Of TDCs asset disposal program the two assets that I have found people to be most interested in are Northdown House and Ramsgate Maritime Museum.
TDC know that a lot of people in Ramsgate wish to retain the Maritime Museum and frankly we only seem to have lost it because the trustees forgot to renew the lease.
With Northdown house however probably a similar amount of people wishing to keep it as a public venue and according to the press release below the council actually listend to them..
With Northdown house the council are implying that that they have capitulated due to popular demand so why not the Maritime Museum too, perhaps I am being cynical here, but could it be that they are only extending the consultation period and even considering transferring it to the community itself (whatever that means) because they can’t get round the legal covenants that say it must be used for the benefit of the local community.
News, Local history and Thanet issues from Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate see www.michaelsbookshop.com I publish over 200 books about the history of this area click here to look at them.
Has anyone - especialy TDC Councillors - read the Quirk Review "Making Assets Work"? It seems that TDC officers are using this as justification for recommending disposal of buildings, like Northdown House and the Maritime Museum, to commercial tenants or developers.
ReplyDeleteMy reading of the Review suggests the oposite is the intention of its authors and the government.
It wants Local Authority owned buildings to be given to community based organisations (Like EKMT once was?)to free them up to provide services and amenities without the nonsense of Local Govt. bureaucracy. Quirk uses examples such as a village hall: "reclaimed from the local authority" after finding that it was given to the village by a 19th century philanthropist. Northdown House seems an obvious, and more recent, fit!
Can we have a review of how TDC has reviewed the review?
They have had no policy for Northdown house - since when do you try to sell something without checking the legal title to it first?
ReplyDeleteThey have fluffed from department to department - planning has been dealing with it and the head telling people that there are no covenants. Just indicative of the whole of TDC i'm afraid - jump first for a headline - "we're reducing your council tax by flogging your assets" never mind the ascetics the people of Thanet are too stupid to want to have a grade 2 listed building as part of their heritage. That argument followed through with the museums - they dont care about history either they aren't educated enough to bother about it!