HIRA- Report April 2007

- Fri 30th Mar 2007

THREATS TO ISLAND SERVICES 

This is the topic for the April Open meeting at the United Reformed Church Hall at 7.30pm, Thursday 19th April. We are concerned that the population of the Island is growing, with more flats and houses constantly being built, especially for retired people, but the Health Centre has not expanded accordingly, the police presence has reduced, there are fewer shops, fewer post offices and fewer employers than in years past. We plan to have representatives form the services, who will have the opportunity to explain how they are dealing with this problem and also you will have your opportunity to ask questions. So put the date in your diary and come along to the URC!

Planning issues

As people will have read, a number of contentious planning applications have been turned down, deferred or gone on to appeal, which is the outcome of the majority of rejected applications. These items have been widely reported elsewhere so will not be repeated.

There are, however, many elements to these applications and the problem is often that, while we do not like some particular item, it is no good just saying so without some firm basis for such objections, based upon planning criteria.

A case in point is the application to put industrial units on the Bosmere Field site, beside the roundabout at Langstone. Many objections have been raised, the most relevant, from the Hayling point of view, being traffic matters and the fact that buildings were to be close to the road and would ‘urbanise’ the approach to Hayling. It seems that one thing we should be fighting for is to prevent any development on the EAST side of the stream that runs through the site. This would at least provide a demarcation line to be used as an absolute limit on development.

Unfortunately it is probably far too late to use this as an argument, but it represents the type of argument we should be using to resist uncontrolled development.

Farm Stores on Sandy Point Road

We have heard that this local shop is to close, because the owners, who live off the Island, are not willing to renew the lease and wish to use the site for residential development. This is most regrettable, because the shop is well-used, respected and the only retail outlet in this eastern part of the Island, serving not only the residents of Eastoke and Sandy Point, but also the nearby caravan sites.  We also don’t need more houses in the area!

Tourism DVD – A Postcard from Hayling

By the time this is published, these should have been produced and be available from local outlets, at £2.99 each. We hope that all residents will buy copies and send them to friends to encourage them to visit us in Hayling, spend money and help counter the seaside blight that has been addressed recently in the papers. Hayling must have an economy based on other than residents living here but working everywhere but here. (Some people might disagree!)

Buses

My comments on bus usage by people who may need the use of wheelchairs clearly raised a number of hackles. The comments were not of my making, but merely the result of discussions with official bodies responsible for providing such services. I made the point that a number of keen local transport observers had complained about the lack of low-platform buses on Hayling services and was told that there was little need to meet the requirements of that particular group of users, as they were already provided with more appropriate means of getting about. If this view is clearly not true, let us hear more reliable evidence. So, do not shoot the messenger!

Tony Higham

By forum user, HIbot