Dover News - November 2006

Dover Town Centre Management has announced details of the annual Christmas Lights Switch-On event, taking place on Saturday 25 November. The event is expected to be attended by a capacity crowd of 5,000 plus.

Plans to turn the former Connaught Barracks in Dover into an open prison have been abandoned.

An historic hotel in the heart of Dover has been given a new life as flats to rent after a £1.5m urban renewal project. The former Metropole Hotel, in Canon Street, has been converted into 29 flats, which have been finished to a high standard.

Dover District Council has sought further assurances in response to Kent County Council's proposals for the reorganisation of Primary Schools in the area. Following an initial submission in July 2006 from Dover District Council, a reply was received from KCC in October 2006.

To celebrate the success of soil improver sale days earlier this year, and to thank residents for the ongoing success of its garden waste collections, Dover District Council, in partnership with Kent County Council, is arranging another special sale event.

'A victory for the community and for common sense' - that is how the Leader of Dover District Council described the major news on Friday that controversial plans to turn Connaught Barracks into an open prison are not going ahead.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a fatal road collision between Dover and Deal at 5.45 pm on Sunday evening. A blue SEAT Leon collided with a silver Citroen Saxo after turning onto the A258 from Station Road.

Emergency services on both sides of the Channel are involved in a big air and sea search for a man and women who have been reported missing from a cross-Channel ferry.

Yves Stock, 40, of Jupille and Pierre Drion, 47, of Liege in Belgium have been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment each at Maidstone Crown Court for smuggling four tonnes of hand rolling tobacco into the country through Dover.

The search for a man and women reported missing from a cross-Channel ferry has been called off. The alarm was raised at 2.40am on Monday when the Captain of the P&O Ferries ship Pride of Kent said he had two passengers missing.

The couple reported missing from a cross-Channel ferry early on Monday have been found safe and well in Belgium.

Dover's newest fashion shop has opened in Castle Street. Monique's Fashions not only make an eye-catching impression, but offer local ladies a taste of the Orient.

Dover residents will get the chance to see tenor singer Miguel Moncloa perform at the Christmas Lights Switch-On Event later this month. The world class performer is scheduled to sing at 1pm at the event on 25 November.

As part of the seasonal celebrations, Dover District Council has announced free parking in Council-owned car parks and pay and display areas on-street in Dover on 25 November, 16 December and 23 December.

A brothel has been closed down in Dover by police responding to concerns from people living in the area. The neighbourhood policing team in Dover have arrested three women suspected of keeping or managing a brothel used for prostitution.

Police investigating an incident in which a 10-year-old boy was bitten by a dog are appealing for the dog owner to come forward.

European judges have ruled that people can not buy cheap alcohol and tobacco over the internet and escape paying excise duty. People will still have to travel to the continent themselves, and bring the goods back with them.

An innovative partnership that will bring direct help and assistance for older people with all their benefit needs in their own homes was launched today, following an important agreement between Dover District Council and the Pension Service.

Many people in Dover are sending gifts to children in other countries this Christmas as part of the Love In A Box campaign. Churches and schools are among those who are taking part in the scheme.

Dover has become the 'gateway' to business this year with the arrival of the East Kent Enterprise Gateway. At the recent launch of the Enterprise Gateway at Dover Castle, newly established local businesses shared their experiences and support they had received from the Enterprise Gateway.

The annual Christmas Lights Switch-on event, organised by Dover Town Centre Management, will take place on Saturday 25 November in the Market Square, Dover. The event is expected to be attended by a capacity crowd of 5,000 plus.

Dover Castle has won a top award. Presented by the Heritage Education Trust, the Sandford Award recognises outstanding facilities, workshops and tours for visiting school groups, and praised English Heritage's inspiring education tours, high-quality facilities and insightful staff.

Police are warning people never to divulge their PIN details to anyone following the theft of £500 from a woman's account in East Kent.

St Margaret's-at-Cliffe Post Office is to re-open. The branch closed in May when the subpostmaster resigned and the premises were no longer available for use as a Post Office.

Kent Police in the Dover District is celebrating the first anniversary of the Three Strikes scheme, which is cutting alcohol-related crime. Since the initiative was launched on 28 November 2005, 246 yellow cards have been issued and 12 people have received a six month ban from licensed premises.