The Deal Society, originally known as The Deal Protection Society, supported by a galvanised population, helped to thwart a partial destruction of the town which would have meant having modern civic buildings in place of the largely unspoilt seaside town you see today.
In 1947 and later during the 1960s many of Deal’s important oldest buildings, none later than the Nelson period, and sections of the sea front were to be demolished. During the late 1940s the excuse was “war clearance”; in the 1960s it was “modernisation”. A large area of the town was to be razed and replaced by tall, Soviet-style municipal buildings totally out of keeping with their surroundings. The Deal Protection Society, as we were then, with the help of well-known and distinguished supporters, the local and national press, along with a large number of Deal residents, were vociferous in their objections to the unwarranted destruction of a large part of this delightful town.
Eventually those plans, and another for a link road which would have demolished more of the town, were rejected and Deal was saved. The furore concentrated minds wonderfully: buildings were listed and in the late 1960s Middle Street was designated the first conservation area in Kent.
Further information:
Deal… Will its past shape its future – A lecture given by Robin Green on July 1st 2011- The Origins of The Deal Society – An article by Gertrude Nunns published in November 2002