Marina Cafe continued....

The following website address will give you some pictures of the cafe before the demolition job:
http://www.broken-britain.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=93&highlight=ramsgate click and you'll go straight there!

Went onto Councillor Green's site and extracted the following information which is self explanatory:


Cllr David Green said...
Marina RestaurantMessage from TDC Planning The building is subject to a Repairs Notice. It is listed. The owner started work on site this Monday; problems with the structure were reported yesterday. We have had a Building Control Officer and Chartered Surveyor [working for TDC] on site most of the day. This to make sure that the structure is safe, and that a fresh schedule of what the owner must do to repair is issued. There is no demolition project; this is restoration- and the owner is being left with no misunderstanding. For safety reasons some of the structure had to comedown. But I assure you it goes back as before.
01 February 2008 21:04

Monday, February 04, 2008
Marina Restaurant
I promised an update once I had a official position from TDC conservation officer. I would like to add that no-one is more concerned than he to see this building restored as was.No 1 Granville Marina is part of JT Wimperis' 1877 development of a beach resort for Edward Pugin's Granville Hotel. As originally devised,the development consisted of shops, houses, shell grottos, tea rooms anda 'wintergardens'. No 1 was built as a photographer's studio. Numbers1-4 were listed Grade II on 21/12/2004.Last year Thanet Council became increasingly concerned about thecondition of the building. Its last used was as a restaurant, a use thatended some years ago. It was, however, still owned by the catering company who - despite several offers - refused to sell it. A change in the management of the company saw it being sold to a firm of Ramsgate developers in the middle of last year.I had a meeting with the new owners in August last year at which it wasclear that it was their desire to demolish and redevelop. It was pointed out to them that this not an option since the building was listed.Being concerned that they were not going to take any action, we servedan Urgent Works Notice on the owners on 15th August 2007 - with acompliance period of three weeks. The Notice required the sea facing elevation to be shored up and the structure made secure and watertight.The developers appointed a structural engineer who designed shoring forthe defective elevation.As the autumn progressed it became clear that the developers were not going to carry out the works and it transpired that they had dispensed with the services of the structural engineer. We therefore engaged the same engineer, had the structural works priced and appointed contractors to carry out works in default. The contractors started work on 28/1/2008.On the morning they started the owners turned up saying they were sorry and that they would carry out the works immediately. We withdrew our contractors. On Thursday 31st January there was a considerable south-westerly gale and a considerable crack opened up in the south west corner - the left hand side of the sea facing elevation. By Friday morning it was clear that the sea elevation was becoming too 'live' to prop anymore and would have to be demolished. Our structural engineer was in attendance -together with our Building Control section. Once the front was down it became clear that the lateral walls were being forced apart by the roof and two thirds of the building ended up being demolished .The remaining third is, at the time of writing, being stabilised by TDC using a Notice under the Building Acts. Any loose historic material from the demolished parts is to be collected and put in to storage. It is the Authority's intention to serve a Section 48 Repairs Notice requiring the owner to re-instate, on a like for like basis, the demolished parts. I am of the opinion that the Ramsgate THI scheme couldunder write a compulsory purchase notice.

Having found all that lot 'straight from the horse's mouth' so to speak, with my red highlighting. The problem here is going to be the time factor especially being in such close proximity to the Pleasurama development. Watch the space!

I can't believe it....

Has it really been a week since the last entry. Apart from doing the normal routines here, I got lost in France the other day. Got to the checkin and presented the documantation from the e mail booking. Clerk: Hello Sir; you're 2 days late would you still like to go? Me: Yes please. So Steve duly paid the extra change of booking fee and we boarded the ferry. Got off at the other end onto the road and about half hour later realised we had missed the turn off. Turned round and during the process met a large French goods vehicle flashing his lights we were in a one way street going the wrong way! Finally found our destination, had lunch, shopped and realised with the time difference they're 1 hour ahead, we had missed the booked return ferry. No problem, we caught the next one. Got plenty of photos some of which I've published on the web site, can't give you any here at the moment 'cos there's a fault on the photo uplift to the blogsite! I'll continue tomorrow and endeavour to use some photos. Wish me luck... I've heard from Marina with some photos of her antics so tomorrow I'll say more.