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LOCAL NEWS
- Sept 2007
KENT AND MEDWAY
Kent Residents Urged to Support Local Post Offices
Kent County Council has launched an appeal to the residents of Kent to support their local post offices or risk losing them completely. This announcement comes as the government prepares to begin a review to identify potential post offices for closure in a bid to modernise the postal service. It is thought that rural post offices are most at risk of being closed and Kent locals are being urged to make full use of their local post offices and also sign petitions against the proposed closures. Post office closures will mean that jobs are lost within the local community and small local businesses who rely on the postal service to keep them running smoothly will be adversely affected. Local councillors are also concerned that the six week consultation period announced by the government will not allow alternative provision to be put in place should post offices be designated to close.
Source: Gravesend Reporter, 12th Sept, 2007.
New Eurostar Service finally Launched
It’s taken a decade longer than the French but this month finally saw the unveiling of England’s 186mph high speed cross channel rail link. In a test run carried out this month, the Eurostar train ran the 306 miles from Gare Du Nord in Paris to St Pancras Station in London in a record breaking 2 hrs and 3 mins. The service enters England through the channel tunnel near Folkestone and passes through several Kent train stations including Ashford International and the new Ebbsfleet Station before reaching London. Locals, council officials and MPs from across the house have condemned the fact though that Eurostar has decided to cut services from its Ashford Station which may lead to a loss of revenue in the area. The new Eurostar service from St Pancras will open for business on the 14th November this year.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 4th Sept, 2007.
Kent on Sunday Media Launches New Local Papers and Website
This month saw the launch of 8 new local papers plus a website from Kent on Sunday (KOS) media. The papers will be free and will offer local news, views and sport from the regions they cover. The papers will be available in Thanet, Maidstone, Canterbury, Swale, Medway, Dover, Ashford and Shepway. Separate websites for each region will also be made available and will be fully updated on a regular basis. The papers are published by the same people who own the Saturday Observer, Kent on Sunday and kentnews.co.uk. The free papers will be made available from newsagents, petrol stations, supermarkets and news retailers throughout the region and hope to increase footfall in these outlets and thus boost trade.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 10th Sept, 2007.
ITV Meridian to Cut Jobs
ITV Meridian faces a major cost-cutting exercise that will result in less local news broadcasting and job losses across the Meridian area. Due to pressure on advertising revenue and increased competition, ITV has stated that it cannot sustain the regional news structure. In order to save £40million, ITV wants to reduce the number of regions across the UK from seventeen to nine. In the Meridian area, this would result in reducing three sub-regions into one. As a result of this reduction the newly created programme would cover Hampshire, Kent, Sussex and parts of Essex, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Surrey.
It is too early to predict the exact effect this will have on staff at Meridian, however the Managing Director of ITV Meridian says “clearly it is likely to lead to some job losses in the future”.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 12th Sep, 2007.
New Depot for Kent Highway Services started in Ashford
The construction of a new energy-efficient depot for Kent Highways Services has commenced in Ashford this month. A range of energy efficient features have been chosen for the depot including a biomass boiler, which will provide hot water and heating for the building, and brine making facilities to supplement winter salting operations. Other features include low energy light fittings and under-floor heating. The new depot will serve Shepway, Thanet, Swale, Dover, Canterbury and Ashford and will accommodate 170 employees although many of these will not be office based and will instead be using the latest mobile technology to patrol the highways.
Source: Kent County Council Website, 23rd Aug, 2007.
Black Lion Leisure Complex gains Olympic Boost
The Government is to invest £5 million into the Black Lion Leisure Complex as part of its Thames Gateway Programme funds. The complex, which is located in Gillingham, will be refurbished to provide an Olympic and Paralympic training centre offering facilities for around 20 different sports. Facilities to be built include a gymnastics centre and an 8 lane athletics track. The Centre is in a prime position to take advantage of opportunities arising from the 2012 Olympic games as it is located only 30 minutes away, via Ebbsfleet, from the official Olympic Park. The University of Kent at Medway has pledged a further £3 million to the project which it is hoped will provide a massive boost to the regeneration of the area. The proposed refurbishment of the leisure complex is just one of many projects being undertaken in the Medway area to encourage regeneration. Other projects include the building of five new hotels and the establishment of the University at Medway. The area is also in the process of bidding for world heritage status.
Source: Medway Council Website, 22nd Aug, 2007.
Eynsford Thai Restaurant Refurbished
A Thai Restaurant in the Village of Eynsford has been refurbished at a cost of £100,000. The restaurant, which was bought by its current owners in June, is located in a 600 year old building and took 10 weeks to refurbish. The restaurant will source the majority of its ingredients from local producers where possible and is using a recycled paper press at Southborough to print its marketing material. It is hoped that the restaurant will provide Eynsford with a top class restaurant offering a unique slant on Thai and European cooking and hopefully increasing economic performance within the surrounding area at the same time.
Source: Kent on Sunday, 9th Sept, 2007.
Chatham Flyover to Re-open
A controversial decision taken last year by Medway Council to close a flyover in the town of Chatham has been reversed after complaints from local residents and businesses. The flyover was closed last year after the town’s one way system was made into a two way ring road but local residents and traders have campaigned for it to be re-opened claiming that without it, congestion in the town centre was reaching unacceptable limits. They claim that this in turn has had a negative effect on local businesses. It is hoped that the flyover will be re-opened on October this year although there are no plans to revert back to a one way road system.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk 11th Sept, 2007.
Setback for Thames Gateway Bridge
Plans to build a gateway bridge linking the South East with London have been jeapordised after the secretary of state Hilary Benn re-opened the public enquiry into the project. It was hoped that the bridge, which was to be built near the town of Bexley, would provide vital access for South East residents to the London job market but Mr Benn’s decision has halted work on the project for the foreseeable future. Local representatives will continue to try and get the project, which is supported by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, back on track. It is thought that should the bridge be built, it would cut commuting time into the city by as much as 30 minutes and create as many as 42,000 job opportunities for people in the South East. At present, there is an imbalance between the amount of Thames crossings in the east and west of Kent. The west has significantly more crossings and it was hoped that the new gateway bridge would help to redress the imbalance.
Source: Bexley Chronicle, 9th Sept, 2007.
Venue Announced for Thames Gateway Business Awards
The Thames Gateway Business Awards 2007 will be held in the O2 Arena in London. The event, sponsored by Nat West, aims to reward companies who are seen as to particularly benefiting the Thames Gateway business community and aiding in its growth. The awards aim to highlight the work of new, small and medium size companies with awards in 15 different categories being available. This year, two new categories; excellence in marketing and diversity in business have been added. All businesses shortlisted for the awards will be invited to attend the ceremony which will be held on Friday 23rd November. Click here to access the awards’ homepage.
Source: Gravesend Reporter, 5th Sept, 2007.
Chatham Dockyard Development Plans on View
Plans for the £190 million regeneration of Chatham dockyards will go on public view this month. The development, which comprises new housing and shops, will be situated between Chatham Maritime Museum and The Historic Dockyard and is part of a joint regeneration venture by the South East England Development Agency and the Historic Dockyard Trust. It is hoped that affordable housing will make up some of the development. The plans will be exhibited by site developers City Loft Developments this October and then will be put before a planning sub-committee later in the year.
Source: Medway Messenger, 12th Sept, 2007.
New Leather Shop Creates Jobs in Gillingham
Ten new jobs will be created in Gillingham with the opening of a Land of Leather store in the town. The store will be located at Gillingham Business Park and hopes to open for trading on Boxing Day. The store is part of a 60,000sq foot development at the business park which can accommodate a further three stores; Carpetright, Dreams and The Bath Store have all expressed interest in leasing the properties. Land of Leather now owns more than 100 stores nationwide, three of which are already based in Kent. It will take over the business park premises from former owners B & Q which moved to a bigger site on Will Adams Way last summer.
Source: Kent Messenger Service, 12th Sept, 2007.
Medway Valley Leisure Park Sold
Capital Counties, the owners of the Medway Valley Leisure Park, have sold their property to Prudential Insurance for £33.59 million. The park, which houses a popular chain cinema and various restaurants and retail outlets, nets around £1.7 million a year in rental income and will soon become even more profitable if expansion plans are accepted to build a hotel and a bowling alley. Analysts claim the continued buoyancy of the park is indicative of the continued strength of the South East’s leisure industry in comparison with other industry sectors.
Source: Kent on Sunday, 9th Sept, 2007.
Medway Regeneration Programme Deemed Unsound
Plans for the £5 billion Medway regeneration programme suffered a setback this month when a government inspector deemed one of its development proposals as unsound. The programme, which covers Medway’s regeneration plans for the next 20 years, included plans to use a former MoD site at Chattenden to build 5000 homes. The inspector was not happy with this arrangement though deeming the site to be more suited to business development. This objection means that Kent County Council will now have to re-submit its proposals thus delaying the regeneration programme and adding to the cost of the project. Towns that will benefit from Medway’s regeneration plan, which runs up until 2021, include Strood, Gillingham, Rochester and Chatham. Despite the setback suffered, work is still progressing in other areas of the programme including developments at Chatham Maritime and Rochester Riverside on which work is due to start in the new year.
Source: Kent on Sunday, 9th Sept, 2007.
Over 400 Jobs to go at Pfizer
The pharmaceutical firm Pfizer has announced that it is to close its Sandwich based manufacturing arm meaning the loss of as many as 420 jobs. The firm, which employs more than 3,000 people at its Sandwich base, will also cut jobs in research and development (R & D) and sales. The firm, whose UK business headquarters are based in Surrey, still plans to keep the Sandwich based research and development facility open despite the loss of the manufacturing plant. This means that 3,500 jobs based in R&D will be safe. Pfizer stated that it was closing the manufacturing arm as part of measures to consolidate its global manufacturing operations. The job losses will be phased over a two year period.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk, 11th Sept, 2007.
Kent Residents Urged to Support Local Post Offices
Kent County Council has launched an appeal to the residents of Kent to support their local post offices or risk losing them completely. This announcement comes as the government prepares to begin a review to identify potential post offices for closure in a bid to modernise the postal service. It is thought that rural post offices are most at risk of being closed and Kent locals are being urged to make full use of their local post offices and also sign petitions against the proposed closures. Post office closures will mean that jobs are lost within the local community and small local businesses who rely on the postal service to keep them running smoothly will be adversely affected. Local councilors are also concerned that the six week consultation period announced by the government will not allow alternative provision to be put in place should post offices be designated to close.
Source: Gravesend Reporter, 12th Sept, 2007.
New Eurostar Service finally Launched
It’s taken a decade longer than the French but this month finally saw the unveiling of England’s 186mph high speed cross channel rail link. In a test run carried out this month, the Eurostar train ran the 306 miles from Gare Du Nord in Paris to St Pancras Station in London in a record breaking 2 hrs and 3 mins. The service enters England through the channel tunnel near Folkestone and passes through several Kent train stations including Ashford International and the new Ebbsfleet Station before reaching London. Locals, council officials and MPs from across the house have condemned the fact though that Eurostar has decided to cut services from its Ashford Station which may lead to a loss of revenue in the area. The new Eurostar service from St Pancras will open for business on the 14th November this year.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 4th Sept, 2007.
Kent on Sunday Media Launches New Local Papers and Website
This month saw the launch of 8 new local papers plus a website from Kent on Sunday (KOS) media. The papers will be free and will offer local news, views and sport from the regions they cover. The papers will be available in Thanet, Maidstone, Canterbury, Swale, Medway, Dover, Ashford and Shepway. Separate websites for each region will also be made available and will be fully updated on a regular basis. The papers are published by the same people who own the Saturday Observer, Kent on Sunday and kentnews.co.uk. The free papers will be made available from newsagents, petrol stations, supermarkets and news retailers throughout the region and hope to increase footfall in these outlets and thus boost trade.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 10th Sept, 2007.
ITV Meridian to Cut Jobs
ITV Meridian faces a major cost-cutting exercise that will result in less local news broadcasting and job losses across the Meridian area. Due to pressure on advertising revenue and increased competition, ITV has stated that it cannot sustain the regional news structure. In order to save £40million, ITV wants to reduce the number of regions across the UK from seventeen to nine. In the Meridian area, this would result in reducing three sub-regions into one. As a result of this reduction the newly created programme would cover Hampshire, Kent, Sussex and parts of Essex, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Surrey.
It is too early to predict the exact effect this will have on staff at Meridian, however the Managing Director of ITV Meridian says “clearly it is likely to lead to some job losses in the future”.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 12th Sep, 2007.
Margate One of the Country’s Top 20 Most Creative Places
The town of Margate received a boost this month when it was named one of the 20 most creative towns in the country by a recent study. Analysts put this down to the fact that a new art gallery, the Turner Contemporary opened in Margate recently and also the fact that Exodus, a film shot in Margate, was recently well received at the Venice Film Festival. The study also states that Margate is showing signs of regeneration, with house prices increasing and new shops and restaurants opening for business. It is hoped that the positive labelling of Margate will help to encourage economic growth and also help the town to secure funding for various projects. Local councillors now hope to establish Margate as a creative hub for the Thanet region.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 13th Sept, 2007.
Decision Made on the Future of Thanet Grammar Schools
Two Thanet based grammar schools, Chatham House Grammar and Clarendon House Grammar, were told this month by Kent County Council that they would be able to stay single sex. Under the Government’s initiative Building Schools for the Future, they will now be either rebuilt or refurbished after fears had been expressed that they would be moved further away from the town. The Building Schools for the Future plan aims for all schools in the country to be refurbished in the next 10 to 15 years. It is now hoped that this decision will influence Kent County Council to keep Ellington School and Hereson School as single sex school as well.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 28th Aug, 2007.
TV Presenter to Highlight Kent Tourism at Canterbury Conference
Nicholas Crane, the presenter of BBC television’s popular Coast programme, is to speak this month at a conference in Canterbury for tourism professionals in the Kent area. The conference, hosted by Tourism South East, is aimed at teaching people involved in the Kent tourist industry how to offer the best possible experience to visitors. This will be achieved by highlighting successful tourism initiatives in the rest of the country to show how to best approach future projects. Tourism plays a vital role in the South East’s economy and is valued at more than £10 billion so it is important that local businesses are given the opportunity to be exposed to new and innovative ideas. The conference takes place on September 20th at Canterbury Cathedral Lodge.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 12th Sept, 2007.
AA and Saga Merger Given the Go Ahead
EU antitrust members recently ratified the £6 billion merger of the Automobile Association (AA) and the insurance firm Saga deciding that it would not force competition out of the market place. It was decided that despite the fact that both companies provide breakdown services, the small market share held by Saga would have a negligible effect on competition. The merger of the two companies was announced in June and unites Permira and CVC who own the AA with Charterhouse who own Saga. The merged company will be run from Saga’s Folkestone base by Saga chief executive Andrew Goodsell who hopes to expand the business in the future.
Source: Hawkinge Gazette, 10th Sept, 2007.
New Eurostar Service Finally Launched
It’s taken a decade longer than the French but this month finally saw the unveiling of England’s 186mph high speed cross channel rail link. The train ran the 306 miles from Gare Du Nord in Paris to St Pancras Station in London in a record breaking 2 hrs and 3 mins. The service enters England through the channel tunnel near Folkestone and passes through several Kent train stations including Ashford International and the new Ebbsfleet Station before reaching London. Locals, council officials cross party MPs have condemned the fact though that Eurostar has decided to cut services from its Ashford Station which may lead to a loss of revenue in the area. The new Eurostar service from St Pancras will open for business on the 14th November this year.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk, 4th Sept, 2007.
Microsoft Academy Opens in Shepway
A re-branded school opened in New Romney this month. The former Southlands School has been re-branded as the Microsoft Academy and aims to give 1,100 children in the area a new start. The school has been sponsored by the computer software manufacturer Microsoft in partnership with Tonbridge School and Kent County Council and has been given a complete overhaul. The new school uniform is based around Microsoft’s colours and the curriculum has been given a total re-think. The entire population of the school, from the head teacher to the staff and students, have all had a say in the changes. A second Microsoft Academy will also be opened this month in Folkestone.
Source: Hawkinge Gazette, 8th Sept, 2007.
Dover District Allocated 8,100 New Homes
8,100 new homes have been allocated to the Dover district in a key report that forms part of the South East Regional Assembly’s (SEERA) 20 year South East Plan. SEERA has proposed that 32,000 new houses are built each year in the region as opposed to the figure of 28,900 that was previously proposed. The plan has also recognised the need for local transportation links to be improved and has made recommendations for the A2 and A20 to be made suitable for port traffic and lorry parking.
Source: Hawkinge Gazette, 8th Sept, 2007.
Nickoll’s Quarry Housing Development Plans Completed
Revised plans for a large housing development, which is proposed for Nickoll’s Quarry near the town of Hythe, have been completed after representatives from Whitehall raised concerns about possible flooding risks to the site. Whitehall raised these concerns after scores of local residents complained about the proposed development forcing site developers Cofton to revise their plans. The re-vamped plans were publicly exhibited in September at two events hosted by Shepway District Council. It is thought that if the project is given the green light, it will take five years to complete and will cost an estimated £50 million.
Source: www.ickent.com, 7th Sept, 2007.
Folkestone’s Seafront Redevelopment Plan Progresses
It was announced this month that the redevelopment of Folkestone’s seafront will cost hundreds of millions of pounds as billionaire developer Roger De Haan made further announcements concerning the project. Mr De Haan revealed that he has entered into talks with several companies who he hopes will become partners with him in the ambitious venture. Mr De Haan acquired the Rotunda site in March from millionaire owner Jimmy Godden, adding to the harbour which he bought in 2004. De Haan, the former boss of Saga, hopes to build 1,000 homes on the seafront and also provide recreational facilities, shops, a civic building and a university campus. It is hoped that the redevelopment will begin within the next five years.
Source: www.ickent.com, 23rd Aug, 2007.
Amusement Centre Proposed for Hythe
Millionaire business tycoon Jimmy Godden has proposed to use the former Tricky Trev’s discount store in Hythe town centre to build a new slot machine amusement arcade. Mr Godden has tried to allay fears that the arcade will attract rowdy youths and gambling addicts by saying that the arcade will be aimed at shoppers and will offer free tea and coffee. He plans to refurbish the old site and also install a first floor flat into the building. He also plans to let local businesses advertise their services in the front window of the arcade. Mr Godden, who has a history of setting up other such businesses in Folkestone and Dover, is confident that his plans will be accepted despite the fact that objections from locals are expected.
Source: www.ickent.com, 23rd Aug, 2007.
Work started on University of Kent Postgraduate College
Work on a £27 million postgraduate college for the University of Kent was started this month on Darwin Fields in Canterbury. The college will accommodate around 550 students and will include seminar rooms and a 480 seat lecture theatre. The building, which was designed by David Morley Architects and will be constructed Mansell building contractors, will consist of a range of student accommodation including 64 student flats, 38 self contained studio bedrooms and 50 ensuite bedrooms. The building will also house a launderette, shops and a communal pavilion with a reception area. It is hoped that the accommodation will be completed by September 2008 with the academic facilities to follow later in the year.
Source: Kent Messenger Service, 12th Sept, 2007.
Kent Country Council Reveal Plans for Special School
Kent County Council has revealed controversial plans for Broomhill Bank Special School in Rusthall. The plans, published this month, detail the council’s ambitions to
re-designate the school as a mixed day school for 5 to 19 year olds with severe needs. They also want to introduce boys into the school which was previously single sex and get rid of the school’s residential unit. A six week consultation period will be held to canvas the opinions of local residents despite the fact that a previous consultation found that as many as 8,000 people were opposed to the planned changes. Representatives from Broomhill School who are opposed to the plans are seeking foundation status which will nullify the proposed changes and give the school the option of calling in an adjudicator.
Source: Kent & Sussex Courier, 7th Sept, 2007.
Damaged Factory at Paddock Wood to be Re-built
The site of the fire-damaged whirlpool warehouse on the Transfesa Industrial Estate at Paddock Wood is to be rebuilt by food distribution company 3663, bringing 300 jobs to the area. The company hopes to provide 100 office based jobs, 100 warehouse based jobs and 100 driving jobs if the plans for the depot are accepted by Tonbridge Wells Borough Council. 3663 already owns three other local depots in Edenbridge, Sevenoaks and Dunton Green and hope that the new Paddock Wood depot will consolidate their presence in the area.
Source: Kent & Sussex Courier, 7th Sept, 2007.
Medical Centre Proposed for Tunbridge Wells
Assura property put forward plans this month to build a major new medical centre in Tunbridge Wells which could serve up to 15,000 patients and house three GP practices. It is also hoped that the facility will be able to provide primary healthcare services meaning that patients will be able to access a number of different NHS clinic services in one location. These could include pharmacy and minor injury services. The proposals will be submitted Tunbridge Wells planners in November.
Source: Kent & Sussex Courier, 7th Sept, 2007.
Edenbridge Community Centre Plans Submitted
Plans to transform the former Eden Valley School site in Edenbridge into a community centre have finally been submitted to Kent County Council. The plans for the £2 million renovation were delayed after Kent County Council demanded the developers carry out a full site evaluation by a surveyor and also a flood assessment. It is hoped that if the plans are accepted by the council, the new facility will include IT facilities, a hall and accommodation for a wide range of diverse community groups. Developers plan to fund the building of the centre from a new housing development that is planned for the junction of Four Elms Road and Station Road. This development will include family homes and flats. A 21 day consultation period will be held to canvass opinions on the proposals which will be put before a planning committee in December.
Source: Kent & Sussex Courier, 7th Sept, 2007.
New Plans for Derelict Tonbridge Industrial Site
New plans have been proposed for the former BT depot on Cannon Lane in Tonbridge which has been derelict for a number of years. A “landmark” scheme has been proposed by a developer which includes plans for offices, flats, a hotel and a riverside pub. A new path will also be built along the riverside. The site is located between a B&Q store and the River Medway and has been subject to failed development bids by both Tesco and Matalan. A survey will be carried out and a full planning application will be put forward later in the year.
Source: Kent & Sussex Courier, 7th Sept, 2007.
Edenbridge High Street to be Re-vamped
Edenbridge high street will receive a make-over in an attempt to attract more people to the town. Plans include traffic calming measures, wider pavements and a new zebra crossing plus the re-surfacing of the road which will cost Kent County Council £180,000. The improvements are expected to take several months to complete with an additional £30,000 being spent on new benches, bins and signposts pointing visitors to the major attractions in the town. A public consultation was held in February and a mostly positive response was received from locals. It is thought that the high street will have to be closed for around ten days for the improvements to be made.
Source: Kent & Sussex Courier, 7th Sept, 2007.
Tunbridge Wells Businesses Hit by Increasing High Street Rents
Garbo’s Hairdressers has been forced to move its premises from Tunbridge Wells high street to a new site in Lime Hill Road. This occurrence illustrates the problems that small businesses on the high street are facing with spiralling rents rising from between 25 to 40%. The old Garbo’s site has been taken over by the clothing chain Fenn, Wright & Mason and the high street in general is being increasingly occupied by more ‘up-market’ shops. Local traders also say that takings on the high street have declined since the Morrisons supermarket closed. Council representatives from the planning and development claim to be attempting to combat these problems by investigating the improvement of the Torrington Road car park and working to bring the former Morrisons’ building back into use.
Source: Kent & Sussex Courier, 31st Aug, 2007.
New Retailer Arrives in Tunbridge Wells
Cotswold Outdoor is set to move in to the former Habitat store in Tunbridge Wells. The site, which is a grade 2 listed building owned by Directdivide Trading, has not been in use for several months. New leasers Cotswold Outdoor have applied to the borough council for planning permission to build a café on the site which it is hoped will be open by the end of the year. Cotswold Outdoor sell a diverse range of camping equipment and outdoor clothing and the new acquisition in Tunbridge Wells will be the 26th store it has opened since it started trading.
Source: Kent & Sussex Courier, 29th Aug, 2007.
Plans for Maidstone Supermarkets to be Demolished
The low cost supermarket chain Lidl has submitted plans to demolish its store at Farleigh Hill, Tovil. The chain has approached Maidstone council with the view to knocking down its site to make way for a housing development. A Netto store, which is situated next to the Lidl building will also be demolished if the plans are accepted. Although a new Lidl store will be built along with the proposed housing, the number of staff currently employed on the site will halve if the development goes ahead. Currently, 13 full time staff and 20 part-time staff are employed by Lidl and Netto. Tovil’s planning committee will meet this month to discuss the proposals.
Source: Kent Messenger Service, 12th Sept, 2007.
More Homes Planned for Sevenoaks Area
A recent report published by Government Office has recommended that a further 200 homes should be built in the Sevenoaks area by 2026 adding to the 3,100 that are already planned for development. This redevelopment strategy is part of the South East plan which has also recommended an increase in housing provision in other areas of Kent. The borough of Tonbridge and Malling will see 500 extra homes being built on top of the target of 8,100 homes and Tandridge District’s projected housing will be increased by 260 adding to the target of 2,240 by 2026. There are fears that these plans will mean that green belt land will have to be used to accommodate these inflated housing numbers although council officials state that where possible the housing will be situated in existing urban areas.
Source: Sevenoaks Chronicle, 6th Sept, 2007.
Kent Based Internet Company to Expand
A Kent based online listings and reviews site, providing information on going out in London, plans to expand its business and repeat its successful formula for other cities around the country. 2 View Group, which is based in Ashford, began as a team of only three people but now employ 20 and boast an annual turnover of £1.5 million. Their website, viewlondon, has 1.5 million users and the business made a profit for the first time last year. It now plans to expand its workforce further to 30 people. The owner of the company believes that the fact it is based in Kent played a large part in its making a profit, citing such factors as cheaper rent and increased office space to the capital. The next two cities for which the 2 View Group will provide websites are Brighton and Manchester. It is hoped that the site for Brighton will be online by the beginning of next year.
Source: Kent on Sunday, 9th Sept, 2007.
Charlton Athletic Training Complex for Kings Hill
Charlton Athletic are to build a state of the art training complex in Kings Hill, West Malling. After 12 months of discussions with Liberty Property Trust and Kent County Council, the club and the developers will hand in planning applications to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Councils. Due to the fact that Liberty Property Trust have an obligation to provide community sporting activities, it is hoped that the training complex will benefit the whole community and provide facilities for keen youngsters to have the chance to gain footballing skills. The complex will be built on the former Heath Farm site if it is given the go ahead.
Source: Sevenoaks Chronicle, 6th Sept, 2007.
West Malling Production Company to produce Content for Online TV Channel
A new online TV channel has commissioned Kersh media in West Malling, along with seven other companies, to contribute to 28 programmes that will launch its service. The channel, named Kent TV, will be launched by Kent County Council and operated by an independent media company, owned by Sir Bob Geldoff, named Ten Alps Digital. Kent County Council has invested £600,000 in the project which will run initially for two years. Around 40% of the content will be produced by independent companies with the rest being produced by Ten Alps Digital’s in-house team.
Source: Sevenoaks Chronicle, 6th Sept, 2007.
New Affordable Homes for Tatsfield
This month saw the opening of new affordable housing in Tatsfield. The six flats and seven houses were completed in July and are the result of a partnership between Tandridge District Council, Tatsfield Parish council and English Rural Housing Association. The latter will be responsible for the ownership and management of the homes. The housing consists of six flats and seven houses. Four flats and three houses will be available for rent and two flats and four houses will be made available for sale on a shared ownership basis. The site of the development was formerly occupied by derelict garages.
Source: Sevenoaks Chronicle, 30th August, 2007.
Gatwick No Border Camp Location Revealed
The organisers of the Gatwick Area No Border Camp have announced the location of their camp site to be a rented field near Salfords, Surrey. The protest camp will be held between September 20 – 23 and is part of a campaign to stop the building of a new detention centre at the airport. Over the four days demonstrations will be held in Crawley, Croydon and Gatwick, as well as workshops and activities on various migration and detention related issues.
Source: www.uk-airport-news.info, 11th September 2007.
BAA Reward Gatwick Staff with Coffee
900 Gatwick Airport employees who worked on the airport’s busiest day of the year have been rewarded with a £1.50 coffee voucher. The voucher will buy two cups of subsidised latte in a Gatwick branch of Starbucks and according to a national newspaper, the reward has not gone down too well with airport employees.
Source: www.uk-airport-news.info, 5th September 2007.
Low Cost London Shuttle Service Introduced From Gatwick and Heathrow
National Express is introducing a new airport transfer service named ‘dot2dot’ with the aim of undercutting the cost of taxis (revamping the old Holtelink service). The service which uses custom-build mini-buses runs between Heathrow and Gatwick and central London hotels, and will launch in November and transfers will be able to be booked online at www.dot2.com.
Source: www.uk-airport-news.info, 4th September 2007.
Gatwick and Aberdeen Airport Hotels Bought
Menzies Hotels has bought eight Thistle hotels from Curzon Hotel Properties for a total of £54m. The hotels included the Thistle London Gatwick, in Brighton Road, Horley. £12m will be spent on refurbishing and repositioning the eight properties in line with its existing hotels during the next 18 months. No comment has been made about changes to staffing level.
Source: www.uk-airport-news.info, 30th August 2007.
Job Cuts At BAA
The UK’s largest airport operator, BAA, has announced it is to cut jobs. BAA, which owns Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports, is yet to announce the number of positions due to go, but has played down reports that 2000 jobs will be lost. The positions are being removed as part of an efficiency review and is said to not affect its security and customer service roles.
BAA have said that the job cuts are about building a much leaner and more efficient business as opposed to cutting costs, however Unions have criticised airport operator’s actions believing it to be illogical to resolve its difficulties through slashing jobs. Unions have also said that efficiency problems were partly due to lack of trained staff and therefore any future cuts would only make conditions worse.
Source: BBC online, 30th August 2007.
The Future Of Gatwick Airport
An aviation expert has announced that Gatwick Airport could be sold off within a year.
Last week a national newspaper reported that potential buyers were positioning themselves ahead of a £3 billion plus auction for the airport, which is currently owned by BAA.
Peter Villa, managing director of consultancy firm Apollo Aviation, said, "It's difficult to answer what might happen to Gatwick workers if there is a sale. I would say that their jobs would be safe for at least the medium term as a new owner would need them to keep the airport running."
Source: icSurrey online, 29th August 2007.
Climate Protesters Hit Office Of Crawley Firm
Climate campaigners stormed an airline office at Gatwick in a bid to “highlight the destroying of our planet with short-haul flights and cheap flights." 10 activists from Camp for Climate Action chained themselves to a stairwell at the Gatwick South Terminal Offices of Crawley firm XL Airways on Friday 17 August. The campaigners were quickly removed by police but soon re-emerged outside with a banner proclaiming “cheap flights, cheap lives”.
Although Gatwick is under a legal agreement not to build a second runway until 2019, there are still plans to increase passenger numbers from 34 million per year to 40 million in the next 8 years.
Source: icSurrey online, 22nd August 2007.
Sites Approved For 2,600 New Homes
Plans to build at least 2,600 new homes built have been approved by Government inspectors.
Crawley Council's core strategy outlines the way the town will look in the next decade and identifies eight brownfield sites where planners say the 2,600 homes could go. However, council planners are already 944 new homes behind an earlier target to build 300 every year between 2001 and 2016. The plan also focuses on the regeneration of town centre north with the intention of bringing in big name retailers. This project is due to start in 2010.
Source: icSurrey online, 29th August 2007.
The Huge Carbon Footprint of Crawley
Crawley has been named the worst in the region in a table of carbon emissions per household. The calculations were made by British Gas on the basis of the amount of energy consumed by households, excluding that used for the households’ vehicles. According to the findings, dwellings in the Crawley produce an average of 5,820kg of carbon dioxide each year, the equivalent of driving for more than 15,000 miles.
Other offenders in the region were Brighton and Hove, with 4,905kg per dwelling, and Portsmouth, with 4,675kg per dwelling.
Source: The Argus, 31st August 2007.
Skatepark Opens
A new skatepark for Crawley has been opened by Crawley Council in Southgate Playing Fields. Hundreds of skaters and BMXers have already hit the ramps this summer to show off an practise their skills on the grind rails, jumps and in the bowl area. The floodlit skatepark is open until 10pm everyday, and benefits from CCTV cameras and a bicycle padlock area for security.
Source: Crawley Observer, 28th August 2007.
Crawley Care Home To Close
Crawley-based Woodhall Care Home will be closed despite there being no approval to build replacement housing yet. The home which cares for men and women with learning difficulties has been deemed as unable to meet the needs of its 15 residents.
Eight of the residents will be re-homed by the Council into wheelchair accessible flats at a proposed development at Ifield Community College and the 26 members of staff will either be moved or helped to find alternative employment.
Source: The Argus, 28th August 2007.
