Good cop, bad cop.

A rather odd sensation that I don't think I'll ever get the hang of is banging my head against one part of the Council, whilst having a sensible conversation with another part. Hey ho.

CCC chants the mantra that registration (of the Downs as a village green) would prevent maintenance, presumably in the hope that an oft-repeated lie will somehow become true. In their objection to Kent County Council (the village green registration authority), they invoke a 135 year old, late Victorian Act of parliament to support their claim that it is actually impossible for the Downs to become a village green. Balderdash, as the late Victorians would have said.

Meanwhile, the Outdoor Leisure department has recognised The Downs is a "strategic open space", being the only large open space in town apart from the Memorial Gardens. They are also keen to work with local "grassroots" groups, not least because such groups have access to sources of funding that are closed to the Council.

This has lead to an awakening of the idea of active co-operation:

Thank you for taking the time to chat through some joint working opportunities to enhance the Downs as we are keen to work with community groups. As you are aware the primary function of the Downs is coastal protection that may, from time to time, have to take precedence. However, we have already set aside some funding for some environmental enhancement for this strategically important piece of open space.

The aim of joint working would be to develop a management plan based upon survey work, community and partnership input and this could include issues such as: amend habitat - depending on the results of wildlife surveys, improved access, promotion / awareness, training for community volunteers or guided walks and much more no doubt. We see key partners such as yourselves, Kent Wildlife Trust, Herne Bay in Bloom, Natural England and many others will emerge.

The contrast between their stubbornness over registration and their enthusiasm for "joint working opportunities" is stark. Registration would cost them potential revenues from developers, whereas working with community groups can magic money out of thin air. Is that really all there is to it?

Council 'is not right on Downs'

The Council says that village green status would block maintenance work on The Downs - this is nonsense.

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Preservation body pans decision

Campaigners have hit back at council plans to block protection for a town beauty spot. Our exclusive story last week revealed that officials were considering an application to register the Downs, at Beacon Hill, as a village green to protect it from development. But Canterbury City Council bosses are planning to oppose the scheme, lodged by the Save Our Downs campaign, because they maintain it would block vital maintenance work. Campaign co-ordinator Phil Rose said he had information to the contrary. He said:

"The council first raised this concern with us in December 2009. The campaign team immediately spoke to the Open Spaces Society who are experts on the subject. We spoke to Kent County Council’s village greens registration team. We spoke to the legal advisors at the Secretary of State’s department. We did some legal research with the Planning Inspectorate. They all agreed that there is no problem. The upshot of all our research is that the council's fears are groundless. Legally if the maintenance work is 'with a view to the better enjoyment' of the village green, then the council can do that work without seeking permission."

Mr Rose, of Beacon Hill, said maintenance work to protect the area would be included as work for the "better enjoyment" of the area. He added:

"My house is on the edge of the Downs - I have no interest in stopping the council from doing any maintenance work. There’s even a legal option for the council to give itself advance permission for specific works like drainage, raising, levelling or preventing accidents. This should be enough to put everyone’s mind at rest."

He is encouraging people to contact Canterbury City Council chief executive Colin Carmichael to urge him to back the application.

HB Times 15th Apr 2010

1,100 sign up to save The Downs

Village green designation demanded for beauty spot

CAMPAIGNERS are preparing to do battle over the future of a Herne Bay beauty spot. More than 1,100 people are backing an application to give formal protection to The Downs by registering it as a village green, meaning no development would be allowed. The campaign was sparked by an application to build 40 beach huts near the Kings Hall.

Kent County Council bosses are now considering the request, and the accompanying 1,181 statements of support, but Canterbury City Council officials said they would oppose the request, because it would stop essential maintenance work in the area. Part of the area has already lost its designation as public open space, to allow the beach huts to be built.

Steve Lockwood, of the Save Our Downs Campaign, said:

"The whole campaign team has been amazed by the strength of feeling local people have about The Downs and how fired up they are to protect it. Village green status will protect this land forever so that everyone in the town can carry on using all of it just as we do today – freely and free of charge. It wouldn't cost the council a penny to make The Downs a village green. It would be such a shame if the council chose to ignore local opinion and refused to give The Downs the protection that Herne Bay people want it to have."

Supporters believe their application could be the largest ever considered by councillors because of the number of accompanying statements, and more than 95 per cent of people backing the bid are from Herne Bay. Campaign coordinator Phil Rose said:

"The Downs is a much-loved and well-used part of Herne Bay life, and has been for decades. The people who sent us statements have been using The Downs for a total of 27,750 years! The longest period of use that someone told us about is 86 years, and even the average is 24 years. This land has been close to the town's heart for generations."

He urged people to contact Canterbury City Council chief executive Colin Carmichael to urge him to support the application. But Cllr Peter Vickery-Jones, a member of Canterbury City Council's ruling executive committee, said the decision would not be that simple. He said:

"Village green status would mean we could not carry out essential maintenance of the area without asking the Secretary of State for permission. It's a technicality but it's important. The Downs was never under threat but the campaigners have a bee in their bonnet and they are entitled to do this. We all want Herne Bay to thrive but I believe that has to be based on tourism and the only way to do that is to attract more people to the town by making it interesting. The beach huts would have helped to do that."

HB Times 2010-04-08

Village Green for Herne Bay

The Village Green application that will protect The Downs forever (if it succeeds) has finally made it to the front of the queue. Kent County Council have advertised the application in the Kentish Gazette, thus starting the 6 week consultation period.

An impressive 1,181 people have taken the trouble to sign witness statements saying they want The Downs to be a village green. It's probably the largest village green application that KCC has ever received.

We now need to persuade Canterbury City Council to give us our village green. If they support the application, we could have our village green in a matter of weeks. If they fight the application, it could drag on for years, and we may never get our village green.

Current position

On 1st September 2009, I went to Kent County Council HQ in Maidstone and lodged an application to register The Downs in Herne Bay as a new Town Green. At the time we had 569 witness statements supporting the application - we now have 1,119. KCC are the "registering authority" for village and town greens - it's down to them to decide whether to accept the application, to assess any objections, and to determine how to proceed.

KCC accepted the application (now known as VGA614), and it has been sitting in the queue, quietly waiting its turn for the last 6 months. KCC advertised the application on 1st April (!) in the Kentish Gazette, starting a 6 week consultation process.