peninsula

Where are you from then?
Hoo
Er-you
Hoo

and so it goes.

The Hoo Peninsula is pretty much unknown to anyone outside the immediate area.
Sandwiched between the estuaries of the Thames and Medway; it is not glamorous, it isn't an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it isn't famous.
It is a compact, low lying, area north of the Medway towns and is made up of a handful of villages and farms.
But to say it holds no interest is wildly inaccurate. It has been touched by the big events in history; has strong military links; marshlands that retain their distinct appeal; an industrial heritage and rewards those who put in a little effort and time.
It is also true to say that it has rapidly changed in the last few years and is facing a future with a lot of issues. It is a microcosm of the questions faced by rural areas across the UK, but especially Southern England.
There are social, economic, environmental and political pressures squeezing this small space.

Here is a personal view of this situation using some photos as props. I will ask some questions.

What kind of Peninsula do people want?

Photo 1: Powerstations

This photo sums up the Hoo Peninsula- a mix of farmland, industry and history (that is Hoo Church spire being dwarfed by the power station)

Most of the photos on this site carefully omit the structures that dominate the landscape-the powerstations and pylons. This is Kingsnorth near Hoo St Werburgh, with further chimneys from Grain to the left and the cranes of Thamesport (a container port). There are plans afoot to build more, or at least replace the existing coal-fired ones. These power stations really saw a huge expansion in the population of the area, along with an oil refinery at Grain (now gone) in the 50s and 60s. The Peninsula had industry before-notably cement at Cliffe and bricks in Hoo-and expansion had occurred in the early 20th century, but the 60s saw a bigger development. Many new people moved in and large areas of council-type housing were built in all the villages. Private development took place too, especially Cliffe Woods where a whole new village was constructed. Since then more and more houses have been built-and there are plans for even more.

Are too many houses being built?

Photo 2: The Willows

New houses being built at Chattenden. A survey conducted by Dr Polan, a sociology teacher at the Hundred of Hoo, in the 1990s analysed the people looked at this immigration to the Peninsula. Most incomers came from local towns, but especially Gravesend and South East London. There was a mix of people, but a higher than average number of self-employed people who had made their cash from their own small businesses. Farming is important in the area, however very few people are directly involved with agriculture, but depend on service jobs in the Medway Towns or carrying on the family business. This means that the villages on the Peninsula are "dormitory" settlements-few actually work in them-they are only around in the evenings and weekends. How much community spirit is there? Some would say that the expansion of places like High Halstow and Hoo will destroy the "village" feel. Is this true? Does it matter?

How good is social cohension on the Peninsula?

There appear to be many issues about anti-social behaviour (see Photo4). Are there more problems than before? Is it enough to just tut and complain-should more be done? Are the young people on the Peninsula involved enough in the decisions made? Should we label all the teenagers because of the behaviour of a minority?

The issues go beyond the scope of the local area and reflect bigger changes in society. Certainly consumer society has given teenagers more money, more choices and more consumer power. The digital age is second nature to them, whilst remaining a bit of a mystery to older people. Socially, people no longer feel that they can approach the young, and they, in return, give off an image of "we don't care". It seem that work needs to be done to re-establish some links between the different generations and social groups on the Peninsula. This is one of the aims of the website-to bring people together.

How bad is the A228?

Photo 3: A228

Here you can see the old Ratcliffe Highway to the right and the new dual carriageway to the left. This road has a terrible reputation and you cannot fail to notice the roadside tributes to accident victims.Many peole on the peninsula have been affected. It does seem short-sighted to build a container port at Grain and not provide a top-quality link for the lorries. On the other hand how many accidents have been caused by people taking too many risks? Should more freight use the railway or will increased use of level crossings cause more jams and frustration?

Also with more and more new houses, traffic will only increase on country roads that were not designed for a high volume. It is amazing to think about the transport situation before the Wainscott by-pass and Tunnel. With improved access to the Peninsula, it was obvious that new developments would take place and traffic increase. Which brings us to:

What is the future for Chattenden Barracks?

Photo 4: Chattenden Barracks

There are so many versions of the plans for the barracks. What do you think should be done? With all that I have mentioned before, any new plans must be carefully constructed.

Recently there was the major campaign against the idea of an airport at Cliffe. This sums up many of the issues here. People moved in to escape the towns and didn't want the area concreted. Some talked about the massive environmental impact, whilst others pointed to job opportunities. The airport controversy highlighted a bigger national issue-I wonder how any campaigners still went abroad by plane for their holiday this year? Will the local people be joining the fight to stop more runways at Heathrow or Stansted?

The plan was rejected and now attempts are being made to encourage other "greener" initiatives. Perhaps to attract more tourists to the area, based on the RSPB reserves at High Halstow and Cliffe and obvious places off-peninsula like Leeds Castle or Rochester. Walks have been advertised and activities like horse-riding or golf have potential. These might be difficult to sustain in an area that sees more housing, more traffic and large scale industrial growth.

So the picture is complex. What will the Hoo Peninsula become:

a suburb of the Medway Towns?

a green holiday destination?

a series of large villages with the elderly living in fear of the young?

something else?

Perhaps it is time to make your point and become involved in discussions and decisions that affect the future of the Hoo Peninsula.

Replies to: postmaster@hoo-peninsula.org.uk


Where are you from then? Hoo Er-you Hoo and so it goes. The Hoo Peninsula is pretty much unknown to anyone outside the immediate area. Sandwiched between the estuaries of the Thames and Medway; it is not glamorous, it isn't an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it isn't famous. It is a compact, low lying, area north of the Medway towns and is made up of a handful of villages and farms. But to say it holds no interest is wildly inaccurate. It has been touched by the big events in history; has strong military links; marshlands that retain their distinct appeal; an industrial heritage and rewards those who put in a little effort and time. It is also true to say that it has rapidly changed in the last few years and is facing a future with a lot of issues. It is a microcosm of the questions faced by rural areas across the UK, but especially Southern England. There are social, economic, environmental and political pressures squeezing this small space. Here is a personal view of this situation using some photos as props. I will ask some questions. What kind of Peninsula do people want? Photo 1: Powerstations This photo sums up the Hoo Peninsula- a mix of farmland, industry and history (that is Hoo Church spire being dwarfed by the power station) Most of the photos on this site carefully omit the structures that dominate the landscape-the powerstations and pylons. This is Kingsnorth near Hoo St Werburgh, with further chimneys from Grain to the left and the cranes of Thamesport (a container port). There are plans afoot to build more, or at least replace the existing coal-fired ones. These power stations really saw a huge expansion in the population of the area, along with an oil refinery at Grain (now gone) in the 50s and 60s. The Peninsula had industry before-notably cement at Cliffe and bricks in Hoo-and expansion had occurred in the early 20th century, but the 60s saw a bigger development. Many new people moved in and large areas of council-type housing were built in all the villages. Private development took place too, especially Cliffe Woods where a whole new village was constructed. Since then more and more houses have been built-and there are plans for even more. Are too many houses being built? Photo 2: The Willows New houses being built at Chattenden. A survey conducted by Dr Polan, a sociology teacher at the Hundred of Hoo, in the 1990s analysed the people looked at this immigration to the Peninsula. Most incomers came from local towns, but especially Gravesend and South East London. There was a mix of people, but a higher than average number of self-employed people who had made their cash from their own small businesses. Farming is important in the area, however very few people are directly involved with agriculture, but depend on service jobs in the Medway Towns or carrying on the family business. This means that the villages on the Peninsula are "dormitory" settlements-few actually work in them-they are only around in the evenings and weekends. How much community spirit is there? Some would say that the expansion of places like High Halstow and Hoo will destroy the "village" feel. Is this true? Does it matter? How good is social cohension on the Peninsula? There appear to be many issues about anti-social behaviour (see Photo4). Are there more problems than before? Is it enough to just tut and complain-should more be done? Are the young people on the Peninsula involved enough in the decisions made? Should we label all the teenagers because of the behaviour of a minority? The issues go beyond the scope of the local area and reflect bigger changes in society. Certainly consumer society has given teenagers more money, more choices and more consumer power. The digital age is second nature to them, whilst remaining a bit of a mystery to older people. Socially, people no longer feel that they can approach the young, and they, in return, give off an image of "we don't care". It seem that work needs to be done to re-establish some links between the different generations and social groups on the Peninsula. This is one of the aims of the website-to bring people together. How bad is the A228? Photo 3: A228 Here you can see the old Ratcliffe Highway to the right and the new dual carriageway to the left. This road has a terrible reputation and you cannot fail to notice the roadside tributes to accident victims.Many peole on the peninsula have been affected. It does seem short-sighted to build a container port at Grain and not provide a top-quality link for the lorries. On the other hand how many accidents have been caused by people taking too many risks? Should more freight use the railway or will increased use of level crossings cause more jams and frustration? Also with more and more new houses, traffic will only increase on country roads that were not designed for a high volume. It is amazing to think about the transport situation before the Wainscott by-pass and Tunnel. With improved access to the Peninsula, it was obvious that new developments would take place and traffic increase. Which brings us to: What is the future for Chattenden Barracks? Photo 4: Chattenden Barracks There are so many versions of the plans for the barracks. What do you think should be done? With all that I have mentioned before, any new plans must be carefully constructed. Recently there was the major campaign against the idea of an airport at Cliffe. This sums up many of the issues here. People moved in to escape the towns and didn't want the area concreted. Some talked about the massive environmental impact, whilst others pointed to job opportunities. The airport controversy highlighted a bigger national issue-I wonder how any campaigners still went abroad by plane for their holiday this year? Will the local people be joining the fight to stop more runways at Heathrow or Stansted? The plan was rejected and now attempts are being made to encourage other "greener" initiatives. Perhaps to attract more tourists to the area, based on the RSPB reserves at High Halstow and Cliffe and obvious places off-peninsula like Leeds Castle or Rochester. Walks have been advertised and activities like horse-riding or golf have potential. These might be difficult to sustain in an area that sees more housing, more traffic and large scale industrial growth. So the picture is complex. What will the Hoo Peninsula become: a suburb of the Medway Towns? a green holiday destination? a series of large villages with the elderly living in fear of the young? something else? Perhaps it is time to make your point and become involved in discussions and decisions that affect the future of the Hoo Peninsula. Replies to: postmaster@hoo-peninsula.org.uk