The decline of many of our seaside towns over the years has left many disgruntled residents with axes to grind. Yet it seems even when plans to revitalise them are announced sparks continue to fly

Let’s take one recent example.

Within easy walking distance of Margate’s DfL honeypot – the Turner Contemporary – lies the Walpole Bay tidal pool.

It has, for many years, been one of Kent’s best-kept secrets – a vast walled swimming pool which draws water both from the incoming tide and springs which bubble up beneath it.

At almost any time of the year, you will find hardy swimmers wet-suited up and front crawling their way from one side to the other.

Such is its scale – it’s 300ft wide and 500ft long - the swimmers can comfortably share the space with those pottering around on paddleboards and kayaks.

In short, assuming the local water company hasn’t unleashed another wave of untreated turds into the surrounding sea, it’s a real asset to the area. Granted, there’s a fair bit of seaweed lurking in there, but then it is the sea.

Once upon a time, it was one of Thanet’s crown jewels – a hugely popular bolt-on for the well-off who stayed in the, then-up-market resort of Cliftonville which towers above it. Yes, Cliftonville.

But you don’t need me to remind you that our changing holiday habits saw Margate and its environs slide down the slippery slope of decline.

Thus, for the last however many years, any mention of Margate tends to be met with ‘why has the council let so many sites we once loved just rot?’ comments. Regardless, of course, as to whether the council actually does own them or not. The nearby – mostly empty – Lido complex being a case in point.

It is too easy, too often, to lay the blame at the door of local authorities.

Yet, recently, the frequently maligned – and frequently for good reason – Thanet District Council announced it was going to splash out on the tidal pool.

It unveiled plans to invest £1.8 million in not only creating some much-needed facilities next to the pool – a beachside pavilion with changing facilities, cafe and what have you – but also, crucially, to restore the art deco lift, built in 1934, which one carried the well-to-do down from the top of the cliff to the tidal pool’s doorstep.

Now, whatever you may think of Thanet District Council, this scheme, surely, is one to be applauded. There was – many, many years ago – a pavilion by the tidal pool but storms smashed it to smithereens. What’s more, people have long campaigned for the lift to be restored.

Yet – and this is the baffling bit – when these plans were unveiled, an awful lot of comments left both on KentOnline and other social media sites were critical.

Among the complaints I saw was that such facilities were aimed at the “upmarket crowd”. Unless I’ve missed something, enjoying the beach and swimming in a relatively safe area (for free) is surely the very epitome of ‘appealing to all’? The class system is, clearly still very much alive and well.

One person quipped: “Thanet...is a festering dump that the council can’t be bothered with and seem to block any hint of regeneration or even people making a living out of visiting trade”.

Er...Thanet? The isle is almost the embodiment in Kent of what regeneration can achieve. Margate’s brave embracing of art (the Turner receiving significant funding from KCC) as its catalyst has delivered a vibrant, revived community drawing in every walk of life and is all the better for it.

Stretching into the neighbouring towns, Ramsgate’s marina – transformed over recent years – would rival most places on the continent. Broadstairs is a coastal gem of lanes, gardens and a beautiful sandy beach.

A “festering dump” – in my humble opinion – is about as far from the truth as it is possible to get. Yes, Thanet is a little rough around the edges, but that, dear reader, is the same in pretty much any town or city you may wish to mention. And, as I’ve written before, anyone who thinks ‘regeneration’ is agreed one day and delivered the next, is deluded. It takes years – if not decades – to revive areas (of which Thanet is one) which was ignored for a whole generation.

It is time, in my opinion, for those whose knee-jerk reaction is to oppose everything and, for that matter, point the guilty finger at local authorities, to sometimes pause and ponder whether it really is worth complaining about.