HIRA Chairman's Report for AGM 2007
- Wed 7th Nov 2007
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Our finances have once again taken a bit of a downward turn, but that was following a huge upsurge last year, particularly in 5-Year membership. 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 have 959 households on our list, of which 132 are life members, 313 are 5-Year members and we had 8 new annual members this year. 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.
I am also pleased to be able to report that we now have a full committee, including the vital posts of Planning Officer and Minutes Secretary. The problem caused by our former Treasurer and Membership Secretary, Shirley Adams, recently leaving the country to join her family in Australia has mercifully been solved by the welcome acceptance by Brenda Greenland of these interlinked roles.
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 big issue that has been on the minds of many of us is the Eastoke Corner project – Phase 1 was completed earlier in the year, with mixed reactions, some saying that it is a bit bleak and that the kaleidoscope is a failure, but most saying that it is a great improvement, which could be developed, especially if it could become an open-air music venue. We now await the start and completion of Phase 2, which is the redesigned road layout and parking arrangements – we also wonder if there will be any trees, or was that just an artist’s impression? Most of the minor Liveability projects were completed last year, but there is still doubt about the North Hayling Circular Walk.
Flooding continues to be a major concern and various defensive works are planned. This was to be the subject of the July Open Meeting, but was postponed because HBC coastal engineers said that they were not in a position to make a useful presentation at the time. This is the subject of our April Meeting. Meanwhile the renourishment of the south easterly coastline takes place and we were promised a sandy section as an experiment.
In spite of all the excitement about the Billy Trail Survey in the summer of 2004, which we hoped would lead to progress on its development, this process seems to have got bogged down, much like the trail itself in the winter! The recent upgrade of certain sections seems to have been little more than papering over the cracks.
Amongst other environmental issues which have affected us are those of litter-picking where all good intentions have so far been stymied; the unwelcome microwave towers proposed for Tournerbury and Salterns Lane; Havant Roundabout, now nearing completion, but without the filter lanes we all wanted; travellers on Bosmere Field and elsewhere, even on Hayling; the HBC landscape assessment; Mill Rythe Schools parking problems and solutions; the episodes of malicious littering; the MTI awards; the proposed Village Green status for Mengham Park; dog fouling and bird-proof litter bins; the proposed new green Welcome to Hayling sign, including twinning recognition and last, but not least, the CPRE report implying that Hayling had suffered greatly increased environmental pollution in the last 20 years, which we formally refuted.
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, upon which we have made our views felt with some success, as it has been going through its stages of development. 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; the application for development of Bosmere Field, mercifully overturned, at least for now; the planning disaster that is Creek Road; the new McCarthy and Stone development at the Dilkusha site, which we feel will cause real parking hazards; the Rainbow site, on hold for the moment; the continued closure of the Rose in June and speculation about the future of this historic and central Hayling site; plans for the development of Wayneflete; the Selsmore Avenue development; the controversy over Maytrees on St Catherines Road; the proposed Sinah Warren development; the new Ham Field building, which was the subject of much rumour; the Mengham Road flats and access; the proposed Bound Lane and Selsmore Road development; the proposed change of use for Broad Oak; the proposed Eastoke Caravan Park development; Farm Stores closure; the Weststar Holiday Park’s application for the change of use for the recreation area; walls along the Seafront; the Northney barn conversion; the Station Road development and Manor Road parking changes. Quite a year and still they come!
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 way in which good design standards are applied 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:
Destination Hayling, leading to the proposed Beachlands Masterplan, the subject of next year’s July Public Meeting; speeding, with a proposed 30mph maximum for the Island – and what happened to the flashing sign on the seafront?; evening buses, which was a victory for commonsense and the Island; doorstep crime; Palmerston Road car park; the right turn into West Lane; the zebra crossing in south Elm Grove; Core Strategy options; public drinking; the Island-wide public taxi service; the Freedom of Information Act, where some councils have been found guilty of stonewalling and the speed of electric buggies. Once again, last but not least, the issue of the potential parishing of Hayling, where it could have its own Town Council, which is the subject of January’s Open Meeting.
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.
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: the Market Town Initiative, responsible for the award-winning Postcard from Hayling DVD, launched at our February Open Meeting at the Station Theatre, the hugely successful and popular Scarecrow Festival and the entertaining Heritage Event at the Manor House; the Pride of Place initiative, which is in the process of development; the Statement of Community Involvement in planning, relevant to both HIRA and the HICB; the threats to Island Services, the topic for our April Open Meeting this year; the proposed Library Community Room; the continued work of the Youth Café and Youth Council; the regenerated Hayling Voluntary Services; Hayling Park behaviour and ASBOs on the Island, particularly in relation to Winsor Close; the increased police presence; beach cafes and internet access at Beachlands. Closer relations between interest groups is to be exhorted, particularly the MTI and HICB.
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 2008. 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, the councillors for their support and Margaret and her friends for providing the refreshments, before her retirement. We now have the delights of her replacement, Cathy from Grandma’s Secret, to look forward to. 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
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