Members News

Plans unveiled for a community project on

derelict land in Ashford

Affordable residential homes Key

1 Bed 2 Bed 3 Bed

Parking

Parking Community Sheds

commercial and workshop units

open green community park

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Ashford Borough Council has launched a public consultation into ambitious plans to develop derelict land at the rear of Eastmead Avenue which often attracts flytipping and anti-social behaviour.

The council is proposing to create a multi-purpose site which will include a community project aimed at combating isolation in older people, a brand new parkland area, additional parking, a small number of commercial units for start-up businesses, and 35 affordable homes comprising of a mix of houses, flats and town houses. The housing will be the enabler for the other proposed improvements on the site, which is a derelict patch of land that is currently overgrown and drab and has become an area used for fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. It is no longer allotment land, having been declassified by the Government for the purpose of potential development some time ago.

It is currently divided in two – there is land that was previously used for allotments to the west of the site, and to the east there is hard standing which was previously used by the Coneybeare Engineering Company. The site has the potential to provide better green space, much-needed affordable homes and community facilities. It is also well placed to make use of the cycle lanes into town.

The Council is planning to develop the site into distinct but linked areas:

• A park and enhanced green space. • A community area for the Community

Sheds Project, also referred to as

‘Shedders’ and ‘Men in Sheds’. This project aims to tackle isolation and loneliness in older people, providing them a space to connect, converse and create. • A commercial area, with sensitively-clad shipping containers offering a place for small business start-ups to trade. • 35 affordable homes, as a mixture of both houses and flats.

Site access - There are a number of access routes onto the site, but vehicular access is potentially limited:

Cllr Andrew Buchanan, portfolio holder for Housing, said: “There are currently around 1,500 people on our waiting list for affordable housing. Like every other authority in the UK, we must do our bit to try and alleviate the housing issues that we face and we are committed to delivering as much affordable housing as possible.

“These are very exciting and bold plans that will transform this derelict area of land and I would urge local residents to have their say and help us to shape the final proposals.”

3-stage public consultation

The Council’s housing services team is undertaking three consultations in relation to the site, to best capture the views and thoughts of the community. The current consultation represents our initial stage one consultation where we share the site vision and explain the kinds of things we have considered thus far. It also includes a view from the Council’s Planning department as part of the pre-application process that we have engaged with. The first stage runs until 22 July. Stage two will be presenting a revised plan based on the feedback we gather from the public during stage one, and stage three will be the formal consultation as part of the planning application process. We will make the consultations as accessible as possible to all and hope to include a face-to-face event as part of the second stage of the consultation.

What do you think?

Your views will help us to determine how we proceed. What do you think of the number of homes? What do you think about the parking? What do you think about the proposed commercial use? We would really welcome your feedback on the initial vision we have for the site.

Printed copies of a consultation questionnaire have been delivered to surrounding homes and they can be returned by post or the public can visit our consultation portal at www.ashford.gov.uk/consultations and respond online. If you leave your details any questions you raise can be answered. Sponsored • We believe that partnerships are the most powerful way to do business Branding agency Oak Creative explains • We champion Kent to help build our • We champion Kent to help build our why your brand is local economies more important than

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Help us keep Kent’s taps

flowing this summer

As temperatures climb, so does

demand for water.

With the continued hot weather across the South East, combined with very little rainfall, demand for water in Kent is exceptionally high. Our daily water demand graph highlights the millions of additional litres of water we are treating, pumping and supplying each day. We have asked our domestic customers to be more mindful of their water use during this recent hot spell and now we are asking businesses across Kent to do the same.

The main thing you could do to help is to try and reduce your water use by 10% over the next ten days, especially during our daily peaks of 7.30 to 10 both morning and evening. Small changes make a big difference, for example: • Check for leaks on toilets, taps and urinals. Even a small constant dribble can waste up to 400 litres a day. • Educate your employees on being more water efficient –from turning off taps to using the small flush, there’s actions we can all take to save water

• Delay any non-critical water use until the temperatures start to fall • Order some water-saving freebies

Taking these simple steps will help us keep taps flowing this summer – for you, and the rest of our 2.3 million customers across South East England. For more top water saving tips, visit our business website.

https://www.business. southeastwater.co.uk/help/savewater-in-your-business

And don’t forget to keep an eye on our website for daily updates

www.southeastwater.co.uk/ waterlatest

World Class Systems for Charities at an affordable price!

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Why do website or social media images

need ALT text?

Companies spend thousands of pounds marketing their products or services and pay special attention to ensure that their messages are tailored to their audience. But are these messages accessible to everyone?

Technology is opening up more opportunities for people with a visual impairment to engage with companies. With computers or phones that read out text or magnify it, it’s easy for people to shop or search online. However, people with a visual impairment often get frustrated with websites or social media posts because the company relies solely on the image to showcase the product or service. With little or no descriptions for the images used, people just simply cannot engage with your company.

ALT (Alternative) text explains what appears on the image. Using ALT text allows web images to be ‘searchable’ and can increase search engine optimisation. Images with no ALT text will rely on a person’s screen reader to read aloud the filename of the image –which often won’t make sense to the person at all!

So please remember to use ALT text on images on your website and on social media. And if you’re unable to add an ALT text to social media, then write the image description in the post itself.

Tip: You don’t need to explain every single detail of the picture. Pick a few key details that give the person a mental picture of what is seen on the image.

Hashtags can also cause issues for people who use screen readers. Our hashtag #loveyoureyes will be read as one word and may not make sense to someone. Use initial capitals instead like this #LoveYourEyes.

Kent Association for the Blind can audit your website, using a range of different devices to check how accessible it is. Drop us an email at enquiry@kab.org.uk to see how we can help.