Meeting of the Folkestone Parks and Pleasure Grounds Charity - Wednesday 16 July 2025, 4:30pm - Folkestone & Hythe webcasting

Meeting of the Folkestone Parks and Pleasure Grounds Charity
Wednesday, 16th July 2025 at 4:30pm 

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  1. Slide 1
  2. Cllr Jim Martin
  3. Ms Jemma West
  4. Cllr Jim Martin
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  1. Cllr Jim Martin
  2. Cllr Tim Prater
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  1. Cllr Jim Martin
  2. Mr Andy Blaszkowicz
  3. Cllr Jim Martin
  4. Cllr Jim Martin
  5. Mr Andy Blaszkowicz
  6. Cllr Jim Martin
  7. Cllr Tim Prater
  8. Cllr Jim Martin
  9. Mr Andy Blaszkowicz
  10. Cllr Jim Martin
  11. Cllr Jim Martin
  12. Webcast Finished
Slide selection

Cllr Jim Martin - 0:00:07
Good evening everyone. Welcome to the meeting of the Folkestone Parks and Pleasure Grounds
charity. This meeting will be webcast live to the internet for those who do not wish
to be recorded or filmed you will need to leave the chamber. For members, officers and
others speaking at the meeting it is important that the microphones are used so viewers on
the webcast and others in the room may hear you. Would anyone with a mobile phone please
switch it to silent as they can be distracting.
Thank you very much everyone, thanks for being here.
If we could do the first item which is
apologies for absence, Gemma.
Ms Jemma West - 0:00:46
Thank you leader, we've had apologies from
councillors Polly and Mike Blakenore.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:00:51
Okay, thank you very much.
Do we have any declarations of interest?
No declarations of interest, that's terrific.

1. Apologies for absence

So if we can move then to the minutes,

2. Declarations of interest

3. Minutes

are there any problems or issues with the minutes?
Happy to move, Chair.
Thank you very much, Councillor Perita.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:01:15
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:01:15
I'm happy to second.
So all those in favor, please indicate.
There you go.

4. FPPG update report

Cllr Jim Martin - 0:01:31
Right, thank you very much.
So on to the only substantive item on this evening's agenda.
An update report.
This report provides the charity board of trustees with an update in relation to all
of these decisions taken by the chief officer, corporate estates and development since January
the 2025 under his delegated authority to deal with the charity assets.
And I think are you leading on this Andy or Sam?
You are?
Okay.
So over to you.
Thank you, Chair.
Mr Andy Blaszkowicz - 0:02:10
The report also covers other matters relating to charity land including legislative requirements
set by the Charities Act for proposed dispositions of charity land.
A written report on the proposed disposition of Little Switzerland campsite as required
is contained as Appendix One,
which you are asked to agree.
The project to refurbish the Coastal
Park play area which you consider
the last trustee meeting has now been
approved by cabinet is meeting in May 25.
Canterbury Archaeological Trust
now back on site at Jocks pitch,
undertaking further excavation works
as permitted by their license.
They expect to be closing off the site
by the start of August 2025.
You might be aware that creative
Folkestone being very busy with
the triennial works at the moment,
and they've granted a further two year
lease for the existing sites from January
2025 in relation to those sites and a
new short term lease has been agreed
for the triangle 2025 works which will
display six artworks on Charity Land.
I think there's a list of all
this in the report and the new
training opens this Saturday.
Works were undertaken in May 2025
to repair collapse section of the
boundary board of the fishing pond
at Radner Park.
Unfortunately further works
will be needed and additional investment will be required to
further prevent further undermining of the boundary
wall. These works are currently being scoped out by the
Council's engineering and buildings team. The proposed
lease to the trustees of the Fochtsturm Sheppell Angling
Club for the very small equipment store adjacent to the
upper pond has been delayed by the tenant due to the pond
repairs being undertaken.
And finally, the repair works to Saint Ainsworth statue have
been delayed due to the availability of the sculptor to
the replacement head and carry out the installation.
The statue artist has helped us though to arrange for our local colleagues to undertake
the works on their behalf and I'm delighted to say that the statue should be complete
with a new head by the end of August of this year.
Happy to take any questions.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:04:14
Thank you very much Andy.
Do you want to say anything about the appendix,
a little Switzerland?
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:04:24
Or is there anything to say to that, sorry.
Not really, it's just for the,
because of the loose length and the value,
Mr Andy Blaszkowicz - 0:04:28
it's just for the trustees to agree,
as the information set out in the report.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:04:36
Are you indicating, Councillor Pryor?
Yep, yeah, Councillor Pryor.
Just give me a couple of minutes, shall we?
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:04:44
So, thank you for this report, it's all clear and very helpful and we're all looking forward
to the Triennial starting on Friday and it's good to see that the Parks and Garden charity
are playing a part in that with the spaces which aren't there and they are listed within
the report itself which spaces are being used within the Triennial.
I have had an issue raised with me regarding I think Martello 3 which I understand they
listed buildings and that there was potentially some works underway from our tenant in that
building in terms of bringing it online presumably for amulets out there. I'm happy just to refer
the person who raised that with me to you to make sure that everything is being done
within the scope of whatever planning is required for works to listed buildings. I understand
there was something going on in there and I just want to make sure that that is passed
so let me know if it's UND or someone else.
We are already dealing with it, so it's all in hand.
OK, all in hand, that's great.
On Radnor Park, that is terrific, thanks for that,
and good luck with St Ian's with head,
given the fact that after the studies which were done,
we know where St Ian's with head actually is these days,
so we can view the original.
But it's good to see that the statue will be there.
In terms of the little Switzerland site,
I have absolutely no problem with that.
I think it is an asset, the Kent flight is an asset to the area anyway and therefore
its continuous operation is great.
The rent which was quoted within that appendix at the moment is presumably therefore a starting
figure and discussions will be looking going up and having some variety of annual increment
in terms of that figure.
So are you presumably not looking at a flat rate, are you looking at something which will
inflation linked over the course of the period
I'm assuming that, obviously it's then for you to go in, negotiate, is that the intention?
I'm just going to look at Helen's nod, am I?
Cool, yeah
Follow up on that, is there any...
is there any point in society that you would still be able to do the one that is potentially called an inter -annual?
Yes, because presumably the rent on a seven year lease is going to be a little
higher than the rent on a manual lease because that feels like it has greater advantages.
Grant, in that case, very happy to move the report.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:07:34
Okay, very good. Any further questions or queries with regard to that?
I've got one question. Has the road reopened to Little Switzerland?
A different camp site.
Different camp site? Where the road collapsed?
The next one's going to be the Camping and Caravannah site split on.
Ah right, okay. And presumably that road hasn't been repaired?
Mr Andy Blaszkowicz - 0:07:59
The Camping and Caravannah Club is vacant at the moment and the site's closed until we know what's going on with the land slips.
the road part of it is being repaired and there's other works going on there to stabilize it for a drop
and the way up to Network Rail to confirm when it's all sorted.
Got it. So the works are still to be carried out?
There's major work going on there. The stabilization works for the road are in one part of it
but then there's far more significant works going on on the apron which is all going to start
that's all been scoped at the moment so it's still going to take time.
Right, okay.
Okay, jolly good.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:08:29
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:08:31
Very good. Okay, so Councillor Prater proposed acceptance of the report. I'm very happy to
second. All those in favour, please indicate. Thank you very much, that's unanimous. And
if I'm not mistaken, I think that's the end of our business. I'll see most of you back
here in 20 minutes time for our cabinet meeting.
So thank you.
Thank you very much.