This is what all the fuss is about – this is Faversham Creek, and this is the area they want to turn over to housing and other marine-unfriendly businesses such as restaurants. As I’m sure many will immediately see, there’s already quite enough housing.
The white building in the photo above, for example, is Baltic House. People are now suggesting it should be a wine bar, with flats above for the bar staff. The application’s here, if you would like to read it and consider making an objection – a key concern is that an approval for an application that includes staff sleeping on the first floor will set a precedent that will open the way to more applications for further housing developments.
Just a short while ago, this quay was a mass of double-moored sailing barges, but this is how it’s been for a couple of years now.
The New Britannic, by the way, is a Dunkirk Little Ship that lives locally – her owner told me she’d just been on a trip up the Thames on Dunkirk business – hence the bunting.
But here’s the appeal. The folks at the Faversham Creek Trust want to hear from people in other countries who would like to express their support for efforts to prevent the Creek being strangled by the wrong kind of development. If you think you can help – an email would be great – please visit the Trust website and write to their contact email address.
While you’re there, take a moment to read some of the Trust’s excellent weblog explaining its members’ points of view about the Creek, and the organisation’s work training boatbuilders and so on.
Thanks!
This seems to be the latest thing. Developers can not resist the money that a sea or estury view will generate. I believe Chichester Marina is being threatened by housing development within it which nobody seems to want except presumably the developers and the people that buy the properties. Sad ,very sad.
Water always attracts people. Göran Österlund of the Göta Canal Company once said “A waterway is like a theatre. The water is the stage, the boats are the actors but the money is made on the land”. So what we need is to find a balance to enable people to earn money from the water but stay away from developing waterfronts in a way that the public doesn’t enjoy it anymore. An if the boats are gone, there’s nothing to look at for the public. And especially the old boats is what attracts people.
great, if rather sad, photos – such a contrast with what was here only two short years ago. A small correction though. The champagne bar application is actually for the small white weatherboarded building between the black sheds. It is already open every weekend and someone is already living above – both without permission as yet. The claim on the application is that no building work is required – not sure how the shower got there without building work but hopefully such issues will come out in the discussion.
1st picture is à romilly, nigel irens design. Tradimodern…
It is!
Gavin