Sunday 22 November 2009

BRADGATE CARAVAN PARK - A FUN PLACE TO BE?













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I hope Bradgate Caravan Park does not mind me 'borrowing' pictures from its web-site. Bertie had not realised what a thriving place, Bradgate Caravan Park is, over at Lydden and about to have more 'holiday homes' than the homes in the village of Lydden, courtesy of TDC Planning Committte, contrary to TDC Planning Officer's advice.
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Please visit their web-site on www.bradgate.co. uk . At present, they show 16 mobile homes for sale ranging in price from £10,000 to £66,000 and if you want to ring them please do so on 01843- 833207.
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The season at Bradgate runs from 1st March to 17 Jan each year and one can be fully resident for 10 1/2 months of the year without paying Council Tax.
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What caught my eye and tied in with recent gossip, was that it has an 'excellent Club, with a pub atmosphere'. The Club is open from Thursday evenings to Sunday lunchtimes and I am told that the best night to be there is on a Saturday night, when " Bingo is followed by our own special disco."
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I have yet to go and experience a cracking disco at Bradgate and do not know if The Club is open to non-residents unless as an invited guest. Rumour has it that all sorts of Thanet's finest frequent this quiet countryside retreat with its 'Pub' atmosphere on saturday nights and that the disco is most enjoyable and professional. Must ask them who provides it as we have some serious anniversaries coming up shortly and whether the 'Biggles' tribe can descend en masse for a private function.
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I would delighted if anyone can tell me if 'The Club' is as good as I have heard and if the Saturday Disco is as good as reported to me. Having clubbed in Ibiza, Bertie feels that a good 70's and 80's disco can't be beaten and not many of them around these days.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

What great advertising for them - perhaps you could also include 2 Chimneys and the other sites in Thanet - after all they are all thriving sites.

Anonymous said...

To continue anon.10.36 ...and all sites that recently got planning permission to expand/develop despite much local opposition.

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Bertie Biggles said...
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Bertie Biggles said...
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Peter C said...

Personally I think these places are good for Thanet, more caravan parks please!

G K said...

Just to let you know, I've been reading this, and printing off copies of the pages to keep, as I will be taking legal action on all this.
There are many libellous points here - about time bloggers started getting their facts right!!!

Bertie Biggles said...

GK, thankyou for your comment.

Should you have a complaint about the main posting or any of the comments posted so far, please send me details via a comment posting and your contact details (titled not for Publication)and I will contact you.

Peter, where TDC strictly controls the limits of expansion of established villages, I find it strange that Caravan Parks can expand and increase in size, taking out of use valuable agricultural land until the complex of two neighbouring parks on Shottendane Rd exceed the size of the nearest village, Acol.

Bertie Biggles said...

12.11, I have not posted your comment.Could you clarify for me the information you seemed to be sending me and confirm that the details are pertinent. Please send it Not For Publication and with contact e-mail address. Thanks.

Peter C said...

Places like Camber (& even Reculver if I'm not mistaken) have had caravan sites larger than the nearby villages for many decades, & bring considerable tourism to the areas.

As for using agricultural land, while I'd prefer to see them use golf courses, they're still a much lesser evil than warehouses & manufactoring, & shouldn't be too difficult to return to farm use if & when the caravan sites close. Again take a look at Reculver, you'll be hard pushed to find any traces of the caravans that used to be on the grass slopes until the late 80s / early 90s.

Many people don't want airports, don't want industry & (seemingly) now don't want tourism in Thanet either...

Anonymous said...

Don't want you either Peter; but we seem to be stuck with you and your rather juvenile viewpoints!

Peter C said...

Hmmm, I wonder which DFL (23:08) is resorting to insults instead of intelligent debate, I think I can guess...

I make no apologies for supporting traditional working class entertainment such as caravan sites & fun fairs over pretentious over-priced restaurants & art galleries.

Anonymous said...

I know someone who lives in one of the current Reculver parks, supposedly 'holiday park'. The site is occupied all year although the owners can't sleep there for the month of February so spend the day there then go to b & b for the night.

They're not 'official', aren't on the electoral roll and mostly live below the 'radar'. Most are hard-working people who lost homes due to repossession or opted for a cheaper home, making their way as best they can, ekeing out pensions or low-wages to live as economically as possible. They have no public transport or shops and the nearest facilities are some way away. Many moved there in good weather but find themselves stuck out there over the winter with only the local pub as an attraction.


Can we be sure the extensions to the caravan sites are for tourists or for low-wage earners working for Thanet Earth or similar firms?

I've absolutely nothing against people living in these parks but why do the owners, when seeking planning permission, insist on pushing the tourism button?

Caravaners in their Rolls-Royces or Bentleys, as Cllr. Gregory would have us believe? I doubt it.

Anonymous said...

i agree with 8.24 the tourism push is a fallacy, i also know of several people who for various reasons live in Thanet's caravan parks (broken relationships loss of home etc) and understand the owners' also make a tidy profit out of selling gas bottles at vastly inflated prices, high site rentals etc but those of my aquaintance have no-where else to go - a poorly insulated mobile home (which most are!) is no pleasure in the depths of winter!
A case of another distortion of the myth of tourism to suit a few cronies i am afraid!

Anonymous said...

Indeed 23:24 I know of three local teenagers who have had enough of Thanets low wages and upped sticks to the Devon Riviera and are living in a caravan site until they can find somewhere more suitable.

They now have a quality of life down their that Thanet cannot compete with - fine views and damn good carpets although I can view from the photos Lydden Valley has some damn fine carpets as well?

Anonymous said...

Anon. 23.24 Your comments about the high prices for Calor gas reinforces what I know about the residents at Reculver. During a very cold spell, the gas supplies ran out and my acquaintance had to get someone to bring her a bottle of gas from elsewhere to heat the mobile home. Result when the site owner found out? Threats she'd have her mobile home removed for buying more cheaply elswhere. When she complained about the rents being whacked up he threatened to bring in a crane and dump her home on the highway.The post is delivered to his office and sometimes can't be collected for days if the office is locked up.

There are some genuine holiday homes in these parks but most are good folk looking for a cheaper, less regulated lifestyle.

Bertie Biggles said...

Readers will notice that I have removed certain comments.

I have yet to have a reply from GK.

I have rejected, without posting, a number of comments and apologise to those who took the time to send them.

I will not post any further comments in regard to this post item.

Could I reiterate my earlier advice (in a deleted comment) that if you have any concerns these should be raised with the appropriate authority to deal with them.