Some important notes for members coming up to the March magazine and the Go Folkestone meeting on Wednesday 8th February 2023 open to members old and new, at Wards Hotel at 6.45pm.
I, Richard Wallace, am seeking to step down early as Chair whilst remaining on the committee and remaining involved. This is for family reasons and because in a year or two I may be living outside Folkestone. The internet means that in practical terms this makes a limited difference. If Cambridge professors can be experts on Turkish history, why should I not be a Folkestone expert living in, for example, Denton? BUT I don’t think the chair should live outside Folkestone. I am stepping down from the Town Council in May for the same reasons. But I am hopeful that councillors will remain members and keep us in touch.
However, Go Folkestone has never been larger. We did set up 4 de facto Vice Chairs out of the Committee of ten or so, at the AGM, as an expedient to lead gently into the transfer to a new chair, and also have had two others, Howard Holt and Tony Quarrington, leading meetings, but things have not gone as smoothly as hoped. No big rows, just two volunteers staying in the group but wanting to do only a few things. WE ARE THEREFORE LOOKING FOR DE FACTO NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
Our committee accountant, Peter, kindly advises that we have up to £4500 max for projects, which would mean taking some reserves, but would probably be matched elsewhere. We will update tomorrow on some likely ones, notably the Viewpoint at the Leas Balcony, and the Town Trail. Some of these projects would benefit from artists and computer experts getting involved.
The De Haan Seafront Scheme: A copy of the most recent letter following Sir Roger’s talk at our last social meeting, which has had a reply. There will be a Harbour Plan exhibition later now that the phases have been through much of Planning.
Dear …..
I hope that someone in your company, now that Lisa has left, can still answer a few questions for our Go Folkestone meeting tomorrow evening and for our 300 members, magazine and website, soon to be updated? An up-to-date press release would be fine but the following six questions seem to come up most amongst our membership, which Sir Roger wanted to use as a sounding board:
- What is the order of blocks to be developed in the next 2-3 years? We like much of the design and prefer the wavy blocks to the Lego design although we appreciate the different architectural relationships apropos Marine Crescent. We oppose the height of later blocks.
- What is the car parking ratio as we all worry re that and wish that car and cycle parking is properly catered for?
- What is the current position on the Leas Lift as we want Leas Lift Square to be a strong feature and the Lift to connect the seafront to Sandgate Road?
- Can Sir Roger support or clarify connections between the seafront and the town centre including a bus service and possibly a multi-storey car park aimed mainly at visitors.
- Are the units shown below the boardwalk provisionally intended to be bungalows or leisure buildings? We understand that the boardwalk is safe and there will be some shingle gardens.
- The Princess Royal, which Sir Roger talked about, is in nearly all of our opinions an attractive typically Mid-Victorian building and we would like to see the shell used for any useful residential or community use, or clear proof that it is unsalvageable.
Thank you for your help, and once again, the 105 people who listened to Sir Roger at November’s Go Folkestone meeting really appreciated the occasion.
Cheriton Cycling Scheme: A more intelligent second version is being set out for discussion this evening to reps of Go Folkestone, Cycle Shepway and other cycling orgs, as we speak. We had real influence in this. Inconvenient timing for this meeting but we will discuss some things this evening.
TALKS: Exciting talks will be announced, and the timing briefly discussed.
GREEN MATTERS: These are on the agenda. We pursue several green opportunities for tree planting, watering etc which will be covered. We need adequate notice. It is important that members and their friends who wish to get involved put their details into Go Folkestone with a note of whether they are up for digging or lighter litter picking, fetching and carrying etc. There is a manual list and a WhatsApp Group so that we can contact all interested.
Go Folkestone, which has in the last twenty years secured the statutory listing of more Folkestone buildings than all the other amenity groups combined including The Leas Pavilion, Bathurst Pillar and The Weston Fountain, is pursuing co-operation with the New Folkestone Society, Heart and the Sandgate Society in developing a local list. We hope we can all work together, despite some egos and copyright issues being involved.
The New Folkestone Society, which nearly closed in 2021, has been much more energetic recently under Hythe businessman Matt Jones and local historian Mark Hourahan, and now has some committee members in common with Go Folkestone. Some in the NFS believe it should be pre-eminent. We believe in equality, with NFS being older and a registered charity but Go Folkestone being larger. A Local List involves a list of what some incorrectly call ‘Grade 3 buildings ‘, good enough to save from most demolitions, but not good enough for listing. We envisage a joint effort by NFS, GF and Heart in Folkestone, by far the biggest challenge, while Hythe and Sandgate and other local groups get their own act together after some training and liaison on how to fill out the different forms.
Please buy the remaining few 2023 Aspects of Folkestone Calendar via Country Fayre in the Old High St, or direct from us at www.gofolkestone.org.uk.
The Plimsoll Group itself is revising itself to a new group with Michael Foad and Angela Conyers retiring, memorial job well done. The new group will be centered on St Nicholas Church in Horn Street and if you want to help contact the vicar!! This will keep the annual memorial to Samuel Plimsoll alive. It will now be permanently linked to his date of death in June rather than his birth in February. However, there is a Plimsoll service without wreathes on Sunday 12th February at 9.30am at St Martins Church in Horn Street.
The Go Folkestone meeting following our AGM on 9th November was a big success with 105 members and non-members attending a review by Sir Roger de Haan of The Regeneration of Folkestone and The Seafront. £230 was collected for The Rainbow Centre, which also has had full Government funding confirmed for its Winter Shelter programme. Please volunteer (see mag).
We have decided to have an informal Go Folkestone sub-group to keep a dialogue going on The Seafront, reflecting our members’ concerns raised at our monthly meetings in a way that can hopefully influence the Harbour Company’s policy. We will include other groups such as NFS. Specialists such as Howard Holt are on the small group, but we will consider recruiting one or two Go Folkestone members who are outside the committee and the usual suspects. Please step forward to info@gofolkestone.org.uk.