Michael Child (http://www.thanetonline.blogspot.com/), has put up links to The TDC Planning Committtee Agenda for Wednesday 15th July regarding 1 Granville Marina, that readers may wish to view in full..
Suffice it to say that after Councillors turned down Auclair's attempts to 'redevelop' the site at Planning last month, TDC officers are now recommending that Planning Committtee members:
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' seek a Compulsory Purchase Order in relation to 1 Granville Marina as defined in the site plan (Appendix 2). Included with the order would be a request for a Direction of Minimum Compensation.'
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This is excellent news and will be welcomed by most. The aspect I find interesting is the order is to include a Direction for Minimum Compensation.
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Whilst Auclair Properties has the right to appeal to a Magistrates Court to stay proceedings on the grounds that they have taken reasonable steps to ensure the preservation of the building, it would appear from the briefing prepared for Planning Members, that TDC believes otherwise and the details of events surrounding the two thirds demolition back in Feb 2008 make interesting reading. Quite simply, contractors on behalf of TDC entered the property on 28 Jan 2008 to begin the urgent works needed under a Notice issued on 15th Aug 2007. The following day the owners poled up and assured TDC Officers that they were in a position to commence the works instead and somehow the building became dangerous within 72 hours leading to a two thirds demolition on 1st Feb 2008.
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The information to Councillors in their briefing about Minimum Compensation reads as follows:
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'Upon compulsory order of a building it is assumed , for the purpose od assessing compensation payable to the owner, that its value would be the open market of the structure and land AS IT STANDS (my capitals). However, if the Secretary of State is satisfied that the structure has deliberately been allowed to fall into dis-repair for the purpose of justifying its demolition and redevelopment, He/She may include in the Compulsory Purchase Order a direction for minimum compensation.'
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So it would appear that instead of 'barking', TDC is now prepared to bite. It will of course be up to Planning Members to consider the matter carefully on 15th July, but one sincerely hopes that they will decide to seek a Compulsory Purchase Order with a request for a Direction of Minimum Compensation.
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If they do, this will send out a clear message that TDC is not to be messed about with in regard to Grade 2 listed structures. Isn't it about time that they considered the same compulsory purchase business with the Grade 2 listed Scenic Railway and the land it stands on in Dreamland, as TDC threatened to do in April 2008?
3 comments:
Bertie it occurred to me that you would find the correspondence I had with one of TDCs heritage experts immediately after this incident, it does show in a little more detail what appears to have gone wrong click here to do so.
Good.
I got the impression, from the diligence of council officer replies when I did the Sericol aquifer FOIs, that there are officers who can promote the pursuit of some excellence once they have the motivation of public backing.
Let us wait to see what the cllrs decide on this one then.
Michael, thanks for that and I would advise interested readers to click on to read the correspondence. It would seem to me that if TDC's contractor had continued work, the 'damage' that then ocurred would have been prevented!
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