September 2013 – The Whitstable Society

Many Whitstable Society members will be aware that the Council plans to cut the operating hours of Whitstable Museum. A public meeting has already taken place, where possibilities as to how the museum could be run in future were discussed. A further public meeting has been arranged for Friday 27th September at St Alphege Infants School, Oxford Street, commencing at 7pm, which organisers would like as many people to attend as possible.

A letter to the Council, from groups within Whitstable, is currently being formulated requesting a halt to the process and further consultation before the planned cuts take place. We have been asked to sign and hence we discussed the plans at this months members meeting and those present voted unanimously against the planned reduction in hours.

We are proposing therefore that the Whitstable Society’s stance should be against the planned reduction in hours. Can any Society members please let us know by Monday 23rd September 2013 at the latest, if your view is different to this, i.e you are for the reduction in hours.

Should you have any queries or wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Many thanks
Angela Boddy
Chair The Whitstable Society

Dog Control Orders: the WS has submitted this request

‘We request that the dog control order is extended to the end of Tankerton Promenade where the promenade exits through the sea wall near the Continental Hotel; so dogs in the season are banned from the beach there and must be on a lead on the promenade.

This section is as busy if not more so that the middle section currently covered by the dog control order with large numbers of people(often picnicking), cyclists and especially children playing who are most vulnerable to being frightened by dogs’ beach activity and affected by their waste products: the deposit of which on the shingle is inevitable from some off-lead dogs . The western section also has the approaches to The Street where dogs are antithetical to the use of this famous attraction.

The dog control area ends where it currently does at the western end for no logical reason other than , we are told by officials, that this was the point at which the area ends for which the Council was seeking a beach award.

Dog walkers go from the road highway at the Continental to a non-control dog area and then into a control area with similar requirements to the road highway. Confusing.

West of the Continental, the beach becomes utilitarian with water craft landing and launching and no promenade. This is an area where dogs can be given more freedom for their swims and frolics on the beach itself without disturbing people for that beach is hardly used for the rest and recreation that typifies Tankerton Slopes promenade and beach. Dog owners can also take their dogs to the eastern end of Tankerton Slope’s promenade. Given the length of typical dog walk, a walk will likely take in one or both of such non-dog control areas.

Foreshore and CCC highways departments advise that they support extending the dog control area as proposed. In the case of highways, they consider dogs off leads are not consistent with a pedestrians/cyclist track (ie the promenade) especially when busy. Indeed the creation of an official 24/7 shared track increases the strength of argument for extension of the dog control order over the short western part not currently covered.’