Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Well Keith, I am backing this project because I believe that our communities will benefit from it and I believe that Ovendens, genuinely want to make a difference with listening to and working with people from those communities. 150 jobs is massive and with allowing EKR to restore our mining railway infrastructure that is on their land, along with creating a Tilmanstone Heritage site and conservation area will make such a difference for the better.
Below taken from
http://www.tilmanstonecollierytipregeneration.co.uk/
New Generation for Tilmanstone Colliery Tip
Peer Spanner is preparing a Planning Application and Environmental Impact Assessment for a solar power generation array on the surface of the former Tilmanstone Colliery Tip, which forms part of the Pike Road Industrial Area, on behalf of the owners Ovenden Plant Hire Ltd. It is intended that the application will be submitted to Dover District Council during the summer of 2013
The project will include the re-grading of the colliery spoil to provide a sound platform for the solar panels to be installed, an environmentally improved area with public access, and a small industrial estate.
The solar energy array will generate up to 10MWp of electricity which is sufficient to power 2,300 homes. The panels will be placed on the levelled colliery waste in rows facing south and sited to minimise views of the array from the surrounding area.
The proposed ecological enhancements will include a new pond created with connecting ditches to encourage wildlife, and the area of approximately 10 acres will be managed, together with additional tree and shrub planting, to create a biodiversity of flora and fauna. A new public access link from the existing footpath into this area also forms part of the proposals.
It is also intended that the former disused railway platform/halt which is within the site will be reinstated together with a short length of rail track laid on the line of the original East Kent Light Railway. There will also be information boards and a rock store where interesting stones/rocks from the levelling works will be placed for visitors to see.
The proposed industrial estate will consist of 16 units in 2 blocks (10,000 sq.m.) of modern light industrial buildings with associated access and parking. This will be sited adjacent to the now redundant brickworks off of Pike Road. The new employment has the potential to create around 150 new full time jobs for the District and reflects the Local Plan employment allocation for the former Colliery site.
Peer Spanner, Environmental & Planning Consultants, The Gate House, Ringwould, Kent CT14 8GH
www.peerspanner.co.uk
10th June 2013
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i don't believe solar panels are the way forward for one moment but can understand why gary and others are enthusiastic - 150 jobs in a high unemployment area are not to be dismissed lightly.
Paul Watkins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 9 Nov 2011
- Posts: 2,226
Gary,
More good employment news for Tilmanstone Eythorne, Elvington area.
Just shows how Heritage can gain from new development.
Add Multpanel news & the community has a much needed boost.
Hopefully more to come.
Watty
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Howard, when building a new house it is relatively cheap to install solar panels, anything to reduce power bills must be good.
Gary that certainly seems good all round, although sadly there are bound to be some negative posts.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Paul.
This is good news, with communities working with and alongside, local business but we need more.
East Kent Railway are putting 12 local lads through their apprenticeships and hopefully into lifelong employment within the rail industry but this needs to be sustainable to allow the ever growing list of hopefuls, to follow them into life changing employment. This scheme can expand to accommodate other apprenticeships, such as in the building industry and other such industries but we need yours and other's, support?
What our volunteers have achieved at EKR over the last 12 months is nothing short of a miracle, all achieved by bits of funding, (thanks Level 1) donations, bequests and lots of hard work.
To keep this train on the right rail, excuse the pun, we are desperate for funding and other help, to turn this pilot scheme into a prolonged training & re-training ,to enable our local youth's to gain the skills needed to get into employment.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Jan.
I realize that not all will be for it but I am willing to answer any questions that people wish to ask?

"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 745- Registered: 27 Mar 2012
- Posts: 3,370
I don't have a problem with people sticking up solar panels
I do have a problem with our energy bill going up unnecessarily to pay for the subsidy they receive.
Jan
Your electricity bill will be going up to pay for your Neighbours solar panels discount
Hard to understand I know, the people that don't have them will be paying for the people that do.
Gary
you're a good working man don't sigh up to this solar crap, the poor will be paying for it
Watty classic
He says Hopefully more solar farms to come.
Him knowing full well that multiple applications will be coming in from all over his area.
Gusston being one of them ,the conservative and labour will reap the whirlwind when the public realizes that they will be paying for all this nonsense.
Watty clapping is hands at job creation at Tilmanstone when it was his party that sacked 800 men on this site
give me a bucket.
Funny haw the conservatives couldn't support subsidy's for the jobs in the mining and steel industry, but now support subsidy's for the solar power industry.
Maggie will be spinning like a coal powered generator in her box .
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
i know someone who has solar panels on there roof.they selling excess power to a electric suppler and where getting 30 quid a month back during the winter months,probably more now the days are longer.
Guest 745- Registered: 27 Mar 2012
- Posts: 3,370
Brian
And the £30 come from the other customs in higher electricity bills ,
the cells produce very little electricity , we are subsidising there bills
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
What an excellent post Keith. Good points especially when you talk about the mine closure and subsidies. Isn't it ironic, no worse than that, isn't it a sign of moral and political bankruptcy when the headstone signifying the death of a perfectly viable coal resource is not one made of stone but one consisting of poisonous heavy metals and other pollutants paid for by the poor who have to choose between either heating or eating during the winter. All it needs is a wind turbine just to add insult to injury.
Some interesting reading from todays Commentator:
http://www.thecommentator.com/article/3827/the_great_renewables_scam_unravelsBrian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
kieth,it comes from profits,wheather its from us or else where.if it makes your electric bill cheaper its all good init.
Guest 756- Registered: 6 Jun 2012
- Posts: 727
I am reading this thread with intrest. The original plans for the old Tilmanstone site make interesting reading, the coalboard had to return the land to it's former state, farmland. The young people in the community wanted a motorcycle track, local Police agreed. There were plans to have a Mining Museum with links to KLR, again welcomed by the community. Small industrial units on the old canteen and pit baths also muted.
In the dead of night the bridge was ripped down and plans for large industrial use materialised on the back of job creation. Little or no consultation. SEEDA admitted that they had not included the locals in their consultative process, lessons learnt they then treated the people of Aylesham and Betteshanger with far greater respect.
I chose the name for Millyard Way, Beresford was my first choice but as the main competitor for Kent Salads it was deemed inappropriate. Both names refer to the seams at Timanstone.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Keith.
You have made some good points but we come from different directions.
Paul, especially, but all other Tories as well, who know me, know that they will get the full force of my disgust and anger at what Thatcher and her government did to all UK Miners. I will never stop defending what we did and how we desperately tried to keep our pits open here in Kent.
We lost, that was tragic and sad but it is a fact that we have to live with. I will continue to do what I can to put the story straight about the strike but you and everyone else has to recognise that there was much more to the Kent Miner than just the strike.
With over 100yrs of Heritage, where our miners and their families shaped and made the history of our towns and villages in this corner of Kent, it must be remembered and we must not forget that we still have our communities and they must not be forgotten.
The story of the Kent miner is not over yet and I will do whatever is necessary to keep our heritage & communities alive.
That means having to work with everyone that can help me, whatever quarter they come from.
I am sick of politics anyway, so it's easy for me to try and steer clear of it, not much chance of that in real life I know but I do have meaningful talks with many people like Paul and Charlie, by agreeing to leave politics to one side for the good of trying to improve the life of our communities, tough at times but someone has to do it. lol
Keith, instead of trying to make me the bad guy for signing up for this project, you concentrate on the people who are the instigators of robbing the poor, because although I agree with you on that score, I have no time or inclination to fight another losing battle against governments who simply have lost sight of what their job description is.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
They are needed and so are more coal mines so lets have more of both.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Why?
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
so you can stoke up your solar panels.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Oh dear.
From todays Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/solarpower/10136576/Push-for-solar-power-that-could-cover-a-hundred-Olympic-parks.html
Not bad eh? Being paid not to produce electricity. Might write them a letter telling them I've been doing that all my life and haven't earned a penny. Something tells me I'm owed some money.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Philip.
Easy solution there, if solar panels are now suddenly going to produce too much power, we could switch of our very expensive French supply and save lots of money for us.
Of course that would never happen because shareholders in these French companies would lose out.

"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Even easier and more cost effective solution would be to ban solar panels. The environmental cost is too high and the waste of money they incur is a win win.
In the UK they are about as useful as hamster wheels in terms of contributing to our energy output.
Did you read the article I linked?
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Philip.
Yes, did you read mine?
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"