News

Please lend your support to the first Sandgate Farmers Market of 2019!

The market will be at the Chichester Hall, Sandgate High Street from 10-12.30 this Saturday 19th January.

There’s a free to enter draw and a chance to win a £10 voucher to spend at the market, and we will be recording a 10 minute piece for the Dominic King Show on Radio Kent. Please come along!

The Sandgate Farmers Market is held on the first and third Saturday of each month from 10-12.30pm in the Chichester Hall on Sandgate High Street. Forthcoming dates for early 2019 are therefore 19th January, 2nd & 16th February and 2nd & 16th March. Put them in your diary now.

If you have any questions about the market – including becoming a stallholder – please contact Chichester Hall Executive Manager David Cowell at david@chichesterhall.co.uk.

Residents are invited to have their say on a document setting out the unique character of Sandgate and how it can be preserved for future generations.

Members of Sandgate Parish Council have worked with residents, businesses and local groups to update the Sandgate Design Statement, used by Folkestone & Hythe District Council when deciding planning applications.

The updated document includes a section on buildings of local interest, as well as a proposal to restrict minor as well as major changes to properties in the High Street and Esplanade Conservation Areas in a bid to protect the area’s heritage.

Before it can officially be adopted by Folkestone & Hythe District Council as the planning authority there needs to be a period of public consultation, which will start on Thursday, 10 January.

Cllr John Collier, Cabinet Member for the District Economy, urged everyone to have their say.

He said:

“Sandgate’s Design Statement was the first produced for our district and is a fantastic example of partnership working between the parish and district councils, residents and local groups.

“But in order for it to be most valuable, it needs to be reviewed regularly and that is exactly what has happened.

“Now we want to make sure we have heard everyone’s views before we officially adopt it and use it as part of our planning process.”

The document identifies a series of character areas within the parish, and sets out design guidelines for each. There are 11 design principles, intended to give guidance to developers and to set the standard for future building projects, as well as action points for the parish council.

Cllr Robert Bliss, Chairman of Sandgate Parish Council, said the document was the culmination of a huge amount of work and debate.

He said:

“For a small parish, Sandgate’s history is particularly rich and varied, while periods of land instability over many centuries have also shaped the character and appearance of many parts of the parish.

“The document represents the wishes of a community passionate about the protection of its built heritage and its outstanding natural setting of wooded hillsides and long coastline, at the same time eager to enhance its environment in challenging economic times.”

To view the document and take part in the consultation, visit www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/consultations

The parish has seven Scheduled Ancient Monuments; five Martello Towers, Sandgate Castle and the Battery Wall on the Esplanade. There are 117 listed buildings, but the document identifies another 40 buildings of local interest, such as the former Little Theatre and the Chichester Memorial Hall. The revised Design Statement suggests creating a Local List to ensure they are protected for the future.

The parish council is also asking for an Article 4 Direction to be introduced in two of the Conservation Areas, removing permitted development rights and meaning even minor changes would need planning approval. If this is supported, it will be considered by Folkestone & Hythe District Council at a later date.

Health experts across Kent and Medway are urging those most at risk from flu to protect themselves and their families by taking up the offer of a free flu jab.

The latest statistics for England and the South East region show that excess winter deaths reached a record high last year* and the Office for National Statistics reports flu is a major contributory factor.

Flu is a highly infectious disease and can lead to serious complications if you have a long-term health condition like COPD; bronchitis, emphysema; diabetes; heart, kidney or liver disease or have suffered a stroke. Flu on top of health conditions like these can easily develop into something very serious and lead to hospitalisation. People with these and other long-term health conditions, as well as those over 65-years-old, pregnant women, children aged two and three, as well as school children from reception class through to year five, are eligible for the free flu vaccine. For eligible children, the flu vaccine is not an injection, just a quick nasal spray.

Dr Alison Taylor, Medical Director for NHS England in Kent, Surrey and Sussex said: “Flu is a common ailment and many people can get over it with rest and fluids, but for some people in high-risk groups, such as the elderly and those with long-term conditions, it can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. The flu vaccine is the best form of protection and now is a good time to contact your GP surgery or pharmacy for more details about how you, or an eligible family member or friend can get the vaccine for free.”

Flu vaccination is part of the Stay Well This Winter campaign, a joint initiative from NHS England and Public Health England, supported by Kent County Council, to help the public ward off common winter illnesses. KCC Director of Public Health, Andrew Scott-Clark said: “Full protection from the vaccine can take up to two weeks to develop and people should act now to protect themselves against flu and make sure that flu doesn’t ruin their Christmas. Residents should contact their local GP or pharmacist as a matter of urgency.

“In recent years, hospitals across the region have been busy with people who could have been vaccinated. The flu vaccine can help protect you from flu and also reduce the chance of flu spreading to others.”

If you have a child aged two or three, get them vaccinated against flu with the free nasal spray flu vaccine from your GP. School children from reception class through to year five will get their vaccinations through their school.

Pregnancy naturally weakens the body’s immune system and as flu can cause serious complications for you and your baby, pregnant women who get the flu may be less able to fight off infections, increasing the risk of becoming ill. The flu jab is the safest way to protect you and your baby against flu and you can have it at any stage of pregnancy, however fit and healthy you might feel.

For more information, visit www.nhs.uk/staywell and www.kent.gov.uk/winterhealth

The ONS figures for last winter (2017/18), counted as December to March, are still provisional while figures for all other previous winters have been confirmed.

District level figures for Kent and Medway are not yet available for 2017/18 but are expected to follow the national and regional increases. The latest available figures at district level (2016/17) were not as high as the previous peak in 2014/15.