Dear Faversham Eye,
I enclose a picture of the ugly hoardings surrounding the even uglier mobile phone mast in our Central Car Park. Wouldn't it make an ideal blank canvas to display some work from our many talented local artists?
Tim Shaw
The Faversham Eye will sponsor the project if we can secure any necessary permissions and will invite schools and any other interested parties to participate. Further details in the next Eye or online sooner.
Dear Faversham Eye,
Does anyone support the idea that four year old children should be employed to climb up chimneys and clean them? After all with the fashion of using wood stoves to ‘save the planet’ most of those chimneys will not have much soot, rather a glass like creosote glaze lining which just needs polishing! No, I here you protest, that’s from the dark ages. At least I’ve got your attention so read on.
My query is this. Should an uncertain amount of money be spent on an attempt to resist nature and ‘restore the creek bridge’. If Yes then forget the dark ages and put those kids back up the chimney.
I grew up in Faversham and over time saw the demise of barges, the removal of the decaying torpedo boat moored opposite the Shell Mex and BP storage tanks and witnessed the slow but inevitable mud build of the creek bed. I also recall running fast whenever we passed ‘Mad Annies’ house.
Just establishing my credentials for those who have conveniently forgotten stuff or have recently moved into the country and object to the sound of cows mooing and cocks crowing.
Two other places spring to mind that have suffered similar fates. Smallhythe Place which once stood by the River Rother and the Port of Fordwich which once served Canterbury until the Wantsum Channel silted up. Oh, and just to reinforce and labour my problem, what about Reculver and Richborough Castle?
Water Lane once had water fl owing along it until a pipe was laid. My solution, lay a pipe in the upper reaches of the creek and bury the whole lot in concrete and build a road over it to replace the bridge. This will provide more land for the developers to build on. The choice? Leisure boats, or houses for the four year olds when they grow up and need somewhere to live? Oh, sorry, they can live at the bottom of the chimney.
Mike Turner
Grand Holder of The Wooden Spoon
Formerly of Faversham now residing somewhere else in Kent but visit Oare Gunpowder Works at least once a month. By the way some of my immediate forbears worked there in the early 1900’s so I have a connection there as well.
Dear Faversham Eye,
I have compiled a list of endangered species on the land earmarked for development South of Faversham owned and managed by the Duchy of Cornwall for HRH Prince Charles.
Over a period of two full seasons between 2019 and 2021 a profile of all the species of animal, plant and fungi has been undertaken on the land earmarked for development by the Duchy of Cornwall South of the A2 London Road. A list of species has been tabulated from the results of this study and has been sent to a number of organisations including the RSPB, Kent Wildlife Trust, The Soil Association, Swale Borough Councils Planning Technicians, Helen Whately MP, The Times and Sunday Times, The Duchy of Cornwall and Prince Charles.
All thanks need to be given to Tom and Stephen who use the best practices of modern farming techniques that have enhanced the environments for wildlife on this land. The proposed development on this land will have both human impacts, namely increased air pollution, increased raw sewage discharges into Faversham Creek, more cars on our roads and will further stress our already inadequate infrastructure here in Faversham and further afield, and impacts to our wide and varied wildlife species who use this land as feeding territories, nesting and roosting, mating and as a highway to other populations in a continuously fractionating countryside.
The list includes many endangered species and some decried as needing critical and immediate action as they appear on the International Red Endangered Species List, these include the Skylark, Yellow Hammer, Linnet and Green Finch, the Hazel Dormouse, Viviparous Lizard and the Man Orchid. (Please find the full list on our website).
Hopefully this study illustrates the importance of the connection between optimised farmland and the wilder environment and how this can encourage a wider and more diverse biodiversity in this area.
This study will be presented at a meeting this month with representatives from the Duchy of Cornwall and other organisations have been invited including the RSPB, Kent Wildlife Trust and our MP Helen Whately helping towards eff orts to oppose the development of this land.
Mark Sewell
Comments in response to Cleve Hill article
All batteries are extremely dangerous, power for 91,000 homes, why not build the homes and put the panels on the roofs (distributed risk).
Chris, Marine electrical fitter turned to electronics before retiring. (25th June 2021)
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