Chairman's Report - AGM October 16th 2008

- Thu 16th Oct 2008

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

As reported by Brenda Greenland, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, our finances have had a satisfactory year, even making a slight surplus. We plan to visit lapsed members and those due for a renewal, if only to ensure that former members are still alive and living on Hayling! We could still do with quite a few more members and I am sure they are out there – getting to them is the problem. It is here that all of you could be helpful, by encouraging friends and neighbours to join. Members are reminded that the membership year starts on 1st September.

I am also pleased to be able to report that we now have a full committee, including the vital posts of Planning Officer, Minutes Secretary and Treasurer. As mentioned by Brenda, she would certainly appreciate some help in the membership area.

I should like to touch briefly upon matters with which the Association has involved itself during the past year.

Once again I shall divide these up into four areas, with the acronym of EPIC – environment, planning, issues and community.


ENVIRONMENT

The development of Eastoke Corner continues to be a major concern. It now appears that Phase 2, which is the redesigned road layout and parking arrangements, has been postponed indefinitely, with the excuse being that it should now be part of the proposed Seafront Masterplan, but we suspect that is mainly due to differences between Havant and the County on the road layout. At least the kaleidoscope has been replaced with a telescope! There is also still doubt about the North Hayling Circular Walk, these being the last of the Hayling Liveability projects to be completed.

Flooding and sea defences also continue to be major concerns and were the subject of the well-attended April Open Meeting, with the people of Northney being especially involved. Meanwhile the renourishment of the south easterly coastline takes place and we wonder what happened about a sandy section which we were promised as an experiment.

Amongst other environmental issues which have affected us are those of the very impressive Northney and Tye Village Design Statement; the Three Harbours Leader Programme; the welcome reduction in graffiti, but an increase in litter and dog-fouling; the proposed Holiday Inn at Langstone Gate; the successful application for Village Green status for Mengham Park, supported by HIRA; the new green Welcome to Hayling signs, including twinning recognition at both the Bridge and the Ferry; the improvements to lighting in Hayling Park and to pavements on West Lane; the Gun Site opened by English Heritage; the Sports Centre makeover, completed as part of a Business in the Community project and last, but not least, the refurbishment of the HIRA noticeboard in Mengham Precinct. HIRA has formally become a Friend of Chichester Harbour.

A number of other environment-related issues are referred to in the Community section to follow.


PLANNING

We have of course been vigilant in our scrutiny of planning proposals, both individual projects and the bigger issues contained within the recently completed Local Plan, now superseded by the Local Development Framework, upon which we have made our views felt. This proposed 300 greenfield site dwellings on Hayling, not counting windfall or infilling developments, at least for the first five years and to which we have sent in our objections. We have been particularly insistent on the need to have mixed developments, where they are approved and not the number of one-bedroom flats that are applied for. We are still looking for a satisfactory explanation of the term ’affordable housing’, as it relates to Hayling Island. The main planning items considered included the application for development of the Tesco site in Havant and the Rose in June controversy (compounded by the destruction of the barn), where both HIRA and HICB have expressed their opposition to the development, wishing to retain this strategic site for the benefit of the community. Other proposed or completed developments upon which we have expressed our views were: St Mary’s Meadow; Selsmore Road; Selsmore Avenue; Salterns Lane; two sites on Station Road; McCarthy and Stone; the Kittiwake and Waynflete sites; improved facilities at St Mary’s Church and the proposed development of a plot on St Catherine’s Road containing a maytree. We suspect that the number of applications will now diminish with the current financial climate.

One eternal problem which vexes us is that proposed developments which are turned down by the Council almost always seem to succeed on appeal and we seem powerless to prevent this. We are also unhappy with the apparent lack of emphasis on high design standards applied to developments within the Borough. In addition, HBC are unable to keep up with the work, due to shortage of qualified staff, coupled with the sheer number of applications. There are proposals to change the way in which planning issues are dealt with locally, which all being well will alleviate some of the problems.

You may follow all these issues by reading the minutes of our meetings, which are regularly posted in our noticeboard in Mengham and also published on the haylingisland.net website, where we have our own pages. I should also like to thank Tony Higham for his excellent articles in the Hayling Islander, which I am sure we all read with great interest.

ISSUES
Other subjects which we have discussed and expressed our views to the appropriate authorities about, include:

The proposed Seafront and Beachlands Masterplan, which was the subject of July’s Public Meeting and was broadly welcomed, but we felt that it was vital to include Norfolk Crescent and its environs in the plan, as well as Eastoke itself; the issue of a Town Council for Hayling, being the subject of the January Open Meeting, with the Committee are in favour of progressing the idea – we are now in talks with HBC about the way forward. Other issues that we have been considering are mobility buggies in lifts; a direct bus route from Mengham to West Town; safety on Ferry Road; the Sustrans successful lottery bid for connecting communities, but Hayling not being included through lack of co-operation from HCC; a proposed independent pharmacy; continued support for the idea of an ambulance station on the Island; the public drinking orders and our support for Police Community Consultation.

COMMUNITY
Now that the work of the Community Board in deciding how to spend the £3m+ Liveability Fund money has come to a close, the Community Board is finding its way in a new environment and with new members. Since the MTI and HICB share many similar aims, there have been suggestions of closer liaison.

HIRA is well represented on the new Community Board, since both Tony Higham and I are amongst the 15 members of the Board

Other community issues that we have considered include: Hayling’s Best Market Town Initiative, responsible for the Scarecrow Festival, the Windowspotting Competition; the Postcard from Hayling DVD; Discover Hayling heritage programme; Playing on the Plaza and the Stocks at Eastoke Corner; the Pride of Place initiative at the Bridge Centre; plans for development of the Library with Hayling’s share of lottery money; the reduction in crime figures and anti-social behaviour; the 10th Anniversary of Hayling’s twinning with Gorron; the Joint Effort Café in Creek Road, which is doing good work; the dirt jumps successfully developed by young people with public grants; Forward Together 2008, published by HBC, giving 12 sustainable points to improve life in the Borough and the new Hayling Food Festival, which we deemed a partial success, but could have benefited from more community involvement. Young people on the Island are ably represented on the HIRA committee and we are continuing to support the Hi Y Café, which is prospering.

Committee members represented HIRA at a number of meetings and seminars on issues vital to the future of the Island. HBC keep us pretty well informed on important matters and we have regular correspondence and meetings with other local RAs.

We have a full programme of important and relevant subjects for Open Meetings in 2009. Let us hope that they are well attended.

In conclusion, I wish to thank all the members of the committee for their work during the year and the councillors for their support. I should also like to encourage new members to join the association, so that we can make an increasing contribution to the Island’s future.

Paul Fisher
Chairman, HIRA