Despite my ongoing request for financial information TDC have yet to produce figures as the to cost if any to taxpayers, makes you wonder how they decided to dispose of the property in the first place.
As Im unable to go to the hasty consultation maybe some kind soul could let us know whats going on.
Where was the consultation?? I did go and at least we had the chance to walk round and look at the whole house, and there were a few people to talk to such as Sandy Ezekiel and Councillor Hart and Mr Friend but there were no outlines of any proposals, plans of the house or any question and answer sessions, just a postcard on which you could write your suggestions. I said there wasn't enough room on the postcard so i would e-mail mine later! Steady stream of informed and interested visitors all the time I was there.
ReplyDeleteI'll give you even odds that this is later passed off as a consultation, 10:12.
ReplyDeleteI was expecting proposals too and things to look at but nothing!
ReplyDeleteLiving in Ramsgate i am ashamed to say I had never actually been to Northdown House or grounds before yesterday - what an absolute gem - how could TDC be so short-sighted as to have considered selling it off? Other boroughs such as Bexley and Waltham Forest make ceremony venues, museums and conference centres out of their Georgian mansions. Any proposal would have to be commercially self-supporting to survive but to just board it up and leave it empty is criminal. I urge the people of Thanet to make their views about the future of Northdown House and grounds known to TDC asap
ReplyDeleteIt is not the place of a council to run facilities like this. They should be sold to someone who has money to invest and run it as a commercial enterprise.
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't expect the council to run a restaurant and disco in the Old Town, so why should they run a dining room and bridge club in Cliftonville? It doesn't make sense.
I think this is just a storm brewed up by politicians who are trying to win votes. Not to do the right thing for the majority of hard predded tax payers.
the covenants do not allow it to be sold so it should be left as it was with Thanet leisureforce running the lower floors for weddings, conferences etc and another use found for the upper floors. The council is under a duty to maintain it - this has not been done for a number of years and the outside requires attention!
ReplyDeleteNo it should not be left as it "was" as that is letting the building go into decline - a complete rethink is required - with a commercially viable propostion for the whole building 0- it must be saved!
ReplyDeleteWhy not give it back to the Friends to manage for a while, watch it quickly become s...hole like every else they touch, and then knock down the building and replace it with more parkland?
ReplyDeleteMr Angry of Northdown back Tony!
ReplyDelete10:42:00 it is exactly the duty of the council to run things that are in all our interest. What do you think we pay them for?
ReplyDeleteCouncil's run planning, benefits payments, council tax collection, cleaning the streets, environmental enforcement, etc., etc..
ReplyDeleteThey should not be involved in fitness centres, museums, theatres, restaurants and the like. Without these the council tax would be much lower. If they want these facilities they should pay for them separately.
Bah Humbug!
ReplyDeleteWhy not run the building at a profit and thus reduce our tax burden. Just who is the nit who previously implied it should be sold off due to religious considerations called privatisation???!!!
ReplyDelete