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| Kingsdown beach, and site where huts will be placed |
The "
Tell Dover District Council: Save Kingsdown White Cliffs Beach" captured public attention, and went global. Comments and votes against the installation of 12 huge huts on this unspoilt bit of beach, were received from as far afield as Australia, Pakistan, USA, Belgium, Canada, Spain and the Netherlands. People also commented from across the UK including Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England.
So many know and love this part of the East Kent coast, and want to protect what makes it so special, leading to them returning time and time again - the beach, a site of special scientific interest, the White Cliffs and the area of natural outstanding beauty.
By the final day of the public consulation we had 675 signatures on the Change.org online petition site with many adding economic, ecological and environmental reasons as to why this application needs to be rejected. A further 67 people signed a paper version of the online petition. All of these votes and comments join the 268 detailed public objections on the
Dover District Council website.
During the campaign, the
East Kent Mercury carried articles and letters about the planning application, with the latest feature flagging up the international interest.
Natural England made a strong objection to this plan, and debunked the assertion made by the planners that these huts could be positioned on a site of special scientific interest, without causing any damage to the shingle habitat. Local MP
Charlie Elphicke added his objection as did the local Councillor Sue Le Chevalier to the Dover District Council website.
Today, I hand-delivered
a covering letter with the petition plus comments, photographs of the site, and copies of all those that signed the paper petition to Sarah Platts at Dover District Council. The arguments put forward by everyone were compelling:
- The economic assertion that Kingsdown would benefit from this development was firmly rejected, with visitors and tourists all saying that it is the unspoilt beach that makes them holiday in this location.
- One chalet owner directly refuted the claim put forward by the planner that it needed to recoup some of the costs spent on maintaining the beach, by saying that no such charges are asked of them.
- All agree that a site of special scientific interest must be left alone so it can thrive - the argument that huts can be wheeled on and off of the site was ridiculed by many, as installation and bi-annual movement will cause irreparable damage.
The Kingsdown Conservation Group, has been working flat out liaising with the various conservation bodies, and on a rebuttal of all the claims put forward by the planner. To read this, and find out loads of other useful information go to the
Kingsdown Conservation Group's website. If you are local, and want to protect what we all so love about Kingsdown, it is worth joining. At only £5 for individuals or £8 for a family, it's a wise investment.
