The 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Ramsgate Society took place on 19th May at the Royal Temple Yacht Club, attended by 38 members. In the course of the meeting the accounts for 2021 were presented and accepted and the Chairman, John Walker made his report of the Society’s activities and achievements in the year. The executive committee and officers were re-elected to serve for the coming year and Paul Shearer was confirmed as a new committee member and trustee and welcomed to the executive.
The meeting was followed by a presentation from John Walker about the progress of plans for the refurbishment and future use of the Clock House and Pier Yard and Ivan del Renzio introduced and explained his initial concepts for the design and use of the restored space. The Society is working in partnership with Thanet District Council to deliver this project as part of the levelling Up Fund. Discussions are at an early stage but it is envisaged that the project will be completed by the end of 2025. We will keep you informed through this newsletter.
Ramsgate Society Chairman’s Report from the AGM 19th May 2022
Our last Annual General Meeting took place in April 2019, The Covid Pandemic prevented us holding our AGM in both 2020 and 2021 and we had to settle for posting all the relevant information on our website instead, so I am very pleased that this year we are able to return to the traditional face to face meeting.
Despite the pandemic I am pleased to report that the Society has been very active since we last met at an AGM and I set out below a brief summary of some of our recent activities.
Planning. Heritage and Regeneration,
- Thanet District Council is preparing a ‘partial update’ of the Local Plan for Thanet which will extend the plan up to 2040. We have engaged in the public consultation on the Local Plan Update which will set out the strategy and policies for development in Thanet over the Plan period.
- Manston Airport. We submitted detailed representations to the Secretary of State on the redetermination of the Development Consent Order which had been quashed by the High Court. At the time of writing a decision is still awaited.
- Ramsgate Neighbourhood Plan. The Society is a member of the Ramsgate Town Council Neighbourhood Plan Group which is working on a Neighbourhood Plan for Ramsgate. A draft plan is expected for consultation later this year.
- Ramsgate Heritage and Design Forum (RHDF) The Society is a member of RHDF which reviews and comments on planning applications in Ramsgate every month with particular consideration for those in the Conservation Areas.
- The Clock House and Pier Yard. Following the Grant of £20m to Ramsgate from the Government Levelling Up Fund, we are working with TDC to deliver the Society’s vision for a new Heritage Centre and Town Square.
- Ramsgate Port and Harbour. Together with the Ramsgate Regeneration Alliance we continue to express our concerns about the industrialisation of the Port without a credible business plan.
- The Green Agenda and Sustainable Development. The committee feel that this is an increasingly important area of interest to our members and the general public and is seeking to recruit a new committee member to lead our future activities in this area
Events and Community Engagement.
- Litter Picks. As an active member of the Ramsgate Litter Forum we continue to hold several “Chine to Chine” litter picks each year. Our recent innovation of an annual Spring Litter Pick in the Pegwell Bay Nature Reserve and SSSI is proving to be a very popular event.
- Heritage Open Days (HODS) For several years now the Society has coordinated the Thanet Heritage Open Days in collaboration with TDC Tourism and Information and the planning for HODS 2022 is well advanced (9th Sept to 18th Sept 2022
- Conservation Area Tree Planting Scheme. Last year the Society planted 50 new trees to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the designation of the Ramsgate Conservation Area. The Scheme has been a great success but a combination of bad weather and local vandalism means that 12 of the trees will have to be replaced this Autumn and we may have to undertake some additional fundraising to do this.
- Civic Champion Awards. The Society makes this special award to the people who in the view of the committee have made a special contribution to the local community. The winners of the 2022 Civic Champion Awards will be announced in the June newsletter and the awards presented by the Mayor of Ramsgate at a special event in November.
- Partnership Development. The Society is actively working to develop closer working relationships with Ramsgate Town Council and a number of voluntary organizations in the town.
- Seafront Shelters. We continue to lead on the repair and redecoration of the 13 Listed Grade 2 Victorian promenade shelters. The five shelters on the Eastcliff have suffered badly from vandalism and the effects of the weather over the last four years and we are about to start a major refurbishment to be completed over the course of the summer.
- Our series of public talks was interrupted during the pandemic but is now back and have been very well attended. Details of all our talks and other events can be found on our website and in our monthly newsletters.
Membership and Communications
- Our monthly electronic newsletters continue to be the most effective way of communicating with our members. These continued throughout the pandemic and give members a monthly update on the Society’s events and activities.
- Our twice-yearly Journal, Ramsgate Matters, deals in more depth with some of the wider interests of our members. There are interesting and scholarly articles about Ramsgate’s History, Heritage, Arts, People and Events, past, present and future, which I know our members enjoy and appreciate very much.
- Over the last year our membership and communications working group have worked hard to update our membership records and as a result we have seen our membership and subscription base starting to grow.
- The same working group has been working on a new and improved website which was presented at the AGM today and plans to launch on June 1st.
Finance
- Our finances continue to be in good shape and our most recent accounts will be presented for approval by members at this AGM.
Finally
I would like to thank the members of the Ramsgate Society Executive Committee for all their hard work during the last twelve months. They are a very dedicated group who are all passionate about Ramsgate and it’s a pleasure for me to act as their Chairman.
John Walker
Chairman