Pierremont Park Community Centre

By Cllr Matterface - Beacon Road Ward, Broadstairs

Nearly a decade ago Broadstairs & St. Peter’s Town Council came up with a scheme to build a community centre, a scheme that has divided the community it was intended to serve ever since.

The location for the centre, Pierremont Park, a town-centre green space, would be changed beyond recognition by a large building, the loss of mature trees and open space, creating a financial burden for the council taxpayer for many years.

A trust was set up, trustees appointed, funding won and lost. The scheme still proved controversial since many residents of all backgrounds objected to the whole approach of the plan.

An amended plan in two phases was agreed by the TDC planning committee. A £500000 loan from the Public Works Loan Board was taken out even before a lease was agreed at an annual cost to the council taxpayer of £35000. Together with the annual rent and rates this would equate to more than 25% of the town council’s precept. Funding from both TDC and KCC has been promised and rolled over several times.

 A section 106 from the Hereson School site has been signed but the terms of that agreement and the proposed lease have not been made public so I cannot comment with any accuracy on those. The trust asked for a 99 year lease since funding would be impossible, it seems, with anything less. This would mean the land would be lost to the public more or less indefinitely.

Since the scheme was first thought of much has changed nationally and locally. New schools have up-to-date facilities. Churches have modified their premises and halls and the GAP Project at the Baptist Church is up and running. All this makes the community centre unnecessary and a financial burden for the council taxpayer for decades to come.

There are times when with any project there is a point when we say ‘enough’s enough, let’s cut our losses and move on’ and that time is now. I am asking the cabinet to refuse to award the lease for any period as the centre is unnecessary, too expensive to run and of doubtful viability.

Pierremont Park

By Jenny Matterface I went to speak at Sunday's public meeting about the Pierremont Park Community Centre and it was good to see so many attend on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to show their concern over the planned scheme. A number of the local candidates spoke including three of the Lib. Dems. , Colin Kemp, Nigel Utton and I for Labour and Robin Vaughan-Lyon, an Independent candidate. None of the local Conservative candidates or sitting councillors attended to justify the decision to press ahead with the scheme despite much vocal local opposition. All those who spoke were united in their opposition to the demolition of existing buildings, neglected by the council for for the last eight years and the costly building of a centre where there are so many unanswered questions. What most were concerned about was the the apparent lack of clarity regarding the finances obtained by the trust. Was it so many thousands or a different sum? It seems that different figures have been bandied about so no-one seems clear if it's this amount or that. What is clear is that sums of money have been obtained and so presumably, interest is already being paid. What did come out during the question and answer sessions is that many feel that the public consultation was anything but as, despite petitions with thousands of signatures, Thanet District Council decided that they would ignore the views of these people and give planning permission anyway. Who will benefit in the long run by the scheme? The stage school promised space has moved to Ramsgate. The nursery school in Park Hall will be using the space but the feeling was a private nursery would presumably use the space in a public building but at what rental? The badminton players currently using Retort House may find renting space uneconomic. Who was the Conservative canvasser in Viking who didn't know where Retort House is? A candidate or an out-of-towner? The new Baptist Church centre in Queen's Road is to be a secular not just a religious centre and many local schools and churches have facilities available for hire. Is this the right time to land the council taxpayers of Broadstairs with a hefty bill for decades? What is the occupancy rate of TDC-owned buildings anyway? What rents are charged? Can many organisations afford the rents likely to be charged to make the centre pay? Remembering many £thousands have to be repaid at 5% p.a. so at what level will rents be set? Among those present were Conservative voters unhappy with the way they've been treated. Will they be sending a message to the Conservative candidates on May 5th? Can the Conservatives afford to ignore these angry voters?

Some questions need answering

By Jennifer Matterface


Can anyone give me the answers to the following questions relating to Pierremont Park and the planned community centre?


Firstly, who owns the park, the town council or the district council or perhaps even the people of Broadstairs?


Secondly, who will own the community centre? Will the trust be the legal owners or do they have a lease from the town council or the district council for a specified period of time? Is it perhaps an example of Thanet District Council's asset-disposal scheme?


Thirdly, what is the plan for running the centre? Will there be a paid manger or a volunteer to oversee the day-to-day management? Who sets the rental charges? Maintains the building?


Fourthly, what is the trust's exit strategy should the scheme not be a success? Will the building be sold off or handed back or left empty? A white elephant for all to admire whilst still paying off the loan? Since trustees of a charity are responsible in law for the way a charity is run, what safeguards are in place to ensure due diligence has been carried out on all involved with the scheme?


Finally, I think I've only ever met one person who is in favour of the scheme and he was a town Councillor. Everyone else I've spoken to sees merit in using one of the many other venues in the town like the new centre at the Baptist Church or in one of our local schools and church halls. I agree with them. Why build something else when all the other venues would benefit from the income to be generated from regular lettings?