AGM

"A Vision For Tenterden"

A packed hall greeted Sir Terry Farrell for his illustrated talk "A Vision for Tenterden" on 6th January. The meeting, arranged and organised by the Association, was attended by TDRA members and Town, Borough and County councillors.

"This was a very impressive event. We were treated to a masterclass on urban design by a world expert. The message was: "don’t insulate the Town’s historic core and place new development some distance away to create backlands that become car parks", said former TDRA chairman Ian Marsden.

Among some of the key points that Sir Terry made were:

• the importance of retaining strong links between the town and the countryside

• growth should be developed initially within the town, in the High Street and, in particular, the lanes off, rather than one "lump" on greenfield sites.

• development should be within easy walking access to the High Street and could be to the north or south

• consideration should be given to "decking" over existing off street car parks to make them multi-storey.

• pedestrians, should be given greater priority over vehicles, especially in the High Street

Sir Terry produced mini master plans for some of the lanes that showed how these could be developed with a mix of homes and businesses. He commented:

• Bridewell Lane - "It has some industry and charm. It’s mixed. Any development should not be too suburban. Why not have a square here and trees? One or two more buildings down here infilling the gaps would make it more secure to walk."

• Six Fields Path (via Bells Lane) - "Very charming, with attractive small edged gardens. How could you develop that to take some of the growth?."

• Recreation Ground Road - "It has a suburban feel. It is a kind of a mess. Better to have a village edge with some building to the south. At present it is one of the dullest parts of the town itself; so infill with some houses. Consider putting all the Leisure Centre car parking to the back of the building. With the [introduction of] other public buildings you could produce a mini town square so that the Leisure Centre is part of the town not outside the town."

• Church Road & Station Road - "Church Road is attractive and characterful, with the Club and the halls. There could be links with the Station here with some buildings in Station Road itself providing easy access to the town centre, rather than building in fields somewhere else. The setting of the station does not do the town any great credit. It is rundown and unplanned. You could do more around the Station to enhance it."

"Change Is Hard But Inevitable"

In a passionate appeal to retain the character of the town Sir Terry urged:

"Do not look at growth as something alien. Engage with the community through workshops, exhibitions and talk about change in the town centre.

In the past there have been some poor decisions on the development at the edge of the centre and they could be made even worse. Reduce commuting by introducing and enhancing safer paths and access to the town centre. Look for consolidation on the Lanes and the High Street itself.

"Plan for change rather than being caught with something that you don’t want. Without it Tenterden will be a poorer place."

Some Questions & Answers

From your master plan how many additional homes do you see in the centre of the town?

I think that you could possibly get 100-150. That would reduce the overall amount needed [elsewhere] It is surprising how many gaps you can find in the town centre.

We had the railway before it closed…there was talk about making the railway into a bypass. What are your views?

By passes often lead to unintended consequences. Once you get a bypass the town itself starts to die a bit.

You manage the traffic going through the town so you know that you are entering a place where the pedestrian is more important than the car.

With all these houses where are you going to get the work opportunities?

Industry tends now not to be manufacturing that is noisy and polluting. You can have flats above. You can have workplaces among the houses and that avoids Tenterden becoming a dormitory town.

The problem with Tenterden is that Tenterden people will not have much say in planning . It will be decided in ABC by officers and councillors who have nothing to do with the town.. (Applause).

If more people are aware about how Town's come about they can then use that information and better knowledge to tackle the Town Council. Nobody has the answer and Town Councillors do the best they can at a time of considerable change. Collectively you can make a difference in Tenterden. Go and talk to them! I do a lot of work in China and democracy is different there believe me!

How many crossings would you have going down the High Street?

I haven’t worked out a plan and pedestrian crossings have to be very carefully thought out to be effective, but I would have thought that you need another two or three between the Recreation Ground Road and the Gatehouse.

How do you overcome the problem of nimbyism in the town centre when you are dealing with private property?

By having a forward rather than a reactive plan that says in due course this piece of property is going to look like this. It isn’t something that dictates, it’s about anticipating…and should involve a group of stakeholders who are interested in what is right for the town.

Where is additional parking going to go in your scheme?

The suggestion is [for] another deck where the Waitrose Car Park is at present…rather than spreading out horizontally. The parking at the back of the Leisure Centre could be on decks too. Better still you could have "half down and half up."

A detailed report with illustrations will be produced in the Association's next edition of "The Resident". We hope to have an exhibition of Sir Terry’s suggested plans later this year.

Challenging Crime

Tom Newbury, our beat officer, reports a surge in household burglaries. The boom in metal prices continues to attract widespread opportunist theft locally. Empty homes and vacant buildings are especially vulnerable to stripping out copper piping. Please report to the police any suspicious activity under the guise of BT or electricity works, for example use of unmarked vans.

Spring Clean-Up

Transition Tenterden are planning another Tenterden Clean Up Day on April 15th. Details: Jeff Hickmott jeffie2k@gmail.com

Annual General Meeting

Our AGM will be held in St Mildred’s Church Hall, Church Road, at 7.30p.m. Tuesday 8th May, when our guest speaker will be Richard Knox-Johnston, Chairman of Council for the Protection of Rural England – Protect Kent.