Wednesday 26 November 2008

THANET IN DANGER OF BEING “DEVELOPED TO DEATH” NEW “GREEN” DEAL FOR ISLE TO BE DEBATED IN RAMSGATE

This is a press release from The Independent Media Society, and I should add any local group who sends me stuff for publication will get my full cooperation. I looked at the various statistics and noticed the counter I put on the this site a few months ago has had a lot of hits and as it went up by about 2,000 last week, so I feel I have an added responsibility to the local community.

Pic. Norman Thomas

Thanet stands in danger of being “developed to death” and needs a new “green deal” to give people jobs without damaging the environment,

This is the controversial proposition which will be debated at a crisis meeting to be held in Ramsgate on Friday December 12 at 7.30pm at which Dr Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party will be the key speaker. Caroline Lucas is also a member of the European Parliament for the South East.

The meeting, called by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, will discuss the biggest environmental issues facing the isle including the China Gateway proposal, the giant greenhouse development Thanet Earth and the plans for Manston Airport.
Pic. Dr Caroline Lucas

Film-maker Norman Thomas who is chairing the meeting said: “Thanet is currently facing some of the biggest developments in its history, bringing huge amounts of building and extra traffic.

“We run the risk of losing hundreds of acres of green space and prime farmland.

“If these developments go ahead, they will change the face of the isle forever, with incalculable consequences for all the people living here now and for generations to come.”

Mr Thomas added: “We’ve got to debate these issues now and look at the alternatives. We all want jobs, but will these projects really bring jobs in any significant numbers? Many fear we will simply find ourselves in an over-built, traffic-congested mess."
Supporters of the Green party argue that in the wake of the present national financial crisis a “new green deal” is needed which will mean the Government investing in providing “sustainable” jobs for the future.

Said Mr Thomas: “We’ve got to started exploring the options for new types of jobs in Thanet now. Rather than low-paid warehousing work, we’ve got to look at jobs which arise out of the natural assets of the area and the creative talents of its people.

“Anyone who is concerned about the future of the area should come and put their point of view.”

The meeting will be held at St George’s Hall, Broad Street, Ramsgate at 7.30 pm on Friday December 12th.

For more details telephone Christine Tongue on 01843 604253 or email
inmeds@yahoo.co.uk

6 comments:

  1. 'we’ve got to look at jobs which arise out of the natural assets of the area'
    Please not low paid seasonal holiday work manning arcades, rides at funfairs, that sort of thing!

    We should be attarcting some of the following here:
    the film industry, with a diverse street scene from Georgian to Victoria terrace, historical to modern etc, not to mention the natural scenery, all within a couple of miles of each other.

    Commerce: banking, credit card and insurance industry.

    Science: Forensic science industry and research.

    Health: On which Ramsgate and certainly Margate was born before it evolved into the tourist industry.

    Nature: Don't need to explain this really.

    Historical studies: Probably more history per square mile in Thanet than anywhere in Europe.

    Corporate Hospitality & Entertainment: 4*Hotels and sea related sports.

    Indoor coastal swimming pool in Margate and Ramsgate overlooking the beaches.

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  2. oh, is there a euro election next year??? could ms lucas be accused of electioneering? could norman thomas be accused of selling his films? Surely not??

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  3. Norman Thomas looks almost english. Shame he is welsh

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  4. anon 21:52. I'd rather they were looking to get elected and sell filsm, as opposed to get elected and sell carpets.

    someone is doing something sensible at last. I will be attending

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  5. Norman Thomas/Christine Tongue. Are not these the same two folks who advocated selling our troops up the swannee by moaning about their activities in Iraq and Afghanistan?

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  6. Norman Thomas doing something sensible, that will be a first!!

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Comments, since I started writing this blog in 2007 the way the internet works has changed a lot, comments and dialogue here were once viable in an open and anonymous sense. Now if you comment here I will only allow the comment if it seems to make sense and be related to what the post is about. I link the majority of my posts to the main local Facebook groups and to my Facebook account, “Michael Child” I guess the main Ramsgate Facebook group is We Love Ramsgate. For the most part the comments and dialogue related to the posts here goes on there. As for the rest of it, well this blog handles images better than Facebook, which is why I don’t post directly to my Facebook account, although if I take a lot of photos I am so lazy that I paste them directly from my camera card to my bookshop website and put a link on this blog.