Storms cause Kingsdown sea defences to collapse

The relentless stormy weather, high winds, and Spring tides has led to the partial collapse of the sea wall at Kingsdown. Residents roped the area off and Kingsdown Angling Club raised the red flag to warn walkers and passers-by of the immediate danger. Dover District Council secured the area with high visibility tape and with sturdier barriers the following day.

The sea defences at Kingsdown are in a dire state and desperately need replacing. To date, there has been no official response from the Environment Agency to a joint proposal that was submitted by Dover District Council and the East Kent Engineering Partnership to replace the groynes and then recharge the beach. Without these measures there will be further damage to the sea defences, resulting in expensive emergency funds being sourced from the EA as opposed to planned investment in defences that will secure the safety of Kingsdown for the future.

Coverage about this situation has appeared in Kent Online, and will be covered in the East Kent Mercury on Thursday 9 January. Charlie Elphicke MP has been notified and we hope for his support for this much-loved seaside community.

On the trail of the long-tailed blue

Having read about the emergence of a rare blue butterfly on the White Cliffs of Dover, we stepped out equipped with a camera to try and spot this beauty. This is a lovely stretch of the coast. With all the sun that we've had, the path is mud-baked, and easy to stroll along. Kingsdown conservation village sits prettily at the foot of the cliffs on the Northerly side; St Margaret's Bay is nestled in the middle, whilst Dover Docks presides magnificently to the South. The land is now managed by the National Trust, having successfully raised £1m to buy a last remaining stretch. The organisation has plans to retain the rare chalkland where native plants thrive, through careful management and custodianship of this iconic site.

But, back to the long tailed blue. Although we spotted a mustardy vermillion green butterfly and the more common Chalkhill blue, there was no sign of this rare exotic species. Matthew Oates, Butterfly and Moth expert at the National Trust, had mentioned in an article in the Guardian, that it is laying eggs on the invasive everlasting sweetpea. Although this sprawls amongst the grass with abandon, it will take a better pair of eyes than mine to spot such early signs of the fact that this visitor is here to stay.

Still it was a lovely late morning walk for a Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kingsdown White Cliffs Beach Saved by Public Outcry

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED TODAY, 26 March 2013

Huge local, national and international opposition to the development of mobile ‘huts’ on Kingsdown’s White Cliffs beach has led to holiday camp owners, Tingdene, withdrawing the planning application to Dover District Council. Campaigners have cautiously welcomed the decision. However they are poised to reactivate public opinion should another application of this kind be made in the future.

Philip Evemy, chairman of Kingsdown Conservation Group, said: “Our small campaign team worked tirelessly on a comprehensive rebuttal dossier to oppose this crass attempt to ruin a precious, iconic landscape.The result is great news, but the need for vigilance to protect this area’s natural beauty continues. Given that the beach is a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest, overlooked by the Kent Downs AONB as well as the village Conservation Area, it is beyond belief that the application was ever made in the first place.”

Withdrawal of the scheme followed worldwide condemnation through an online petition, and a record 300 objections were lodged by Kingsdown residents on the Council’s website. Expert bodies like Natural England, The National Trust and Kent Downs AONB were also unanimous in their opposition. Local personalities amongst the campaigners included wildlife presenter and film maker Richard Taylor-Jones, celebrity author Deborah Moggach and actor Neil Stuke.

-ends-

 

If you supported this campaign...

 

THANK YOU!

 

 

For more information on this campaign: :www.kingsdownconservationgroup.wordpress.com or www.kentbeachcomber.blogspot.co.uk

 

UPDATE Save Kingsdown White Cliffs Beach

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.

Bonfire night by the beach

 

Kingsdown is a small, seaside Miss Marple-style village, with its own post office, an excellent butcher and a well stocked licensed newsagent. It is also lucky to have three warm and welcoming pubs, The Rising Sun which always has a roaring fire on a wintry day, The Zetland Arms which sits pertly on the beach and has enviable views of the Channel and the White Cliffs, and the King's Head which is housed in the heart of the village.

All three pubs have hearty food, and give a warm welcome to all those crossing the threshold. One of the busiest nights of the year is now upon us, as Kingsdown puts on a great show for Bonfire night with an enormous beachside fire and cracking fireworks. This year's event takes place on Saturday 3 November with tickets costing £5 per person or £15 for families. They can be bought on the night and include a smashing hot dog and a cup of wholesome soup. The fun starts at 6.30pm with the gates opening, the bonfire is ignited at 7.00pm, followed by fireworks at 7.30pm.

What better way to end the evening than with a hot toddy, at one of the nearby pubs. It's worth a visit to see Kingsdown in all its fiery glory, and if it's a clear night, it is truly magical to see the light of the fire dancing and reflecting on the icy cold sea.

Foraging Fury

I love the foraging season. There is something quite primitive and satisfying about this nod to our hunter/gatherer heritage. Having eyed up the growth of nearby blackberry bushes along Wellington Parade, Walmer and around the Kingsdown beach in general, I decided that last weekend was the time to tackle these thorny brambles. Armed with long sleeves and large containers, I gathered around 500g of succulent wild logan-like berries alongside some juicy blackberries. The varieties are quite surprising with some tightly packed, and others more louche in their habit.

My aim is to make blackberry liqueur to sup at Christmas, having found a recipe by Martin Pain on www.allrecipes.co.uk. The ingredients are: 450g blackberries, 600g sugar, 250ml water, 700ml vodka. The method is simple: melting the sugar with the water, adding to washed blackberries and then soaking in vodka (I've used the cheapest). This ferments, covered in clingfilm for two weeks and is then strained and bottled. 

I am hoping that it tastes as good as my sloe gin, which with its almond like flavour was fantastic on its own, or added to chilled Proseco. Now that we are down to the last few sips, I will be making this again, as September and October is the time to go hunting for these bruised, dusty, heavily fortressed fruits.   And I know just the place where these berries can be found in abundance.

Kingsdown in deep snow

Snow covered beach huts at Kingsdown

Wow! the weather forecasters were right, we have had around 16cm of snow overnight. The whole of Kingsdown area is blanketted and in some places the snow is up to knee level where it has drifted.

Zetland Arms, the beachside pub at Kingsdown

The Zetland Arms, our beachside pub will no doubt be a warm refuge for many walkers and residents later on this wintry Sunday.

Icicles are dangling from windows, and it doesn't look as if there will be a thaw today, as temperatures are around -3 degrees centigrade.

Icicles and a snow covered garden

Brilliant, this is what a proper snow storm is all about.

Snow falls on Kingsdown beach

Seaside in the snow...
A rather dark, sleety end to January with the occasional flakes of snow, as we see the temperatures drop to around zero. Weather nothing like that of the previous year, which saw surfboards acting as snow sledges and people shooting down the steep shingle Kingsdown beach slopes into the icy sea below. The Zetland Arms, www.thezetland.co.uk one of the oldest pubs in the area with great seafood and a fine selection of beers, did a roaring trade.

The sea today

What a fabulous sun-spangled sea on a bright Sunday morning in January. This is my sea - it crashes against the sea wall and makes such a thunderous roar. It's why i love living in Kingsdown and moved here permanently in 2009 with Daniel, my partner and two mouse-catching miscreants, Maximus and Archibald (who definitely don't like the sea as much as me).

Sea smashing seawall at Kingsdown, Deal, Kent