A mystery photo. A few Ramsgate photos old and new, posible ramble

Which Thanet Post Office?

Went for a walk earlier, https://photos.app.goo.gl/fXSYoLocDnXUzavu5out and about in Ramsgate today

I'm still partly focused on the Pleasurama conundrum, something like:- Anything is better than the mess, but what about the issues with the design that were put on the back burner when building stopped last time.

I’ve started drafting this for local councillors and any ideas on improving it before I send it off would help

"The main issues with the Parasuraman development are.

1 The cliff wall, it has a long history of collapses involving tons of concrete rubble and chalk.

2 Problems related to stuff going over the top of the cliff, the largest item in recent years was a car.

3 The site is an environment agency designated “high risk” RIZ flood zone (big storms and high tides could wash out the whole thing because the foundations are on sand and not pile bored) The flood risk assessment the Environment Agency wanted never happened.

4 The height and roof treatment. Attempts to get a definitive roof height relative to the cliff never happened, attempts to get more attractive roofing materials never happened.

5 Cliff wall maintenance costs are to be met out of our council tax.

The planning consent passed under the Ezekiel administration without proper notification of local groups and local people and without opportunity to object. While the Planning and design statement says the development will be well below the cliff top, the various planning sheets are for a development that is very high relative to the cliff.

Assurances were made by the council that some of the issues would be addressed by TDC building control, subsequently TDC said building control would be done by an outside agency.

Assurances were made by TDC that regular cliff safety inspections would occur.

Obviously while I don’t want to see the site remain in the horrible mess it has been for the last 20 years, I am concerned that the flats are safe for people to live in, insurable, look as attractive as possible especially from Wellington Crescent and Gardens and ongoing  costs to TDC are manageable.  

These issues were being addressed when work stopped on the site about ten years ago, since then some local people and groups have assumed the planning consent had expired, some assumed the plans were something that came out of the Ezekiel  administration and related to some sort of property scam – so they would never actually be built. Now with the development having restarted I assume the council has some role and responsibilities relating to the development. I also assume the council has an official point of view on the development as it is on Ramsgate’s main leisure site and will have a considerable impact on the future prosperity of Ramsgate.

I also appreciate that a major property development that started under an administration where the council leader was sent to prison for property fraud, is an area that may be difficult for some members of the council to address.

I am not interested in recriminations, don’t have much time to pursue the issue, but I am interested to know if the council should be doing anything or are doing anything to ensure the development is as good as it can be."