Connecting Herne Bay

People, Places, Play

Herne Bay has been described as a town without a centre.

The town centre economy has declined over many years which can be attributed to a number of reasons including:

• The A299 bypasses the town and discourages town centre trade
• Traditional long stay tourist markets have moved overseas
• The ascendancy of one stop shopping in out of town centres with free parking
• Changing leisure and shopping habits which kill off local centres and encourage a car based lifestyle.

The regeneration of Herne Bay is identified as a high priority in the City Council's Adopted Corporate Plan. As a result a number of projects have been either completed or are already underway. A list of projects will soon be available on the Corporate Projects page of the council's website which is currently being developed and should be available in the spring 2009.

The City Council has been working on producing an Area Action Plan for Herne Bay for the last two years under the Local Development Framework (LDF) process and has previously consulted on the Issues and Opportunities (January 2006), Issues and Options (November 2006) and the Preferred Option (January 2008). The comments received to date have been positive for the regeneration of Herne Bay Town Centre.

Herne Bay Area Action Plan Proposed Submission 2009 (Regulation 27)

The City Council has published the Proposed Submission of the Herne Bay Area Action Plan for inspection, following approval from the Council's Executive (5th February 2009). The consultation period ran for 6 weeks from Thursday 19th March 2009 to 5pm on Friday 1st May. This stage is prior to the formal submission stage.

The consultation is now closed.

The Area Action Plan and supporting documents can be viewed at http://canterbury.limehouse.co.uk/portal/

Any comments received have to relate to the soundness of the plan. The legislation sets out three tests of soundness. The plan has to be

(1) justified - founded on a robust and credible evidence base;

(2) effective - deliverable, flexible and able to be monitored; and

(3) consistent with national policy.

Supporting Studies

There are a number of studies that support the Herne Bay Area Action Plan.

• Statutory notice - a copy of the public notice
• Public Consultation Statement - (Adobe pdf 5mb) Statement of the public consultation to date
• Statement of representations procedure - details of how to view the document and how to submit comments

The following studies can be viewed at http://canterbury.limehouse.co.uk/portal/ please click on the supporting studies tab at the bottom of the screen.

• Herne Bay Area Action Plan: Sustainability Appraisal of Proposed Submission Action Plan (February 2009) - Full report
• Herne Bay Area Action Plan: Sustainability Appraisal of Proposed Submission Action Plan (February 2009) - Non-technical summary
• Connecting Herne Bay Area Action Plan Information in support of Habitat Regulation Assessment (June 2008)
• Herne Bay Area Action Plan Flood Risk Assessment (September 2008)
• Herne Bay Parking Study (January 2009)
• Retail Needs Assessment Study Canterbury City (December 2007) - Kent County Council and supplementary update (April 2008)
• Health Impact Assessment of Connecting Herne Bay Area Action Plan Preferred Options Document produced by the Primary Care Trust
• Herne Bay: An Economic Assessment (January 2009)
• Herne Bay Conservation Area Appraisal - The Character Of A Seaside Town (August 2008)
• Herne Bay Regeneration Initial Transport Study (January 2009).
• Connecting Herne Bay Options Consultation Document Supplementary Assessment Of Tourism Product (2007)
• Consultation Statement (Regulation 25) (March 2009). 
  

Further information

Other useful sources of information are:

• Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 as amended 2008. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/pdf/uksi_20081371_en.pdf
• The tests of soundness are set out in  Planning Policy Statement 12 available from the Communities and Local Government website http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planning/regionallocal/localdevelopmentframeworks/pps12/
• The Planning Inspectorate has also produced guidance on the issue of soundness of Development Plan Documents (DPDs). http://www.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/pins/appeals/local_dev/ldf_testing_soundness.pdf
• Details on the Examination process for Development Plan documents (DPD) is set out in the Planning Inspectorate's publication Examining Development Plan Documents

Previous Consultations

The City Council has carried out a number of public consultations at various stages ranging from Issues and Opportunities (January 2006), Options (November 2006) to Preferred Options (January 2008).