Dover Fountain to Close During 2012

To paraphrase Sir Edward Grey in 1914: "The lights are going out all over Dover: we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime".

DDC have been concerned about the running costs of the fountain for years, so they've finally gone ahead and closed it using a smokescreen of olympic events. I have absolutely no doubt that come 2013, the fountain will remain closed indefinitely due to 'maintenance costs' and that it would cost too much to start it up again, much akin to the lovely Gateway Flats fountains we had in the 70s. By 2015 the whole area will be levelled and some pretentious statue erected in the centre to confuse tourists and for locals to mock.

From DDC's minutes of the Planning Committee dated 12th March 2009. This has been on the cards for some time.

A fountain is a potential generator for crime and disorder and is a key
contributory element to an increase in public order offences and
anti-social behaviour. Particular concerns include drunks sitting on
the fountain and climbing the boxed in fountain, the fountain becoming
a receptacle for litter and other detritus, subject to incidents of
damage, eg. foaming, jumping in the fountain and its use as a urinal.
Removal of the fountain is strongly recommended to reduce the risks
to community safety and to increase the space available to the public.

Again we see the D.D.C. taking away one of the very few things that brighten up the town,it would not have happen in DEAL.

I'll try this forum for an answer instead !!

Other than the overdue work on the Pier what other special treatment had Deal had - point it out and I will go and find it !!!
It may come as a surprise to some but we are part of the Dover District and also pay our council tax !!!!

As I have said many times before they should take out the Word Dover from the council heading and just call it The District councl ,and as for your Post Ross,I am many things and being silence is never one of them, I am in Deal alot and you only have to walk around to see what I mean,(1)Where are all the one bedroom flats like we have in Dover. (2) Look how nice the Flower beds are.(3) look how nice and clean the streets are in the Town.(4) I could go on and on.

Perhaps the people of Deal are more respectful of their environment?

Do you know how the flower beds are funded ?

Dover has a lot of 4/5 story Georgian Town Houses that Deal doesn't have many of so of course there will be a more one bedroom flats. Not sure what that has got to do with DDC??? If they weren't flats then chances are they will be empty and falling down and demolished. These huge houses are not financially viable, just look at any big town/city they are all converted into flats.....

First of all there are flats and there are flats,you look into that in anyway you like,

Also Dover is socialy unbalance,and in the main it is the 100s of one bedroom flats that have cause that.
Alot of the big house,s in Folkestone rd could have made family homes. I was a town cllr up there at the time they were all turned into flats,I even had 3mins to talk about it at a District public planning meeting,I done my best along with other town cllrs of the day to try and stop it from happing but the planning dept said it was going ahead,the rest is history. Deal is alot better in that way than Dover.

It's a shame to hear they want to close the fountain. It is one of Dover's greatest assets. It would seem DDC would do anything to shut every last attraction and remove every last feature in this town in the name of Health and Safety and citing crime. It's all excuses and what they want, to them they are the only ones that matter, sod the town!

The issue is with the council being Officer led, surely that has got to change, it is not a democracy.. The elected Councillors should have the final say.

With DDC's attitude, they may as well fill it with mud and let the weeds grow next year.

How boring would it be if everywhere was just "clone towns" - Dover has more heritage and potential, and Deal may have some flowers and a bit tidier.....

What a load of cobblers. Honestly. Where is the ONE place you see people from out of town- in the market square. Where does the market square lead to as a central focussing point? The museum, the castle, the seafront. All the places that DO have the opportunity to draw people in. What do 'they' do? Shut up the attractive focal feature. Anti-social behaviour - sometimes we get bubbles up to the bank walls - quite good fun if yo uask me. Words fail me.