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The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser

7 August 2008

It’s a pity that some cynics are describing Dover’s ambitious plans for the upgrading of the seafront, the town centre redevelopment and the proposals to provide connectivity between the town and our twin attractions of Dover Castle and Western Heights as – ‘just another cable car ride’.

I’ve lived in Dover for nearly thirty years now and I’ve seen a whole series of plans and projects flagged up, criticised and – in too many cases – knocked down, either by lack of funding, lack of confidence or lack of commitment but the current plans are very different and Government funding is already flowing into Dover.

Dover Castle has been described as the jewel in the crown of Kent’s tourist attractions but too many people arrive at the Castle by coach or car, spend half a day exploring the turrets and the tunnels and then drive away again without spending a penny in our shops and restaurants and without making use of the town’s Hotel and B&B facilities. Some might say that’s because we don’t offer sufficiently attractive venues but the real reason is lack of connectivity.

One of the reasons we fought so hard to stop the Home Office using Connaught Barracks for a prison was because the site is so well placed for prestigious development and so conveniently located to provide a landing stage for people travelling by cable car between the town and the Castle.

And it wouldn’t be ‘just another cable car ride’ between A and B it would be a wonderful experience in itself with its aerial views of the town and the Dour Valley competing with even more dramatic views of the seafront, the Channel and the French coast.

Add this to the prospect of a second cable car ride from a redeveloped seafront marina to our historic drop redoubt on Western Heights, plus the possibility of a five-star channel view hotel and conference centre and you have the makings of a very appealing visitor attraction package.

The third connection would be provided by a landscaped land bridge which would allow pedestrians to walk from the redeveloped town centre to the seafront without having to seek out the unwelcoming shadows of the tunnel or risk crossing Townwall Street. And like the cable cars, the land bridge would be an attraction in its own right with garden benches and floral displays.

None of these plans will progress without funding and that’s why I welcomed the Government’s decision to grant Dover Growth Area status last month which will help with infrastructure to support our housing plans.

And there’s more good news this month. Following many months of lobbying, Dover has been placed in the first wave of the Government’s ‘Sea Change’ program which will provide £3.8 million of funding to help kick start some of these exciting projects.

That cynic’s view reminds me of the old adage: ‘Two men looked out through prison bars, one saw steel, the other stars’.

And all the cynic could see was “just another cable car ride”