HIRA Open Meeting

- Thu 27th Apr 2006

Hayling Charities raise over £500K p.a.
 
At the HIRA open meeting on 20th April, various Island charities and fundraising bodies gave accounts of their programmes and the activities by which they raised their funds. In total, for those charities that were able to give figures, more than £500K was raised during the last year.
The number of organisations attending and the details provided were so extensive that it is not possible to cover them all in this report and a separate item in this edition of the Islander will address this further. Suffice it to say here, the range of organisations and financial contributions made by Islanders is extremely impressive and should give all residents a feeling of pride in all the good works carried out on our behalf.
Trim Trail 
The stations on the trim trail now have plaques to show the exercises intended to be carried out at each point. These plaques greatly enhance the effectiveness of the trail and add a nice touch to each station. Overall notices show the complete range of options and so we hope that during the coming season more and more people will use this facility and help improve their health.
Eastoke Corner Scheme
At a recent meeting the phasing of the construction of this development was discussed and start dates of July and September were proposed. There were proponents and opponents for each date. A decision needs to be made and may have been by the time this is published. HIRA preferred the earlier start as it would get the job done more quickly and provide interest for visitors who would be keen to see the end result at subsequent visits.
Affordable Housing
A discussion of this took place during our last committee meeting. It was stated that this was a matter of prime consideration for the authorities. It was pointed out that, as the older members of the population tended to be more able to afford accommodation by downsizing, building more desirable housing for the elderly might be better as this would release more, better quality, housing for other people to move up into.
Bosmere Field Development
HIRA discussed this recently and felt that, apart from the undesirable traffic connotations, it would 'urbanise' the approach to Hayling that was felt to be very detrimental to the Hayling Image. The 'urban' Borough wants this area to be a 'gateway' but that should apply to the north of the A27, not to the south. HIRA is continuing to object to this development and to support the other groups in the Borough who are also campaigning to defeat the scheme. If the Borough wants to develop this area, perhaps it could accommodate a theatre or concert hall as had been suggested by various parties for the Potash Terrace site.
Living Landmarks
Hayling has successfully been placed on the long list for this project. By the time this is published a meeting will have been held to progress this scheme further.
Gorron Roundabout
This small development has markedly improved the appearance of this area and shows how little effort is needed to improve things though a massive amount of time and effort has been expended in getting approval! Hopefully we can make similar small improvements elsewhere as time passes.
Hotel Lights
North Hayling residents are continuing to object to excessive light spillage from the hotel at Northney. Surely any one with any design capability knows that if you illuminate someone who does not want to be illuminated, it is your own money that you are throwing down the drain.

Tony Higham.

Main contacts:

Chairman: Paul Fisher 92461412

By forum user, PaulFisher