Update from Save Princes Parade: Cabinet Meeting Postponed (Again!)

The cabinet meeting at which the Princes Parade business case was to be discussed has been postponed.

Here is the email from the council:

"As you are aware, the report relating to the business case for Princes Parade was due to be discussed by Overview and Scrutiny on 29 January and Cabinet on 30 January but given the level of interest the item had generated, the Leader of the Council has suggested a separate meeting be held specifically to consider the report.

Therefore, the Business Case for Princes Parade will now be considered at a Special meeting of Folkestone & Hythe District Council's Cabinet on Wednesday 13 February 2019. The report will also be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny committee on Tuesday 12 February 2019.

The representations you have previously submitted regarding the consideration of the report in private will automatically be added to the agenda for these meetings, for both Committees to consider. Apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Please put both dates in your diaries. Overview & Scrutiny will be at 7pm and cabinet at 5pm.

We asked our solicitor to write to Dr Priest setting out the legal case why the council would be wrong to exclude the public from the Overview & Scrutiny Meeting and the Cabinet meeting.

This is the reply he got:

"Many thanks for your letter. Your points have been noted, and your representation will be put before Members of both the Cabinet and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, prior to their consideration as to whether to consider the business case in private session or not. I must stress that the decision is ultimately one which will be made by Members at the meeting."

We believe that this is a matter of law not a political decision for the councillors to make so we will continue to object to the proposed exclusion of the public.

Whatever the outcome we will be attending both meetings just in case the councillors vote to allow us to stay and we would urge as many of you as possible to be there to support us.

Thanks to those of you who have helped us raise the funds that have allowed us to employ the solicitor.

The other thing I have to report is that we have had some bad news - in a letter from the Environment Agency they say they are now satisfied that the secondary scheme presented by the council represents a "just about viable" alternative to a direct discharge into the sea.

The letter was very vague. In the letter they reluctantly accepted that the surface water from the proposed development can be drained into the canal. This has now been replaced by a second letter from the Environment Agency which more clearly states that they are withdrawing their objection. The letter can be read here:

http://saveprincesparade.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ea-Letter-17.1.19.pdf

We are also in the process of emailing the Council questioning the financial viability as stated in the Betteridge & Milsom Viability Cost Appraisal Report. We will let you know the outcome of this when we get it.