I am determined that we should save the Leas Lift in Folkestone. It is an important part of our heritage, and can play a vital role in the future of the town. With the prospect of working starting in earnest on the redevelopment of the Folkestone seafront, the Leas Lift will be an important connection between the harbour and the centre of the town.
On Friday last week I called a meeting at the Civic Centre in Folkestone to bring together the key partners who have an interest in the future of the lift. These included the Radnor Estate, which owns the lift, the Leas Lift community interest company which has been operating it for the last few years, the Folkestone Creative Foundation and Shepway District Council. There is an immediate need to find around £80,000 to install the modern breaking system for the lift, as requested by the Health and Safety Executive. Now is also the time to commission a full survey of the lift to see if there are any other works that should be undertaken at the same time.
The best source of funding to secure the future of the lift is the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). I was delighted that we were joined at the meeting on Friday by Paul Hudson, a local resident who was until recently the Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the South East. The HLF has a special fund for industrial and transport projects that can include supporting the restoration of machinery back into full use. A bid to the HLF also provides an opportunity to consider how we can make the lift more accessible to the community and develop a special visitors centre presenting the history of the lift.
Shepway Council has offered time from its officers to help write the bids to the HLF, working in partnership with the Leas Lift company and the Radnor Estate. It may still be the case that the lift is required to be closed for a period whilst the funding to secure its future is sought, and the necessary works are carried out. However, we all want to make sure that if there is a temporary closure of the lift that it is for as short a time as possible, and when it reopens it does so with its future secure.
On Thursday last week I organised a meeting with my colleague, Dr Thérèse Coffey, the Minster for the Environment, with representatives of our local fishing industry; Terry Noakes, Tony Hills and Paul Beresford. Dr Coffey is responsible for the selection of sites to be included in the consultation for the third phase of adopting Marine Conservation Zones around the coast. We are concerned that Hythe Bay should not be put forward for consideration in this final round of consultations. There is no evidence at all that fishing in Hythe Bay has an adverse impact on the biodiversity of this area, particularly as it is carried out by small inshore trawlers using lightweight gear. However, restrictions on fishing in Hythe Bay would have a terrible impact on the local trawlermen and this cannot be allowed to happen.