Save Prince’s Parade: Protecting our sea front and the adjacent land

This is a brief journey along the canal and the adjacent sea front between Hythe and Seabrook. It is a journey exploring the beauty, singular tranquility and appeal of this area. Seabrook signals the start of Hythe canal and heralds the long meandering line of defence, built to deter Napoleon from landing. The canal (owned by English Heritage), sea front and it's environs change constantly, opening up a world of differing aspects as you walk along and breath in and touch these very special qualities, it is a jewel of nature.

Unfortunately, there are proposals to develop the stretch of land between the canal and the sea front. Sadness and anger are the emotions that have been stirred up about the potential threat to build on this sea front land and once again a selection of councillors may allow this development to proceed in one form or another.

In 2004, the Government Planning Inspector agreed with the previous Inspector that "residential development would be out of character with the site's open nature" and said "this part of Seabrook is deficient in every sort of public open space." She concluded "I find this is one of the rare occasions when the need to preserve the open character of a site, and its relationship to both the sea and the canal, is so important that it outweighs the imperatives of PPG3".

Whatever Shepway say, Prince's Parade is not a brownfield site.

It has not been used as a landfill site since the early 1970's and has been a green open space ever since, despite Shepway's failure to reinstate it in line with the Environment Agency's requirements after the silt from the canal was dumped there.

With the cost of the school and the swimming pool/leisure centre the site will require hundreds of flats and houses to be sold, to make the site commercially viable.

Major development on the scale planned by Shepway Council will cause an irreversible change to our precious sea front site and our priceless Scheduled Ancient Monument: The Royal Military Canal, which is listed because of its national historic importance.

The idea of any development other than the enhancement of the natural landscape would be a travesty, it must not be allowed to happen.

Personally I believe the ultimate consequence of the proposed development on Seabrook sea front, will eventually lead to the building of luxury housing on the golf course further along Prince's Parade Promenade.

The proposed scheme is a rape of the landscape. This breadth of coastline is a rare and singular stretch of green land, how can we submit to such proposals and not resist and fight against such unconscionable plans.

We the residents of Hythe, Seabrook and Shepway District as a whole would appreciate your support in our campaign to see Prince's Parade remain
intact. It is a beautiful area of green interlude, where people enjoy walking and sharing in the natural landscape with the added vista of the bay area.

Many people from Kent and well beyond visit this area regularly and have fond memories of their stay here. This is perhaps the early stages, but it is important we gather as much sympathy and support as soon as possible, thereby creating a momentum of strength for when the time comes and important decisions are made about our environment.