Park Improvements

I think the truth is Dai, its generally looked upon as what should have been done a long time ago.
The place was a bit neglected.

But its all happening at once now.

There was, so I'm told public meetings during the planning stage.
They were not well publicised in my opinion, but that is water under the bridge.
They had a recent meeting where you could meet the contractors doing the work, I was going to attend.

But it turned out the contractor is the one that seems to get their way with Maidstone BC anyway, so I didn't bother.

 

Could it be all done at once because it is being rushed through without due diligence? The work may need doing but it should be over a matter of years and done with sympathy to the park.

 

Its a lottery grant Dai.

Not sure,but I think the money has to be spent in a certain amount of time.

Could be the reason for the rush.

I dont think there is much sympathy for the park.

 

Pete, YOU care, so something can be done. Give me a day to think about it please. I am also working out how to find out the truth about this site at the mo.:D PM me the email address of the local paper please, plus your pics of the damage.

 

If those are the fans, where do I buy my season ticket?


Pete, sorry for going further off topic, but as you come from the Maidstone area this book may interest you.
Last Of The Ten Fighter Pilots, by Jimmy Corbin. Even if you aren't into that kind of book, it is well worth reading.





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Thanks Dai, but I'm not going to make an issue, I just wanted to show what goes on these days when things get "improved", its "progress", the powers that be, have made the decisions.

I'm sure, judging by the amount of people in the park these days, many will actually see it as "improvements", the place was "underused", meaning a quiet place to go and not bump into hoards of people.

Now its getting much buiser, so its having the desired effect.

 

Not sure that pic was taken in Maidstone Eddie, so calm down mate.:D

I'm thinking Jimmy Corbin was on the local news recently.
Not many of them left now.

 

Googling found a press release from a Councillor stating that they wanted your park to be somewhere where people from all over the South East would visit, and that they're spending £700,000 of your council Tax to that end.

I envisage bikes, skateboards, scooters, rollerbladers, etc. whizzing along the new paths, 'interpretation' display boards everywhere (including audio-visual displays spoiling the tranquility), designated 'trails', works of art, etc. There was also mention of a new water sports centre - does that mean jet skis, etc.?

My guess is that car parking charges will then be substantially increased to pay for all of this new stuff.

 

I think you have summed it up Scrungee.

Everyone likes to have their leisure time planned out for them these days, lots of activities all layed on so that you just have everything for all people.
I'm hoping jet skis dont appear, but I'm thinking anything short of that will be on the cards.

It costs nothing to park right now, but who knows in the future what might happen.

Another place I used to visit was Bedgebury Pinetum, but that had the 21st century make over and now I cant afford it any more.
Plus I'm not sure I even want to go there any more.:(

 

A few more improvements but its slow going< I know one thing I would never use the contractor the council are using on this job, they are very good a starting things, just not so good at finishing anything.
I dont think they have finished one part yet its a complete mess all over the park.

Anyway a few pics of how things are going.
The restored waterfall, probably cost thousands.
Before and after.

Although the old waterfall was surely man made it had a kind of natural look about it, one that only comes with time, in my opinion it now looks very contrived even to placing the rocks all the same distance apart.
I'm sure I counted 15 gunnera plants, planted at the base of the new one, so hopefully in a year or so it will be hidden any way
Can anyone tell me why they keep planting Hellebores all over the place, its not like they look good all year, is it.

 

This part was one of my favourite spots in the park, a slightly untidy place but quiet and rural.
The bridge has been replaced.

And the path tarmacked over, Alder and Willow trees all cut down, and lots of posts hammered in the edge of the lake to make the bank stable, something the tree roots were doing naturally.
I know my pictures are taken at differing times of the year, but it's never going to look natural again, I dont think

 

Why do they have to tarmac everything? Won't people go for a country walk now if they're likely to encounter a bit of mud?

 

it looks a bit like Sustrance has had an input (I've got the tin hat on)

For those who don't know Sustrance are keen to give cycling access anywhere they can - ergo strips of tarmac everywhere.

 

Yes I think its the amount of tarmac that actually puts me off the improvements most.
I do see the mix of bikes and pedestrians becoming a problem, the park has a 10mph limit , but of course that doesn't apply to bikes.

But none of the improvements are subtle, its kind of a sledgehammer approach.
Some parts, the wilder parts are actually getting trashed in order to tart up the surface.

This is just a small amount of the rubbish dredged out of a pond at the top of the waterfall, they have just dumped it in a wooded area, instead of getting rid of it.
By the way the pond it was dredged from still looks awful, they even put the tatty fencing back around it.

went in there this evening with the dog and they were planting yet more flowers (helibores), but using a dumper truck as transport.
It was like a ploughed field due to the wet weather, its the same all over, tracked diggers and heavy stuff just driving anywhere they like, but carefully avoiding using the tarmced roads of course.

 

Well it seems something is now killing a good few fish in the lake, this was yesterday morning.
#
There were a few more floating further out in the lake, these are just the ones that were washed up around the lake edges.
They seem fairly large, carp? not seen any smaller ones. could it be an oxygen problem?

They seem to have cleared most of the bodies away today as I only saw a few this morning.