Thanet
Encyclopedia
Thanet is a local government district
of Kent
, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972
, and came into being on 1 April 1974. The Isle of Thanet
makes up the major part of the District.
The district, which is governed by Thanet District Council
, is located on the north eastern tip of Kent, and is predominantly coastal, with north, east and southeast facing coastlines. It is bordered by the City of Canterbury
district to the west, and the Dover
district to the south. The main towns in the district are Margate
, Ramsgate
and Broadstairs
.
, it has always borne the brunt of invasions from the Continent
. An Isle of Thanet Rural District
had existed from the Local Government Act 1894
until it was abolished in 1935 to form part of Eastry Rural District
. The current District was formed in 1974, by the addition of the area over which was once the Wantsum Channel, including the settlement of Sarre.
majority, who hold 33 seats, compared to the 19 seats held by Labour
, who are the second party.
There are two MPs for Thanet:
The names of the civil parishes located in the district are:
Broadstairs and St Peter's form Broadstairs and St Peter's
, served by a town council, which has no more than the powers of a parish council. A town council was created for Ramsgate
in 2009.
The town of Margate is an unparished area
: it has a charter maintained by charter trustees
, having been a municipal borough
before 1974.
List of People from Thanet
New Projects underway include: A new community centre for Broadstairs. Redevelopment and renovations are to be undertaken at Margate's Dreamland (a Heritage Amusement Park); Cliftonville (Lido site); and a Holiday Inn (hotel) now open .A large retail and residential development on Ramsgate seafront is due to start construction in 2011. Royal sands as well and a multi million pound art gallery The Turner Contemporary (opened by Tracey Emin in April 2011) in Margate and massive investment and building works taking place in schools across the island.
In addition, the District Council has introduced an empty property initiative and has compulsory purchased empty and derelict buildings with the objective of bringing them back into use.
The Thanet Offshore Wind Project
, near North Foreland, began operating in September 2010. The project is expected to have a total capacity of up to 300 MW which, on average, is sufficient to supply approximately 240,000 homes per year with green energy. The project will thus make a significant contribution to the Government’s national and regional renewable energy targets. Thanet Earth
is the largest greenhouse development in the UK covering an area of 91 hectares with 7 greenhouses each the size of 10 football pitches producing cucumbers tomatoes and peppers all year.
Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs each have shopping centres with a mix of local and national retailers complemented by Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Westgate and Birchington. Westwood at the centre of Thanet has seen much major development in recent years with the building of Westwood Cross
shopping centre which is the home of national retailers and several restaurant chains including a Travelodge
hotel. Associated development has taken place around the shopping centre spawning other retail parks.
The rail connections are via the Chatham Main Line
through Margate to Ramsgate, and the Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line
. New high speed rail links from London to Thanet began in December 2009,and it is now possible to travel from Margate to St Pancras at an average speed of 60 miles per hour (about 96 km/h). This will form part of the UK's first true high-speed commuter service, according to the South Eastern Railway Company. Main road links are the A28
which brings traffic from Canterbury and Ashford; and the A299
, north coast route. The Saxon Shore Way
Long distance footpath skirts the coast.
There is an airport at Manston
, formerly RAF Manston
, but since renamed by its commercial operators as Kent International Airport
. Because it was used as an U.S. airbase during the second world war, it has one of the longest runways in the UK, and is designated by the United Nations as an emergency landing site for aircraft in trouble.
Ferry services (predominantly freight and car with passengers) are operated by Transeuropa ferries
to the Continent from Port of Ramsgate.
As of July 2010, overall indicators of health are poor for Thanet:
; Isle of Thanet Gazette and Thanet Times (merged with Adscene October 2009), all owned by Northcliffe Media
; and the midweek Your Thanet published online by KOS Media
. The county wide newspapers Kent on Saturday and Kent on Sunday
also serve the district.
Local radio stations are
National TV stations carry regional news:
The ITV1 service is provided currently by Meridian Broadcasting
; and the BBC South East Today
.
Thanet also has a local online radio and podcasting service currently operating online only known as 'Thanet Community Radio' (TCR). The station works closely with Dover
based 'Dover Community Radio' (DCR) which operates in a similar way.
is a major provider of further education in East Kent and a Training Provider that works with local businesses to raise the level of education across the region.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, and came into being on 1 April 1974. The Isle of Thanet
Isle of Thanet
The Isle of Thanet lies at the most easterly point of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the nearly -wide River Wantsum, it is no longer an island ....
makes up the major part of the District.
The district, which is governed by Thanet District Council
Thanet District Council
Thanet District Council is the local government body for the Thanet district. Its administrative centre is Margate. It is one of the district councils in Kent...
, is located on the north eastern tip of Kent, and is predominantly coastal, with north, east and southeast facing coastlines. It is bordered by the City of Canterbury
City of Canterbury
The City of Canterbury is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. The main settlement in the district is Canterbury, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.-History:...
district to the west, and the Dover
Dover (district)
Dover is a local government district in Kent, England. Dover is its administrative centre. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the boroughs of Deal, Dover, and Sandwich along with Dover Rural District and most of Eastry Rural District...
district to the south. The main towns in the district are Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
and Broadstairs
Broadstairs
Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about south-east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St. Peter's and had a population in 2001 of about 24,000. Situated between Margate and...
.
History
The Isle of Thanet is the major part of the Thanet District. Formed over 7000 years ago and separated from the mainland by the Wantsum ChannelWantsum Channel
The Wantsum Channel is the name given to a now silted-up watercourse separating the Isle of Thanet and what was the mainland of the English county of Kent...
, it has always borne the brunt of invasions from the Continent
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. An Isle of Thanet Rural District
Isle of Thanet Rural District
The Isle of Thanet Rural District was a rural district covering part of the Isle of Thanet in the county of Kent, England, from 1894 to 1935. Most of its former area is now part of the Thanet district....
had existed from the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
until it was abolished in 1935 to form part of Eastry Rural District
Eastry Rural District
Eastry Rural District was a rural district in the county of Kent, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1935 when several parishes were gained from the disbanded Isle of Thanet Rural District and other parishes were reorganised.It included the following...
. The current District was formed in 1974, by the addition of the area over which was once the Wantsum Channel, including the settlement of Sarre.
Governance
The current District is held by a ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
majority, who hold 33 seats, compared to the 19 seats held by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, who are the second party.
There are two MPs for Thanet:
- Roger GaleRoger GaleRoger James Gale is a British politician. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for North Thanet in Kent.-Early life:...
, Conservative MP for North Thanet, - Laura SandysLaura SandysLaura Jane Sandys is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament for South Thanet since the general election on 6 May 2010.-Early life:...
, Conservative MP for South Thanet.
The names of the civil parishes located in the district are:
- AcolAcol, KentAcol is a hamlet and civil parish about south of Birchington in Kent, England. It is one of the smallest communities in Kent, and over the years large parts of the parish have been transferred to other neighbouring communities...
- Birchington
- CliffsendCliffsendCliffsend is a village and civil parish situated almost west of Ramsgate, Kent, United Kingdom, in the Thanet local government district.Hengist and Horsa landed near here in 410AD, and St Augustine in 597.Pegwell Bay Country Park is located here...
- ManstonManston, KentManston is a village and civil parish in the Thanet district of Kent, England. The village is situated one mile north-west of Ramsgate. The parish includes four hamlets and Kent International Airport.-Etymology:...
- MinsterMinster-in-ThanetMinster-in-Thanet, also known as Minster, is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. The village is situated to the west of Ramsgate and to the north east of Canterbury; it lies just south west of Kent International Airport and just north of the River Stour...
- MonktonMonkton, KentMonkton is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. The village is located at the south-western edge of the Isle of Thanet and is situated mainly along the B2047 road, leading off the A263 road between Canterbury and Ramsgate. The civil parish stretches south to the...
- St Nicholas-at-Wade
Broadstairs and St Peter's form Broadstairs and St Peter's
Broadstairs and St Peter's
Broadstairs and St Peter's is a civil parish in the Thanet district of Kent, England. The parish comprises the settlements of Broadstairs, St Peters and Westwood, including Westwood Cross. It is a successor parish, created in 1974 to replace Broadstairs and St Peter's Urban District. It is governed...
, served by a town council, which has no more than the powers of a parish council. A town council was created for Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
in 2009.
The town of Margate is an unparished area
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
: it has a charter maintained by charter trustees
Charter Trustees
In England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established...
, having been a municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
before 1974.
Demography
In 2005 the estimated population of the District stood at 128,100.List of People from Thanet
Economy
The whole district suffers from seasonal unemployment, in spite of its proximity to London, because of various factors, among them being inward migration; high numbers of old people; and low numbers of affluent people. It is not helped by poor overall indicators for Health. In a study of resilience to economic downturns, Thanet was poorly rated at 295th out of 324 districts. Unemployment levels are nearly twice the South East of England as a whole, and as a result a great deal of planning is being done to encourage more businesses to relocate to the District. The Thanet & East Kent Chamber produces a weekly business digest, the Thanet & East Kent Insider, which reports on economic activity in the private and public sectors.New Projects underway include: A new community centre for Broadstairs. Redevelopment and renovations are to be undertaken at Margate's Dreamland (a Heritage Amusement Park); Cliftonville (Lido site); and a Holiday Inn (hotel) now open .A large retail and residential development on Ramsgate seafront is due to start construction in 2011. Royal sands as well and a multi million pound art gallery The Turner Contemporary (opened by Tracey Emin in April 2011) in Margate and massive investment and building works taking place in schools across the island.
In addition, the District Council has introduced an empty property initiative and has compulsory purchased empty and derelict buildings with the objective of bringing them back into use.
The Thanet Offshore Wind Project
Thanet Offshore Wind Project
The Thanet Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm off the coast of Thanet district in Kent, England. As of September 2010, it is the world's biggest offshore windfarm. It has a nameplate capacity of 300 MW and it cost £780-900 million...
, near North Foreland, began operating in September 2010. The project is expected to have a total capacity of up to 300 MW which, on average, is sufficient to supply approximately 240,000 homes per year with green energy. The project will thus make a significant contribution to the Government’s national and regional renewable energy targets. Thanet Earth
Thanet Earth
Thanet Earth is a large industrial agriculture project consortium under construction in the United Kingdom. As of early March 2009, food has been harvested....
is the largest greenhouse development in the UK covering an area of 91 hectares with 7 greenhouses each the size of 10 football pitches producing cucumbers tomatoes and peppers all year.
Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs each have shopping centres with a mix of local and national retailers complemented by Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Westgate and Birchington. Westwood at the centre of Thanet has seen much major development in recent years with the building of Westwood Cross
Westwood Cross
Westwood Cross is a shopping centre in Westwood in Thanet, Kent. It is circled by Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate. It was built by Carillion and opened in June 2005...
shopping centre which is the home of national retailers and several restaurant chains including a Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
hotel. Associated development has taken place around the shopping centre spawning other retail parks.
Transport
Chatham Main Line
The Chatham Main Line is a British railway line that runs from either London Victoria to Dover Priory / Ramsgate or London St Pancras to Faversham, with both services travelling via Medway...
through Margate to Ramsgate, and the Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line
Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line
The Ashford to Ramsgate line is the railway that runs from Ashford to Ramsgate via Canterbury West. The same termini can be reached by the Kent Coast LineThe line is electrified .-Services:...
. New high speed rail links from London to Thanet began in December 2009,and it is now possible to travel from Margate to St Pancras at an average speed of 60 miles per hour (about 96 km/h). This will form part of the UK's first true high-speed commuter service, according to the South Eastern Railway Company. Main road links are the A28
A28 road
The A28 is a trunk road in southern England. It runs south-west from the seaside resort of Margate in Kent via Westgate and Birchington, reaching open countryside at Sarre. The road continues via Upstreet and Hersden to Sturry, and on to the cathedral city of Canterbury...
which brings traffic from Canterbury and Ashford; and the A299
A299 road
The A299, better known as the Thanet Way, is a major road in the county of Kent, England, and runs from Brenley Corner near Faversham to Ramsgate via Whitstable and Herne Bay. It is predominantly used for freight traffic to Ramsgate Harbour and local traffic to Thanet.Most of the A299 was...
, north coast route. The Saxon Shore Way
Saxon Shore Way
The Saxon Shore Way is a long-distance footpath in England, starting at Gravesend, Kent and traces the coast as it was in Roman times as far as Hastings, East Sussex, in total.-History:...
Long distance footpath skirts the coast.
There is an airport at Manston
Manston, Kent
Manston is a village and civil parish in the Thanet district of Kent, England. The village is situated one mile north-west of Ramsgate. The parish includes four hamlets and Kent International Airport.-Etymology:...
, formerly RAF Manston
RAF Manston
RAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
, but since renamed by its commercial operators as Kent International Airport
Kent International Airport
Manston - Kent's International Airport is an airport located at Manston in the District of Thanet within Kent, England, northeast of Canterbury. It was formerly called RAF Manston , and was also known as London Manston Airport...
. Because it was used as an U.S. airbase during the second world war, it has one of the longest runways in the UK, and is designated by the United Nations as an emergency landing site for aircraft in trouble.
Ferry services (predominantly freight and car with passengers) are operated by Transeuropa ferries
Transeuropa Ferries
TransEuropa Ferries operates a ferry service between Ramsgate, Kent, UK and Ostend, West Flanders, Belgium. TransEuropa Ferries n.v. is the cross channel satellite arm of TransEuropa Shipping Lines d.o.o. of Slovenia....
to the Continent from Port of Ramsgate.
Health
Thanet has a large hospital: the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, known as the QEQM. Extension work which started in 2007 is still ongoing, as of 2010.As of July 2010, overall indicators of health are poor for Thanet:
- Health is worse in Thanet than in England on average
- Life expectancy is lower than for England
- There are health in equalities: in deprived areas life expectancy is 5 years lower for women and 10 years lower for men
- Teenage pregnancies are high compared to the England average
- Estimated smoking rates are average but death rates from smoking are higher significantly higher
- Binge drinking is around the national average
- Children are significantly less active than average
- Significantly higher than average number of people admitted to hospital for alcohol-specific conditions
- Significantly higher than average rate of diabetes
- Significantly higher than average rate of mental health problems
Media
Local newspapers are the Thanet Extra, part of the KM GroupKM Group
The KM Group, formerly known as the Kent Messenger Group until 2008, is a multimedia company based in the county of Kent in South East England...
; Isle of Thanet Gazette and Thanet Times (merged with Adscene October 2009), all owned by Northcliffe Media
Northcliffe Media
Northcliffe Media Ltd. is a large regional newspaper publisher in the UK and Central and Eastern Europe, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. The company's name was changed to Northcliffe Media from Northcliffe Newspaper Group in 2007.It operates from over 30 publishing centres, and also...
; and the midweek Your Thanet published online by KOS Media
KOS Media
KOS Media is a multimedia company based in the county of Kent in South East England. The company operates local newspapers and internet sites throughout the county.-History:...
. The county wide newspapers Kent on Saturday and Kent on Sunday
Kent on Sunday
Kent on Sunday is a multi-award winning regional newspaper covering the county of Kent in the United Kingdom. It is published on every Sunday of the year and is available from supermarkets, garages and newsagents...
also serve the district.
Local radio stations are
- KMFM ThanetKMFM ThanetKMFM Thanet is an Independent Local Radio serving the Isle of Thanet and the surrounding areas in Kent, South East England. It is part of the KMFM group of radio stations in the county, which are part of the KM Group.-History:...
(previously known as Thanet Local Radio) owned by the KM Group.(Most Programmes are networked with other KM Kent stations). - Community non commercial station Academy FMAcademy FM (Thanet)107.8 Academy FM is a non commercial community 24 hour local radio station based in Ramsgate, Kent and serving the Isle of Thanet. It launched on 5 April 2010, Easter Monday.107.8 Academy FM is based within The Marlowe Academy,Ramsgate...
Thanet on 107.8FM and online and via mobile app it broadcasts from within The Marlowe Academy Ramsgate . - The county-wide Heart Kent,
- BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio Kent.
National TV stations carry regional news:
The ITV1 service is provided currently by Meridian Broadcasting
Meridian Broadcasting
Meridian Broadcasting is the holder of the ITV franchise for the South and South East of England. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting Limited....
; and the BBC South East Today
South East Today
BBC South East Today is the BBC South East regional television news programme, serving Kent, East Sussex and the eastern fringes of Surrey. Prior to its launch on 3 September 2001, most of the viewers in the region received Newsroom South East, though some had been receiving South Today.South East...
.
Thanet also has a local online radio and podcasting service currently operating online only known as 'Thanet Community Radio' (TCR). The station works closely with Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
based 'Dover Community Radio' (DCR) which operates in a similar way.
Education
Thanet CollegeThanet College
Thanet College is a further education college located on the Isle of Thanet in Broadstairs, Kent on the southeast coast of the United Kingdom.The main campus is located on Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs...
is a major provider of further education in East Kent and a Training Provider that works with local businesses to raise the level of education across the region.