30/12/2016
Well, what a surprise (not) - planning permission being asked again for restaurant in 'building 1' (the biggest wooden shed) on SQ. Also predictably, Highways not objecting due to no significant increase in traffic given the already increased traffic caused by other developments in recent years on the Quay including the car wash, housing behind, retail stuff etc etc. And given no strong objections to this over the years from local residents and the fact that businesses on the Quay are run by locals who have local support it will be difficult to object on those grounds. However, the situation has not changed that these were simple sheds used fully by maritime industry which was closed down by Mr White in order to develop for higher rent uses. As far as I can tell, (it is difficult and slow to download the very large number of documents in this application) it looks like the claim is still being made that large sums of money are needed to maintain what should be a simple wooden structure. There is little left now of the ambience for which this rare group of buildings was originally listed. They have been 'tidied up' and their character in my opinion, destroyed. The quay is lined with houseboats which do not move and do not use any skilled workers for maintenance as happened in the days before Mr White closed the boatyard. There is a small dry dock which just adds insult to injury as it is too small for barges or other large traditional vessels and there are no shore based facilities for a proper team of shipwrights to use anyway. Depressing but nothing lasts for ever and I hope that the Quay as a working traditional boatyard will live on in the memories of many. The application can be found here: http://pa.midkent.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=OHRVJUTY0NN00
