Developer Kitewood has slammed Bay MP Roger Gale for "vulgar populist grandstanding" after his outspoken criticism of the company's planned development in Hillborough. After reading his comments in last week's Herne Bay Times, Kitewood director Mike Dolan said:
"I am very disturbed at Roger Gale's comments, not least because it strikes me as vulgar, populist grandstanding to take a stab at the developer community when his own government's policy is precisely what we are pursuing.
I refute the suggestion that Kitewood does not deliver on its promises. It is Mr Gale who inaccurately propagates that impression. Mr Gale is wrong when he says Kitewood has said we are going to build a primary school. Nowhere have we said that. We have said we will donate land for the construction of a primary school if the community wishes to have a primary school and that we will be paying a substantial amount of money to the local authority which they can, of course, use for the construction if they so chose.
Interestingly, one of the matters that emerged from the exhibition is that there is a significant sector of the community which believes it would be more worthwhile to have a middle school or a secondary school and this is something we intend to address when we conclude an analysis of the comments we have received.
It is wrong of Mr Gale to say we could not build a bridge over the railway without acquiring land from Network Rail. He should be aware Network Rail will facilitate construction of a bridge if we pay a ransom. We have said we will pay their ransom. I suggested to Mr Gale at a meeting in July last year at restaurant Table Table that he may be able to use his influence to prevail on Network Rail to moderate their ransom demand to bring forward the development before we reach the trigger point where we are contractually obliged to carry out the work or cease further development of the Altira Business Park. I have not heard anything further from Mr Gale since that meeting.
We are taking a constructive and diligent approach to this project and listening to comments. We refuse to be the whipping boy for past political failings. The Margate Road bridge is a dangerous disgrace that should have been dealt with long ago, well before any Kitewood project was even mooted."
Herne Bay Times 16th Sep 2011