Lines moats, with the aims of hopefully making it more accessible which should hopefully discourage vandalism, and hopefully making a small inroad into larger trees taking hold
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
Mr Wells just keep going as you are,you are doing a very good job wjth the hights
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
Thanks Vic, glad someone things so !
Guest 767- Registered: 30 Aug 2012
- Posts: 458
Dover's history is, in the main, military and would apeal to a certain group of visitors. The WHPS are doing a grand job of not only maintaining (within limits) the Hights but perhaps the more inportant job of keeping them in the public eye. Dover has many other military features that need keeping an eye on, our hills are doted with pillboxes and gun enplacements, local defence positions still stand in chalky lane to name but a few. Much of Dover Castle is unseen by the public, and much of what can be seen is unexplained and some parts are unknown to many of the staff. I wish WHPS well and I am sorry to hear that they have lost the local contact with EH at the Castle and now have to go through the regional office in Guilford.Just to add to the confusion, I recently had the good fortune to enter ( not for the first time) the Gun Turret on the Admiralty Pier - any news on it's future fortunes?
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