Bosmere Field (IBM Playing Fields) Notes.

- Tue 6th Mar 2007

Development Control Meeting -  1 March 2007 -  Havant Borough Council Chamber.

Planning Application 06/50283/083 for 3 business units and day  nursery on land west of Langstone Road, owned by Hampshire County Council.

Application submitted January 2006; site visit  4.1. 2007; Planning meeting deferred 11.1.07

80 plus members of public present -  some standing.

The council presented its case as published. Steve Weaver said the members had to weigh up the pros and cons.

Audit of field by Andy Paffett -  total 53%  - "fairly low" (High would be 74%)

Visual amenity and provision of green gap/sense of place its main attributes.

Demands good quality building. Jackie Batchelor, Head of Planning, said design appropriate" bearing in mind they are business units"!!

Addendum:- The Head of Highways Development Control was unable to field an officer to attend the meeting and sent a written report, received by members 15 minutes before the planning meeting. This meant that there was no-one to answer traffic questions put by members. Jackie Batchelor  blamed the councillors as they said nothing after the site visit about needing the highways officer and then said that the officer had only been invited  two weeks earlier and had a prior engagement. Thus, a vital witness was missing to the detriment of the public. ( Whose fault was this?)

Deputations

1. Michael Wilson - lawyer and Hayling resident. - PPG17  - not enough to claim surplus to requirements. Should consult with residents and look at all possible uses. Winter audit gave amenity value of 61% . Committee should defer or refuse for more robust assesment. Town and country Planning Act 1999 -  should not grant permission if departing from Local Plan. Deficiency of Open Space. If wanted for employment why not zoned for employment in the first place? 

2. Nigel Chilcott  Hayling Community Board.(Extracts)

The 2006 Hayling Island Market Town survey reports that “tourism is the mainstay of the local income-generating economy”. The Island has the two largest hotels in the Borough; four tourist parks each with plans for expansion; three nationally indeed internationally important sports clubs attracting over 130,000 money-spending visitors to the Island every year; the beach is the centre of boardsailing in the UK. Two significant marinas and numerous riding stables all bring people to the Island, and their spending money. Conversely, the Market Town survey reports that “Hayling is noted for the extent of its “out-commuting”.

So islanders are worried that any further congestion on their only access road will reduce their prosperity. They ask – do we need these extra buildings, so out of keeping with the present character of the approach road to Hayling Island, at a time when there remains much other brownfield land still to be developed in the borough? Do we have to give the many inward tourists to the Island yet another Rumplestiltskin’s Castle to gaze at as they grind their way through the traffic lights? With unemployment in the Borough running at less than 4%, do we really need to create more empty office spaces, they ask as they pass office buildings empty these past 10 years?

Did you know that In March 2006 the A3023 was blocked for 3.5 hours by temporary traffic lights on Langstone Road. Traffic standstill extended from Langstone Road south to the roundabout in Church Road, nearly 3 miles. South-going traffic standstill extended north of the Langstone roundabout and on to the A27. As a result of this, Hampshire Highways Chief Engineer tells us that he has decided that even low season traffic in Langstone Road is of such volume that daytime operation of temporary traffic lights can no longer be accommodated, and he is likely to revert to night time working in this residential area.

Yet, without any debate about the alternative possibilities of access to the site they are proposing to add extra lights!!!!! 

3. Betty Marshall -  Bosmere Hundred Society. (4mins 58secs!) - Pavilions?  - plainly office blocks. Similar to Texaco site plan turned down. Roundabout over-capacity. Traffic lights farcical.  BF part of Green chain - Footpath 108 leads to 51b and Mill Lane. Wayfarers Walk etc. Ancient path originally from Stockheath, broken up by town development. HBC policy to enhance and protect stream corridor. Proposed willow unsuitable and deciduous.

Vital link from town centre to coast. recent planning apps have acknowledged stream's importance.

4. County Cllr Ann Buckley (Bedhampton and Leigh Park - Liberal)

Traffic jams Park Rd South; De La Rue still empty; air quaity for nursery children? Not zoned for employment; part of residential area; IBM building pleasing. HCC enhancement policy "quality of place". Design unacceptable -  looks like upturned traffic cones. Inappropriate location for such units.

5. Mr Jeremy Heppell,  Chartered Town Planner -  for applicant. Worked closely with officers IBM had 2,500 employees, then down to 500. LTP; bought on behalf of manager of pension funds now employs 3,000. Xyratex, Wight Salads etc. Wants to expand range and size. new space of 100,000 sqft to rear of main building. Initial discussions on BF in 2002. Officers helpful and positive, Met with LRA 2002, briefing with RAs. Day nursery 90 children .200 jobs. Scottish and Southern want to use nursery. Have found 3/4 of occupiers. For start-up businesses. Fits with HBC's Unlock Potential. Havant dev. below normal; Portsmouth developing brownfield sites. Dunsbury not so good position. No open space need. Have worked hard for this and Paul Ramshaw (urban design officer) and David Guest (ward councillor st Faith's) have been very helpful. Tree planting. Gateway to town centre contribution. Unique opportunity for Borough. Council clearly saying compelling case for Fasset. Challenged Michael Wilson on PPG17 Kit Campbell report reliable. Development Plan directive - you've heard no policy direction against plan.

Cllr Jackie Branson (St Faith's - Conservative)

Aware of opposition - letters etc. Sad that Cllr Bolton cannot express views. Summary of representations is dismissive of reps. made Adds to sense of betrayal by HCC. Traffic adverse effect on tourism on Hayling. Taught at Bosmere School and took children to BF to play rounders. Demarcation between residential area and Technology Park. PPG17 should consult with local community. Enough brownfield land. IBM landscaped and set back. Pleasant view ruined. ice cream cornets. - mediocre and outdated. grey steel roofs, thin strip of planting. Not an extension of LTP. Access from L Rd and not Harts Farm Wy. Needs further debate.  Finished 6.30 pm

Cllr Ray Bolton (St Faith's - Conservative)

How can it be regenerated when never been generated? Field not run down. Employment opportunities on-site, Dunsbury, Dela Rue, Potash, Solent Rd, Lidl proposed for Leigh Park.

High-skilled come into borough. Agree with regeneration but must have balance. Oak Park, Ranelagh Rd, Warb sch. earmarked for development. Havant will become urban.. 237 letters and no effective consultation. Have read every letter. No current policies on the site, which is open space in gateway location. probably omitted because HCC had its own plans. Premature to LDF to grant permission. How do we know it wouldn't be better for a hotel or residential?

R121/101 considered premature to LDF Will result in unacceptable loss, detrimental to character and identity of Langstone.

Questions for Highways on queue length etc couldn't be answered, as no officer present from HCC.  David Farrow rebuked Ray for expressing his feelings about the lack of this witness. Ray said officers should have forseen the need to question Highways.

Data 3 years old and doesn't reflect numbers on-site. 25% more than IBM at its highest.  Pleased with its success but traffic aggravates. HCC uinlikely to raise objctions. Not thought through. How many cycle times re- lights on weekdays? (Jackie - traffic light times  can be altered following post-survey -  Refusal on highways grounds won't stand up on appeal.) Ray said that addendum only handed to him 15 mins before meeting and officers should not duck out of their reponsibilites. "I'm just a mere part-time councillor" -  expect paid officers to be here. 

Hideous building, overhanging, dominant roof. Gateway carbuncle. Obstructs Arup IBM  building, which won prestigious awards, including from  RIBA. When owned by IBM everything went through the proper planning process. I don't recall anything like this level of objection. R20/30 External appearance incongruous, detrimental to the amenityof the area. Ill-conceived plan. Page one of the case officer's report - Strategy implications. - protection and enhancement of natural and historic environment., re-use of existing buildings and development of brownfield sites good quality design. - aims of HBC's Community Strategy.

Consider the communities - flagrant attempt to usurp democratic process if it were to be developed. profiteering and likely to sell on at vast profit. Terrible mistake would scour gateway location.

Sheila Pearce (Hayling - Conservative)

Seconded Ray. . Good deputations. Tourism - danger of killing the goose that lays the golden egg.  Temporary traffic lights - Site visit couldn't take place because of traffic delays. Traffic problems should have been sorted after the B&Q application was turned down. Destination Hayling bid by HBC said that traffic congestion to Hayling needs to be reduced.

Gwen Andrews said, "Not the end of the journey we need to pursue the regeneration of Hayling". (See www.destinationhayling.com and HBC press release August 2006.)

3 major holiday centres and main income for island. £161 million from tourism in Hampshire. Plan says will cause traffic delays.

Jackie Batchelor to Ray - 90 second signal cycles = 40 per hour." Members can make up their own minds as to the impact."

Michael Cheshire (Hart Plain - Conservative)

Development would make a lasting impression going onto island.  More play areas needed.  Agree with Ray and Sheila.

Vic Pierce-Jones (Hayling - Conservative)

Agree with Sheila - Seriously damage Hayling economy. 20% work for tourist industry. Probably flattest area in EU! Slough-on-sea if no vistas. Quoted Betjeman. Barron of  De la Rue was successful but he couldn't grow on the site, so he left. and neither can this site be added to.

John Smith (E. Hayling - Conservative)

Strongly object. We've enough in Solent Rd.  Gateway - something special could be built there, though don't want anything there. Design not innovative, boring and looks as if built just after the war. Temporary lights were disastrous.  HBC working hard to develop tourism in the area. Inviting them to a traffic jam. Won't be much time left to spend on the beach. Site important for recreation. Lost for ever if development went through.

Cyril Hilton (Stakes - Conservative)

Design unsuitable - agree on traffic.  Some children in  Leigh Park don't know where the beach is and this won't help them find out. Being dictated to by HCC.

Sheila Troke (Hart Plain - Liberal)

Chaos at roundabout, pollution.  Doubt if there would be work for local people.  Listen to people. If there were snails or worms there they would be considered, why not humans? Green space vanishing quickly. Open space appreciated by the people who work at the business park.

David Farrow  (chairman - Purbrook - Conservative)- "We can only protect the field for so long." (Is that relevant?)

Jackie Batchelor - Adopted reports/plans say that council wants to improve quality not quantity of open space. 

( Didn't mention that Core Stragey document asks if we want to maintain that or go for quantity of accessible open space. LRA voted for latter. Forward Planning told me that they wanted to go for quality spaces, so that they could release poor quality space in the Leigh Park area. Prematurity? I thought Community Boards were to be asked to look at which open spaces can be released for building.)

Brendan Gibb-Gray (Emsworth - Conservative)

Open space for open spaces sake. R13 Local Plan -  this breaks chain of open spaces. Linked by 51b footpath to coast and then east or west.  Would move for an adjournment with Highways being absent. Issues in  eyes of the people haven't been answered. Insulting that HCC thinks it not important enough to attend. LDF p.10, 8.4 -  Prematurity - substantial development. The people think it is. I agree. Need a balance between regeneration and green spaces.  Once built on gone forever. 2 playing fields have gone recently. Tipping over into if it's green put something on it.

Gateway to Hayling and both harbours. Largest dollar area for tourism. World class sailing club at Hayling. Gateway location put in peril. Diminishes gateway to Chichester Harbour.  HBC working to revitalise tourism. Can walk from town centre  to coast and back up Billy line. Need to think v. carefully about building on precious open space.

Andy Paffett - open spaces manager.

Strong quality is its visual amenity. Gives airiness to locality. Wildlife mainly in stream corridor. You have to weigh up the strengths as it is now.

(He told me in January that Bosmere Field was part of a green seauence)

Terry Hart (Bondfields - Labour)

Didn't think we'd miss Andy MaClean (HBC traffic for 30 yrs) so soon. Leisure and Tourism policy just about to come out. Walking = healthy living. Ideal site for building but infrastructure not there. Tesco turned down originally by Highways because of junction. Look at the times the lights have had to be tweaked.  Must build within the Leisure strategy. Looks like a hopper for wood chippings.

Jackie B      When we deferred the application for an assessment you didn't ask for additional Highways info. We've asked Andy Paffett to come to answer open space issues. Only asked two weeks ago for HCC to field a highways officer. Ray - officers should have foreseen the need to answer Qs.

David Keast  - (Cowplain - Conservative)

I played there as a child. Design just blocks of concrete and glass. No specific plan policy, so should be easy to turn down. Used for sport - shame not still used. De la Rue still empty. Use other sites. Plenty of consultation with officers for applicant. Pity residents not blessed with similar consultation. Ann Buckley can take the message back to Winchester.

Andy Paffett - Plenty of underused spaces for playing fields. Might get 2 small pitches on it but too much infrastructure needed. (Open Spaces Plan 2006-7 says slight defecit in Langstone and lacking multi-sports court. But we were never consulted on the OS plan, as Langstone Conservation Group was left out. 11 other CGs consulted. RAs not consulted. Why not?)

Virginia Steel - (Warren Park  - Labour)

Difficult decision. I can't decide. I played on this field. If this doesn't get through something else will. Jobs. This development may not be what is needed. I like bricks. Having diffiulty with this. (Abstained n the vote)

Yvonne Weeks (Barncroft) and Wendy Brown (Waterloo) did not speak and Mrs Stocker absent.

VOTE  13 against and one abstention.

Reasons for refusal to be related to prematurity (gateway location of sufficient importance to character of borough to await LDF policies), design quality (espcially external appearance, form and materials detracting from character of area) and effect of loss of green space on character and identity of Langstone and of quality of life. Interference to users of the Highway and effect of increased traffic on local economy.  Grounds to be properly worded and published.

R101/R121//R13/R20/30/UB3 and UB1 HCC Structure Plan and D1 and EMP1 of HBDWLP T5.EMP mentioned.

Contemporaneous notes.  Ann Griffiths email asgriff@hotmail.com

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