It must be the 'silly season' or a slow news week what with all the media interest in the forthcoming sale of the Estate. National and local newspapers, television and radio stations all wanting to report the impending sale of the U.K.'s 'only desert'. (The Met Office have stated they have never officially acknowleged the fact).
This web site has received many emails from all over the country expressing concerns that somehow a new owner may not preserve Dungeness as it is. Concerns are unfounded as, due to the many U.K. and European protections already in force here, nothing will and cannot change. What is here today will be here in one hundred years time – unless we are flooded out in the meantime (which is a highly unlikely scenario).
The £1.5 million price tag is only the starting point for 'offers over' and the final selling price is expected to be many millions more. It would not be surprising if EDF step into the breach and snap it up – as they have a vested interest in the area (the Nuclear Power station) and the beach extraction required for its flood protection.
Strutt & Parker, the selling agents (contact Will Whittaker on 020 7318 5166 … if you are interested in making an offer) have confirmed there has been an astronomical amount of interest but as always 95% are simply 'the curious'. I understand neither Madonna or Paul McCartney have made an offer – yet.! Watch this space.
In the meantime the Daily Mail are to present a small feature on the area and those who live here. I did provide a couple of dwellers who agreed to take part and I am sure my conversation with the paper was recorded (as if a news paper would actually record without ones knowledge – quite unthinkable and possibly quite slanderous to suggest that sort of thing goes on) and thus I expect to see some quotes from myself.
BBC Newsnight turned up last night and failing to find any intelligent beings wishing to appear on TV ended up on my doorstep in a last ditch attempt to record at least something. Thought it was being transmitted tonight (Thursday 13th) but may well have been last night..
No doubt more to follow.