The town's councillors

Tuesday 15th March 6:30pm

Salvation Army Hall, 33 Richmond Street, Herne Bay

Rejoice, dear reader - a special day approaches! Half a dozen or so times a year the chosen few gather together to discuss and vote on things that matter to Herne Bay. On Tuesday, our town councillors will assemble at the Salvation Army Hall, eager to answer your questions. Someone from the Royal Mail will be there to "discuss the concerns" about the experimental system that was inflicted on us before Christmas (and before the snow). The councillors will be deciding where to reinstate the Red Shelter, AKA the Threepenny Bit Shelter; they'll also be neglecting public gardens to save money; considering parish grant applications; discussing No Fishing signs and road re-surfacing; and hearing from the Coastal Towns Manager.

It's an open public meeting.

Read more...

I learned a new word today

And that word is paraprosdokian. This unlikely and ugly-looking word means a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. A punchline with a twist. For example:

• If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
• Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
• I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.
• Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

Read more...

HBHRS Lecture 17th March

Mr. lan Tittley: "History of the Natural History of North Kent"

The Herne Bay Historical Records Society Lecture meetings are held in the Lower Hall, Herne Bay United Church, High Street, Herne Bay (click here for a picture). Doors open from 6.30pm, the lectures start at 7:00pm. Meetings are open to members and guests.

The meetings are free to Members on production of their Membership cards (if requested). Visitors may attend if there is room, when a charge of £2.00 per meeting will be made. The Annual Subscription for 2010/2011 is £10.00 per member, falling due on October 1st.

Bottle tops!

At last there's something useful to do with your plastic bottle top collection. Local artist Karen Simpson has put out the call for bottle tops, which she will magically transform into a deck chair! Karen has an impressive track record of making silk purses out of sow's ears through her Shore is a load of rubbish initiative, and has displayed her work across Kent.

Read more...

Party on the Pier

WHEN: Saturday 12 March 2011 from 10am – 10pm
WHERE: Pier Pavilion Herne Bay
WHY: To celebrate 100 years of roller skating
WHAT: Free events for everyone to enjoy
HOW: Just come along!

Read more...

Windfarm extension: Vattenfall says...

Kentish Flats Extension

Vattenfall has started a discussion and consultation with the local community, local authorities and statutory consultees regarding the extension of Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm. It would like to extend the 30-turbine scheme by between 10 and 17 turbines

Read more...

Windfarm extension: your opinion

The Vattenfall roadshow came to town, well the King's Hall, to tell all-comers about the proposed extra turbines at the Kentish Flats windfarm, 5 miles off the Herne Bay coast.

They lease the seabed from the Crown Estate, and their lease is measured in megawatts (MW) of electricity output. The proposed extension permits 51MW of production. If they install turbines that are the same size as the current ones, they will need 17 new turbines. Their planning application would allow then to install bigger turbines, but there would have to be fewer of them, to stay within the 51MW limit.

The Vattenfall guy I spoke to said that Vattenfall were just keeping their options open as to what kind/size of turbine to install when they start construction - in 2014, according to the plan. I assume their eventual decision will be guided by profit.

See, print or download a copy of the Public Opinion Survey here. Or fill it in online at Vattenfall's website here.

Annual Projects and Business Exhibition

You are invited to the Annual Herne Bay Projects Exhibition on Wednesday 9th March 2011 (2 - 7pm) at the King’s Hall. The event will display a series of information stands on many of the major regeneration, business and community projects happening in Herne Bay. It is an opportunity for you to catch up on the progress made over the last twelve months and to view the plans for the future.

Read more...

Windfarm extension consultation

Vattenfall is in the process of putting together an application to add up to 17 wind turbines to the existing 30 turbines at the five-year old Kentish Flats wind farm.  It’s really important that the community and all those with an interest in our proposal to extend Kentish Flats get involved and tell us what they think.

From 31 January until 4 March 2011 Vattenfall is conducting a community consultation regarding the proposed extension which is located off the coast near Herne Bay and Whitstable.

There will be two public consultation events in February in Herne Bay and Whitstable and we encourage as many people as possible to come along:

Wednesday 23 February 2pm – 8pm, Kings Hall, Beacon Hill, Herne Bay
Thursday 24 February 2pm – 8pm, Whitstable Castle, Tower Hill, Whitstable

Recycling bags

The unutterable shambles drags on. Canterbury City Council's ham-fisted penny-pinching, masquerading as waste reduction and cost saving, has proved such a failure that even they have had to accept it. I expect they'll say 'you said, we listened'. They never say 'we screwed up, we're sorry'.

Read more...