CHINA GATEWAY - WHO ARE CGP AND WHAT DO THEY DO?

CGP Directors Ken Wills and Chris Seymour-Prosser at The Development of Small & Medium Enterprises (Bejing) Forum. "WIN, WIN!" was the theme but who for you might ask?CGP is selling the idea to TDC that China Gateway is all about job creation . Before we get euphoric about 3000+ jobs at China Gateway we need to ask ourselves if we have the reservoir of talent and skilled workers in Thanet bearing in mind that those Antolin people had a problem getting skilled staff. We also have Thanet Earth about to come on stream with up to 500 jobs available. If we look at the unemployed pool in Thanet(2,000 odd) it would appear to have low-skilled workers and shirkers in it. So most of the workers and construction workers will come from out-side Thanet.


If you are interested in looking up CGP , Ken Wills and Chris Seymour-Prosser 'Google' Search for them and you can read to your heart's content. Here are some snippets I have dug out for interest.


A Report by Company Eye in Feb 2007 had this to say about CGP:


" a general holding company for property interests"

"CGP - The Company is a newly incorporated company which was established by certain of the directors for THE SOLE PURPOSE OF ACQUIRING THE SITES...." (my capitals)
The sites Company Eye was talking about were: Forthingloe near Dover: Manston site and Western Heights, Dover.

" The success of the Company is to a large extent dependent upon it successfully obtaining planning permission enabling it to develop its property sites."

"THE MANSTON SITE""The Company is in negotiations with a large Chinese company with a view to forming a joint venture to develop the Manston Site as A MAJOR DISTRIBUTION CENTRE for both the UK and Europe for CHINESE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES taking advantage of the proximity to Dover Harbour. The Directors believe that such a project could give significant ADDED VALUE (my capitals) to the Manston Site and are discussing with local politicians ways to progress this project. The Directors believe that the prospects of employment in the area arising from such a venture WOULD FACILITATE THE GRANT OF CONSENT FOR CHANGE OF USER(my capitals) and, in the process, deliver the possibility of adding value for Shareholders."

Have I read this properly? The Manston site is a logistics centre to receive hundreds of lorries bringing Chinese manufactured products in and then shift them out again? That explains those two big X warehouses on the plans perhaps?

The picture below shows Chris Seymour-Prosser in Bejing at the 'conference' in March 2007.

Here is what Company Eye say about Mr Seymour-Prosser' s past in February 2007:

" Chris Seymour-Prosser specialized in obtaining ‘brown field’ off-market sites that enabled the company (Dizengoff) to PURSUE MAJOR PLANNING CONSENTS for various high-density schemes thus achieving SUBSTANTIAL PROFITS and ensuring that the company’s initial investment was returned in a SHORT PERIOD. Chris’s most recent mixed-use developments for the company had a gross development value in excess of £200m. In February 2006 Chris ended his relationship with Dizengoff to concentrate on building a new property development company with his fellow director Ken Wills and to this end they have transferred their interests in certain development properties to the Company creating the Company’s current development portfolio." (my capitals).

Here's an extract from a CGP interim Chairman's Report sent to me with the comment that losses for CGP were in excess of £800,000 for the period:

" Manston
a) On 15th March 2007 the Company purchased further land comprising of 73 acres of agricultural land.
b) On 22nd June 2007 the Company signed an agreement to lease with the Beijing Association of SME. The agreement to lease is for between 900,000 sq ft and 1,100,000 sq ft of business accommodation at Manston International Business Park. The lease is for a period of 10 years from handover to the Tenant on the completion of the building contract which is expected to be within 18 months.Chinamex Middle East Investment & Trade Promotion Centre ("Chinamex") is standing as the "surety" to the agreement. Chinamex is an official arm of the People's Republic of China."

If you have bothered to get this far, you might be interested in a MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING . Here it is:

" Memorandum of Understanding in relation to CGP's China Gateway site, Manston, Kent
Commercial Group Properties PLC, the AIM-listed property company, announces that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with Zhejiang Province, acting through Chairman Bao of the Taizhou Foreign Merchant Information Federation with a view in due course to leasing 2,500,000 sq. ft. at CGP's China Gateway site at Manston, Kent. Under the MOU, CGP will arrange for outline planning permission for the building of the additional 2,500,000 sq. ft. of business accommodation on what is currently agricultural land at the site. Following the receipt of outline planning consent, Zhejiang Province Enterprises will sign an agreement to lease covering 2,500,000 sq. ft., such lease to run for 10 years from the date of first occupation. This follows the Company's announcement on 17 May 2007 that it had agreed to lease between 900,000 sq. ft. and 1,100,000 sq. ft. to the Beijing Association of SME at the same site.
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Commercial Group Properties PLC +44 (0) 1843 860866Ken Wills
Beaumont Cornish Limited +44 (0) 20 7628 3396Roland Cornish
Holborn Public Relations Limited +44 (0) 20 7929 5599David Bick/Mark Longson

I hope this has given you an idea of CGP and how it makes money.

Just an odd thought here, but I have been back to the application to TDC for Phase 1 (F/TH/08/0400) and the owners of land for Phase 1 are listed as KCC, Theatrical Pyrotechnics and Struan Robertson of Alland Grange. Not a sign of CGP.

CHINA GATEWAY - HOW TO OBJECT?

This photograph from Thanet Treehuggers shows the view from Sparrow Castle Pumping Station looking south west across The Manston Road. Phase 1 of CGP's gateway Project will fill the view behind the plot shown to the sky-line.
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I have received information from Amy who lives right in the firing line of this development about the media visiting tomorrow to find out what people think. She would love any interested parties to join her. Details from Amy are:

WEDNESDAY 30th April
" Meridian News are meeting me at 2 Pouces Cottages, Manston CT12 5BU (along the B2190) at 1pm. (Although Matthew Jefferson from KMFM is coming at 12.45pm to cover the story for Thanet Extra and local radio). Parking is available at 1 Pouces Cottages."

You can contact Amy on amkiky@aol.com .

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If you have anything you want to say about protecting Thanet's water supply, agricultural land, wildlife, Landscape Character Area or wish to register objections to CGP's Gateway Project you will need to act quickly. This is the detail from TDC's web-site:


Comments need to be submitted to the council by Friday 9 May to either doug.brown@thanet.gov.uk or in writing to Planning, Thanet District Council, PO Box 9, Cecil Street, Margate, CT9 1XZ.
You should quote Application F/TH/08/0400
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EZEKIEL UNDER PRESSURE?

KMFM Thanet Radio is reporting that Cllr Ezekel is brushing aside calls for him to resign after the Standards Board finding on the 'f***ing w***er' incident. In later bulletins today we hear Cllr Ezekiel predictably claiming " Let's be honest, this is pure political........." as his response to those wanting him to resign. Its not political and he knows it; its about what behaviour Thanet expects of its Council Leader who represents us all.

I hope Tory Councillors do not consider resignation calls a political partisan matter and close ranks in 'defence' of Mr Ezekiel. They might be better off considering 'pushing him'.

If I was a Labour Councillor I would be urging the Tories to hang on to 'Their Leader' and the longer the better. He is such a liability now and the butt of so much ribald commentary that he is probably the best recruiting agent for The Labour Group at TDC and will probably be largely responsible for losing Thanet to Labour at the next opportunity Thanet's electorate has to vote.

CHINA GATEWAY (Report 3) - WATER AND WILDLIFE

"The aquifer underlying the site is considered to be a major aquifer providing potable water to a large population." (CGP Application)

"There is potential for significant pollution of the aquifer to occur". (CGP Application)

'Thanet Treehuggers' kindly sent this picture across of Southern Water's pumping station at Sparrow Castle on The Manston Road. The proposed development is not only huge, with countless HGV movements and almost 4000 cars parked on site and industrial processes going on but most importantly for all of us in Thanet, it sits on a WATER CATCHMENT AREA FOR OUR DRINKING WATER! This area has 'Source Protection Zones' to ensure that what drips down through the soil and chalk into the natural underground reservoir is pumped out at Sparrow Castle in a drinkable condition. The proposed site affects Source Protection Zones 1, 2 and 3 for Sparrow Castle and a bore hole in The Alland Grange area.

I am not qualified to comment on how the project will affect the amount of water collecting in our aquifers but building on water catchment areas, inevitably reduces the water that reaches the aquifer. In dry years it is not inconceivable that water reserves will run out. If that wasn't bad enough, the threat to our water supply is greatest during construction which will take 4 whole years and read what CGPs Hydrologist has to say:

" should chemicals leach into the groundwater underlying the site the impact would be LONGTERM and in some cases UN-RECOVERABLE" (my capitals). In other words if there is a spillage and contamination of the wrong kind, NO MORE DRINKING WATER FROM THIS AQUIFER FOR YOU AND ME!


The picture shows a sky-lark of which there are many on and around this proposed development. CGP's Ecologists have been, are and will be snooping around the site and its surounds to look for bats, badgers and newts because we can upset human residents in the area with dust, noise and light pollution but we can't upset these species! So far, GCPs Ecologists have come to the view that ecologically speaking, the site is pretty poor and there is nothing to worry about in building on it. They would wouldn't they? In may not be up to much but at least its 'ours' at the moment and in Thanet.

What I find utterly nonsensical is how they think that building the development will improve, yes, IMPROVE the wildlife in the area. Let me give you some quotes from CGP for you to savour:



" there will be landscape and biodiversity enhancement around the boundary edge"

"The strategy for the design scheme provides SIGNIFICANT enhancements to the ecology and biodiversity of the site" (my capitals).

This one has to be the best about the grass areas (lawns) around the site:

" Dry grassland areas will be sown with a diverse mixture of native grasses and wild flowers ....which qualifies as areas of CHALK GRASSLAND " (my capitals). So the lawns (sorry, grass areas) around the site and boundary are compared to that rare and threatened habitat, 'Chalk Grassland'.

So go and tell the sky-larks that CGP's plans will not ruin thir habitat but quite the reverse; the whole project will provide all wild-life with a better habitat than they have now!

Will they believe it? Do you?

CHINA GATEWAY (Report 2) - WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO GET

" a departure from local planning policy as the scheme would encroach beyond the designated employment land" (CGP Planning application)


I have to thank 'Thanet Treehuggers' for sending me some annotated CGP plans from application F/TH/08/0400 to save you wading through hundreds of pages of stuff. You can peruse in greater detail by clicking on any picture.


The drawing above shows the main area of TDC earmarked 'employment opportunity' land in The Thanet Plan that is Phase 1. The shaded area is believed to be outside the land earmarked and is hardly an 'encroachment; more like a doubling as it surrounds houses in Alland Grange Rd, The Riding Stables and backs up to the MOD Quarters and ex-quarters at Manston!

This is what CGP intend to put into the site in 3 phases from 2008 to 2012. I draw your attention to the number of buildings/wharehouse sheds etc etc(50+, count them if you wish). You may wish to look at the north west corner by The Cummins Site. Those two warehouses are 50' high and will reflect the sun brighly in their white livery and will hardly blend into the landscape; they are seriously huge as the drawings below show.

You might just start to feel sorry for the residents of Acol, Alland Grange Rd and Manston when you realise they will be in or beside the biggest industrial complex in Thanet shortly. You might also like to bear in mind a few points from CGP:

"24 hour operation" " light spillage" (light pollution) " vibration and noise"

" 1,839 parking spaces in Phase 1" " 3,737 parking spaces for all Phases"

"extends beyond the employment land designation into adjoining land DESIGNATED AS A LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREA" (my capitals)

It was interesting to read that a full FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT(FRA) has been carried out despite no rivers or sea anywhere near but the run-off from the site (to avoid flooding neighbours in Acol) will be into drainage trenches and underground storage tanks.

It was nice to read that CGP intends to "Provide a sustainable approach to the movement of employees and freight." How, you might well ask? Here's how according to the 'Newspeak' from CGP: " A sustainable approach to travel will be encouraged with a well connected network of cycle and pedestrian routes across the site and beyond as an alternative to car travel."

Do they mean cycle and walk along the narrow country roads on the Birchington/Acol side of the site? There is one bridle path and footpath into this site from Westgate! What an amazing work-force they will have if they are prepared to risk life and limb on bike or foot on the roads surrounding this site. It's in the middle of country-side (nowhere in Thanet terms) with no decent bus-service so those 3,737 car parking spaces will have 3,737 cars driving into and out of them, wont they!

What I couldn't find anywhere in CGPs application was exactly how many 40 ton HGV lorries are expected to be trundling into and out of this site throughout the day and night for 24/7? Will such traffic and all construction traffic for FOUR YEARS be banned from all other approaches other than from the south ? (off the Thanet Way at Mount Pleasant Roundabout). I somehow doubt it.

CHINA GATEWAY (Report 1) - WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO LOSE

" The establishment of a Business Park of this scale has the potential to create a significant irreversible impact on the local environment."
(DougBrown, Major Development Planning Manger at TDC)

" A consortium of Chinese businesses is behind the proposed scheme"
(CGP)
I was out and about on Saturday morning taking pretty pictures of spring blossom and oil-seed rape in bloom (How nice to be in Thanet etc...) when I realised that Thanet's biggest Industrial Business Park, 'China Gateway' aka 'Manston Business Park' or 'Kent International Business Park' is about to change our views and the appearance of a large part of Thanet forever. The picture above was taken on Manston Road looking south-west. The folly 10 years ago of allowing Cummins to build and then expand will be nothing compared to what CGP has in mind. Look at Planning Application F/TH/08/0400 and then imagine 3 big warehouses in the picture above less than 200 m away.

This view is to the north-west from Manston Road and try and picture two huge warehouses to the right of Cummins' expansion that will fill almost all the horizon shown and 3 other warehouses between you and Cummins.

This view was from Alland Grange Road looking west. Filling the horizon to the right of Cummins' shed will be two enormous 50' high wharehouses but don't worry as you won't be able to see them because between the road and Cummins will be 4 other big sheds with a big car-park just the other side of the broken fence.

As I watched and listened to half a dozen brave sky-larks, wings flapping like mad as they climbed and sang at the same time, some words from CGP's application came to mind:

" it will be a considerable industrial complex" "It will result in the loss of additional agricultural land and natural countryside."

You bet, I thought, as another type of bird climbed into the air behind me at about 09.50 and I gazed up to see what looked like 'The Flying Doc' taking off in the morning sunshine. More words from CGP's application sprang to mind:

"The indicative master plan and overall site requirement for CGP and THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT (my capitals) extends beyond the employment land designation into adjoining countryside land."

Look for a new home sky-larks, The Chinese Government apparently not satisfied with developing and polluting China, now wants your bit of Thanet.

HOW GOOD TO BE IN THANET NOW THAT SPRING IS HERE

Forget the problems of the world and TDC for a minute and get out and enjoy Thanet in The Spring if you can. There are beautiful spots dotted throughout the Isle at this time of year. Here are just a couple of them. The view above has got to be one of my favourites. I always make a point of driving along Westbrook Avenue towards Westgate at this time of year , instead of along the Canterbury Road. The blossom on these ornamental cherry trees has to be one of the prettiest sites in Thanet. My thanks to Paul Verral at TDC for replacing dead trees with new ones so that our grandchildren will be able to enjoy this scene in years to come. This week will be the best time to enjoy the blossom.

I wonder if 'le stink' from across the Channel has anything to do with countless fields of oil-seed rape? Many will be affected by smell and pollen but it does look glorious at this time of year as this picture in Park Road , Birchington shows.