Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘MOD badlands should become a country park’
Land at Howe Barracks which has become a dumping ground for rubbish and a haven for drug users should be turned into a country park, a neighbour says.
Needles and litter are scattered across the site at the top of Chaucer Road, which has also been used as a race track by bikers.
Phil Waring has now taken matters into his own hands and has made an official application to the Ministry of Defence, which owns the former training land, to relinquish it into public hands to become a country park.
Retired Mr Waring, who walks his dog at the spot, says the area has public footpaths running through it, but these are unsafe when motorcycle riders have been there.
“The MOD uses it for motorbike racing and then kids come in with their scrambler bikes and the mud is churned up,” he said.
“I think it’s always been bad but it’s got worse. It’s like badlands. No one is taking responsibility for it.
“It is churned up by motorbikes, it’s used for people to take drugs – you see the needles – and it’s used for fly-tipping.
“To me, the problem has been this lack of stewardship by the MOD.
“It is their responsibility to keep it in order but this isn’t happening.”
The 61-year-old, of Kings Park, has applied for ownership to be Needles found on the land
taken away from the MOD on the grounds the land is redundant.
“Preferably it could be joined with the adjoining publicly owned land to create a new country park,” he said.
“Already plans have been agreed for part of the old barracks to be a park. This is the rest of it and the same needs to happen.”
The Ministry of Defence in 2015 revealed it would donate a new public park to the city as part of plans to transform Howe Barracks on St Martin’s Hill with hundreds of new homes.
Mr Waring said this other piece of land needed to be treated with the same care and his call has won the backing of city councillor Oliver Fawcett, a former army employee.
“I’m supportive of the idea as Canterbury is desperately in need of public space,” said Cllr Fawcett. “Something just on the outside of the city would work really well.
“I have a background in events, and large open spaces such as this are good for that and attracting people into the city.
“It’s a good idea for the council but there are a few logistics in order for it to be completely workable.
“The council doesn’t have a lot of money so it’s one of those things we would look at carefully.”
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