Plans before the Council

[Guest]

Are plans for small side soccer facilities, i.e 6-a side etc still included in the plans going before the Council shortly.The area desperately needs more of these facilties and any one building them will do really well out of it.The FA has big plans for small side soccer.Visit The fa.com to find out all about it.Margate could do well out of it!!!! The current facilities at Jackey Bakers are wearing out.

[jkmaskell]

As I understand it according to the plans there will be one more full sized pitch on the other side of Tivoli Park (where the trees form the square of sorts-golf course side). Temporary parking will stretch basically the length of the path and on the other side of that path.

 

Go to www.ukplanning.com and go to Thanet District Council. Search for street name "Hartsdown Road" and the plans will be there. Im not sure which ones they are but Im thinking its the demolition of existing stadium and replacement with 6000 seater one. If anyone can confirm it would be nice.

[Rob_Butler]

wherewill you play when the ground is being done southwood?

[margateshot]

James I have been to the site but as you say there are a number of plans outstanding. Its not clear which one is the current proposal.

[MargateFan]

I think it was the one we were shown at Ashford that time, minus the health centre.

In that particular plan there was provision for a number of five-a-side pitches. There are also plans for some at the Coffin End of the current temporary stadium, as far as I can remember being told.

At the public meeting it was explained that when we had the full planning permission, work would be done a section at a time whilst we were still playing at home. Chelsea did it, Tottenham did it, and a bit closer to home Grays were doing it last season to upgrade their facilities, so I do not think it is beyond the realms of feasibility that we can also do it.

I would think that the last thing on earth the development company, club or supporters would consider was another groundshare.

[jkmaskell]

Im assuming that its the one with approval because technically speaking its been given approval. However it has to go through the system of Planning and Full Council, which I see as just normal practice. Westwood Cross and each shop had to go through both, as did the new Homebase (which will go in place of Pearce Signs). So did the Silent Gliss factory being moved to Poorhole Lane.

 

If anyones going past HDP today, the way to find out which one is to go to the street lamp by the fencing near the home corner (the one with the substation) and get the reference number from the yellow sheet. That will confirm which one.

[Guest]

excuse my ignorance but i could only find plans for the present stadium. I was taking from you, unless i've misread it, that the plans for the new proper' ground have been passed by cabinet. Please advise james.

[jkmaskell]

One of the plans should say "decided" by it. My interpretation which i said before is that its passed by Cabinet but not formally by Planning and full Council.

 

Go to Thanet District Council's applications then search for Hartsdown Road. On the list of applications for "Margate Football Club Ltd" should say "decided" by it. Click on the link and it should say something like 'see register sheet'. Look at the register sheet to see what the development is supposed to be. It should say something similar to what I said previously ie demolition of stadium and replacement with 6000 seater stadium. It is there. There are 3 choices and only one says decided by it. I can assure you thats the one.

 

Ill get the reference number tomorrow so youll be able to find the planning application which will be in front...just in case Im wrong, which is possible.

 

In short theree should be two applications passed and counting as "decided" - approved. There should be one for re-instatement of the stadium, which is being carried out right now, and the other one which is the commercial development and plans being considered this week.

 

As said earlier in this post. Ill find the reference code which will sort this one out.

[jkmaskell]

I cant get on the ukplanning website right now but I did get the reference code earlier. If you change the last six digits to 04/1601 it should give you an application about land adjacent to tivoli park for a mixed developmment. The plans as reported in the gazette on friday said it would include an 80 room hotel, fitness club, play area, hospitality and banquetting suites. A previous application looked rather cool. However it had a casino and bingo directly below the bedrooms.

 

Anybody planning on going to the meetings this week?

[Cookie]

I would have loved to have gone and also to the game on Tuesday but unfortunately am working lates this week.Will be hoping for SOMEONE to attend the council meeting and report back,likewise looking forward to hearing about what players we have out on Tuesday night.My thoughts are that maybe we will have nearly ALL trialists,if in fact we have any players at all that is. Apart from the 4 we definately know about plus Edwards we havent really got an inkling of how many heads there are hanging around waiting to be signed.

[jkmaskell]

Ill be at both council meetings and will report back on it later. I go to the council meetings anyway but with MFCs plans being on the agenda it makes it all the more important to appear.

[jkmaskell]

Ive now had a good look at the application which is going in front of Planning tomorrow and Full Council Thursday.

 

It is very ambitious with four floors, including an 80 room hotel and involves the creation of two full sized pitches and 10 5-a-side pitches for all weather use and flood lighting for all of them. There is provision for 144 car parking places too. Thats of course on top of building Hartsdown Park itself with 6000 seat capacity.

 

Cutting to what I think, Im a little concerned here at the proposals. I think what happened with Cabinet is that they let it through because it is in reality a viable application. There is enough detail in there to be able to picture it. However it just looks like theres too much crammed into too little space. It will inevitably lead to trouble with the envronmentalists because the 10 5-a-side pitches will sit right next to the orchard, and those trees are old and are its quite likely there might be Tree Protection Orders attached to them.

 

The bedrooms look very cramped and with there being 4 floors it will be huge compared to the rest of the area. An earlier application showed a similar proposal where the building was clearly taller than the trees. This is a big planning reason for refusal. 3 floors you could argue it out and get lucky, 4 is going the quick way to refusal I think.

 

Also Im a little worried about whether the building will actually be used. all year round. A policy talks about evidence needing to be produced about demand in the area. When all of the shine has worn off, will the services be used? After all the site itself is a park with a leisure centre a 5 minute walk away. The only use for it will be is for conference meetings and they will be one nighters. Westwood Cross is too far away to put a hotel. What else is there?

 

While not a planning reason, the cost is going to be enormous.

 

Im sorry to say this because I had real high hopes for these plans when I saw earlier drawings, but I dont believe it will get through the council. If anybody is interested in which policies in particular it will affect, its policies TC1, D1 (sections 3,4 and 7), D3 (4), SR1 (4), SR4 (1, 5 and 7), SR7, NC1, EP3 and EP9.

[Cookie]

You have certainly changed your tune James.You were all up for a positive decision the other day.Wasnt the hotel originally for TWO floors or did I hear or read wrong. Have to go back and see on previous posts from the club about that one.

There are TWO details which will help us this time round and that is the abolished plans for the Medical centre and secondly the re-introducement of our youth policy. This alone must be a plus point bearing in mind the new 5 a side pitches that are to be introduced. I will concede to you about the rest as you obviously have more knowledge of them than I but if the council do give us a knock back again then I will be most annoyed, to say the least. Keep us informed please.

p.s. James, why do you go to ALL council meetings? Is that the field of work you are interested in, Politics. If so then you are ideal material. Thanks for the above info but no thanks for the negative feeling you pass on to us all

(no nastiness intended with that comment either).

Lets hope things look better to the councillors than they do to you eh?

[michael]

Is,nt there a small sideshow happening in 2012 called the Olmpics where Kent will need as much Hotel accommodation as possible plus training facilities and teams for all sports start coming over 4 years before.

 

This proposal could be a major bonus for the whole of Thanets economy form 2007-2013

[Cookie]

It will take till then for the council to come to a decision MM. (Positive one that is.) Think,if be the case,negative ones would come sooner.

[Guest]

Where the heck does the club go if the plans get chucked ouyt does'nt the whole cash thing and cva depend on it?

[Cookie]

????

[Coffin Ender]

The athletes will be staying in the Olympic village in East London. The Games will have no impact on Thanet.

[Cookie]

Wheres James when you need him, with the answers?

[Coffin Ender]

Read this (basically it will be approved but GOSE will have another look at it and they have OK'd it already).

 

In summary, this development effectively comprises the submission of details that are in line with outline planning permission granted in 2003, following careful scrutiny by the Government Office for the South East.

Whilst policy has shifted to a degree, in terms of encouraging leisure-related developments in existing town centres more strongly than in 2003, it is not considered that this shift in policy emphasis is significant enough to warrant refusal of this proposal, bearing in mind the existence of the outline planning permission which could be implemented any time within the next three years.

In terms of the detailed impact upon the character of the area, it is considered that the commercial building is set far enough away from adjacent residential properties and is set sufficiently down within the site to mitigate against too great a visual impact. In terms of the impact of the uses on the area, it is considered that appropriate safeguarding conditions can mitigate against the impact of the development.

With regard to Highway concerns, it is considered that the scheme does not significantly differ from that considered in 2003 and that, subject to a requirement for implementation of the proposed Match Day Strategy, together with the implementation of the Green Travel Plan and a contribution to a real-time bus facility, no objection is raised on highway grounds.

 

It is therefore recommended that the application be referred to Full Council with a recommendation that it be referred forward to the Government Office for the South East for approval, subject to a Section 106 Agreement relating to a £15,000 contribution to a real time bus information system, an Agreement relating to community use of sports facilities and the implementation of a submitted Green Travel Plan.

 

DOUG BROWN

Case Officer