For background on the protest this Kent Online report is worth a gander and also carries a video report of Tuesdays meeting.
Received on Wednesday
PEOPLE WILL DEMONSTRATE AGAINST CHINA GATE
A packed public meeting in Broadstairs voted unanimously to demonstrate against the controversial China Gateway project.
Campaigners claim that the plan, a huge warehousing development to store Chinese electronic goods, will destroy 175 acres of Thanet’s countryside, threaten Thanet’s drinking water, and bring traffic chaos.
Meeting organiser Christine Tongue was amazed by the turnout for the meeting.
She said “Large numbers of people couldn’t get into the building. It just shows the strength of feeling against the China Gateway plan.
“Speaker after speaker attacked the project, and not one person spoke in its favour.”
Thanet Council will decide whether to give go-ahead to the project on October 9th. Before then campaigners plan to “bombard” their councillors with protests and to organise demonstrations against the plan.
Christine, producer of the much-praised “Thanet Under Threat” documentary film, which was shown across the isle last year, said that people seemed angry about the proposal, which has been covered in the investigative magazine “Private Eye”.
“China Gateway is being promoted as a source of jobs for local people but the only example of a similar scheme, in Dubai, has resulted in no employment for local people whatsoever,” Christine said.
“The developers and Chinese businesses may make money out of this – but it will be the people of Thanet who will be the losers.
“It’s our countryside they’re planning to concrete over, our landscape they’re going to scar. We can’t let them get away with this.”
Another meeting has been called to organise action against the new development. “Anyone who has any ideas about what we can do or simply wants to help should come along,” Christine said. “Time is short and there’s much to be done.”
The meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Tuesday September 16that the Red Hall, 11 Grosvenor Road, Broadstairs. For more details telephone Christine on 01843 604253 or email inmeds@yahoo.co.uk
I will also post up more later.
It is about time this bl***y Council listened tontheir constituents, instead of only thinking of their personal greed.
ReplyDeleteMost people chose to live in Thanet because it had clean air not much hussle and bussle and loads of surrounding fields and sea views. We didn't ask for Thanet to become a concrete jungle.China Gateway will cause health problems, environmental damage, water shortages, destruction of the views of our countryside and loss of our valuable farming land. Not to mention the pollution and traffic congestion all over Thanet. We have enough with Westwood Cross which has also become A thorn in our side, causing gridlocks for hours and causing misery to all.
Get rid of this Council, what do they do for us? Come to the COUNCIL OFFICES 6pm 9th OCTOBER and join the hundreds of PROTESTERS.Look forward to seeing you