Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
This is what we want to see at the top end of Faversham Creek – a thriving busy area of water, workshops and quayside that preserves and is in keeping with the history and spirit of the place. This is where barges, smacks and smaller boats, boat building and boat maintenance belong, and where they could add to the real interest of the town.
I hope it happens.
The Faversham Creek Trust, whose plan this is deserve our support. Read more and consider joining them here.
Standard Quay at Faversham – sadly, there are still very few larger boats compared with a few years ago
Tempers in Faversham are clearly at boiling point.
Under council rules this week the chairman of the Faversham Creek Trust was asked to temporarily leave a public meeting held at the Guildhall to discuss a document recommending more residential development along the banks of the Creek. Read about it here.
The reason given was that as chair of the Trust he was deemed to have a vested interest – the FCT would like to see the historic, centuries-old Ordnance Quay near the centre of the town used for maritime purposes such as moorings for sailing barges and other traditional craft, and for boatbuilding generally.
It’s a point of view – but this is hardly an interest that could be compared with the financial interests of a property developer, for example. It could be argued that almost anyone who lives in the place and many of us who do not could be deemed to have an ‘interest’ of that kind.
In another strange twist, it seems the meeting only allowed 15 minutes of questions at the beginning of the meeting – before any new information had been presented.
There is little question that there are strong passions on both sides of the planning argument at Faversham, with one faction arguing that the town needs new housing along the banks of Faversham Creek and the other arguing that the Creek has enormous potential as an amenity, as a historic site with enormous interest for visitors, and as a source of employment. There’s also little question that the latter view has strong support in the town and must be given the consideration it is due.
In such circumstances, isn’t it crucially important that the planning and consultation process should be above reproach? If not, the wrong decisions will be made, the arguments and anger will rumble on for decades and Faversham itself will gain a reputation that no-one wants to have.
PS – What sort of people want to be able to contribute more to planning process around the Creek, and to the debate about its future? See this short and reasonable paper from the Brents Community Association. I should explain that the Brents is an area just out of sight in my photo – it’s a little further up the Creek and on the right.
PPS – There’s an opportunity to make your objections known to the council tomorrow evening at 7pm. Work prevents me from getting there, but the details are at the Faversham Creek Trust website.
The Eel, designed and owned by Humber Yawl Club stalwart, yacht designer, adventurer and artist George Holmes, is a celebrity among boats and has just emerged from boat builder Alan Staley’s shed by the side of Faversham Creek.
She’s looking fabulous, it has to be said, and so I took these shots with my phone. I ran into a friend in the shops who had just done the same thing, and we were all amused when the proprieter accused us of being boat paparazzi. Well, if we are… I hope nobody minds!
There’s some relevant stuff to read at the Albert Strange Association website, and a little more at the Lodestar Books site. And Alan Staley also has a website.
