Outrage over plans to build 130 new homes
UNHAPPY Mary Fray, 86, Margaret Brockway 76, David Martin, 70, John Broomhead, 61, Dorothy Awcock, 82, Maisie Brooks 78, Mike Cox, 75, and Peter Awcock, 82.
RESIDENTS have voiced their anger at plans to build more than 100 new homes on Hayling Island.
At a public meeting in the Bridge Centre, Beach Road, yesterday hundreds of people arrived to hear plans to develop an area of land on the island north of Goldring Close and south of Beech Grove.
The 4.5-hectare field has been allocated as a reserve housing site in the Havant Borough District Wide Local Plan.
It means that even though the council agrees that it is prime agricultural land, it will allow houses to be built on it.
Beech Grove, which is a dead end, would be opened up and the access road to the new estate would run straight through the middle of it.
Residents living near the development are disgusted that the peace and quiet they moved to the area for will be shattered.
John Broomhead, 61, is leading the campaign to stop the development.
He only knew about the proposed development when he spotted surveyors in the field.
He discovered Tolcarne Drive Developments wanted to build 130 homes on the site.
He said: ‘When we bought our homes we weren’t paying for the bricks and mortar, we were paying for a lifestyle. Somewhere we could retire in peace and quiet.
‘That is going to be ruined and it’s a disgrace. I’m probably one of the youngest here. The people in the flats at the end of the road have an average age of 85. This is simply not the right place to put a housing estate.’
Mary Fray, 86, said: ‘I’m the longest resident here, 26 years.
‘We knew it would happen one day, it keeps raising its ugly head but we always manage to kill it off. Let’s hope we can do it once more.’
Representing the developers, Jeremy Higgins, from Pro-Vision Planning and Design, told residents their concerns would be taken into account.
He said: ‘We may not be able to win everyone over, but we will listen to issues raised by local people and try and find a way of resolving them.’
An application has not yet been submitted but is expected before the end of the year.
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Comments
There are 6 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
theyewtree1
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:55 AMthats not like paul fisher to stick his nose in. in todays economic climate this project will provide work for many local companies and trades which is badly needed and all the people going on about green land being built on, do they actually spend anytime whatsoever on this green land? i dont think so either. by the way did MR FISHER complain 20 years or so ago when the development that his house sits on was being built? i dont think so either. keep your nose out paul, youre always getting on peoples nerves on the island with your moral high ground all the time.
MurF
Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 06:07 PM'When we bought our homes we weren’t paying for the bricks and mortar, we were paying for a lifestyle. Somewhere we could retire in peace and quiet.' This is the normal Nimby talk by housholds, when you buy a house you by the plot and the bricks and mortar, you dont buy a lifestyle. The community can change and therefore your life style! With a contry that is growing by the day, you should expect things to change. Take ones rose tinted specs off! One needs to remember there is a bigger comunity on HI which includes thoose under the age of 65! As I always remember it, nothing for the young on HI, not even a house! So when does HI get it's 'Retirement Village' status approved? 'it is our duty to resist these developments for the benefit of the Island' or is that for the retired? The community should all pull together on this one. How many young people have complained either way? Their views are just as important and as a minority, their views should also count more as they are the ones who live live their longer.
PaulFisher
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 05:33 PMThe Town Planning Consultant, representing the owners of the fields who wish to develop the site (Tolcarne Drive Developments), did a neat and unexpected sidestep at the meeting, declaring that the site would not have access via Goldring Close, which was clearly a relief for many of those present. He stated that the only vehicular access to the site would be via Beech Grove to the north, with a 3m wide 'emergency' exit via St Margarets, generally available to cyclists and pedestrians, but also to an emergency vehicle, if needed. Since this land had always been referred to as 'land to the north of Goldring Close', it had been assumed that there would be access via this quiet close. However, I don't think that this neighbourhood can rest totally easily in their beds, as this is only at the proposal stage and the Core Strategy document refers to access via Goldring Close. The facts are that the developers have bought a house in St Margarets to have access there and a house in Hawthorne Grove, to improve the access to Beech Grove. I hear that there are discussions with the occupiers of Mengham Court at the end of Goldring Close, for access to the development site via their car park, not yet resolved, so this may be why the planner couldn't include this access as an option at this stage of the process. The residents of the area on and off Tournerbury Lane are the ones who are currently most likely to be affected. Also, don't forget that another large site off St Mary's Road, with access via Rook Farm has been designated for development within the plan. The increased traffic via Tournerbury and St Mary's would almost inevitably mean some form of new traffic control at the junction with Elm Grove and Church Road. IMO, it is our duty to resist these developments for the benefit of the Island. We should not just roll over and treat them as inevitable. Our main arguments against surround traffic and infrastructure. The Island has unique issues in this regard, but we are treated as if we are on the mainland. In the period of time since the beginning of the last plan, when Hayling was designated 16% of the Borough's new housing over the next 15 years(approximately 450 units), 31%, over 800, were in fact built. In should be interesting to see where this fact has been taken into account in the new plan (Core Strategy). It will also be interesting to see what impact the new Localism Bill will have upon the planning process in general and these issues in particular, once it is enacted later in the year.
griffon
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 08:22 AMIt's happening all over the borough by a gung ho council bent on ploughing on regardless. They had an opportunity to reduce their targets but turned it down.
King Chestnut
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 01:41 PMMore to the point, it's a nice area and if these houses get built Leroy and his ghetto blaster will arrive to supply 24 hr drone music from the window of his free house.
smeagal
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 12:47 PMThis is a mistake and should be stopped. That is an increase of at least 260 extra cars and will put extra pressure on locla schools and services. We have already lost most of the green field sites around the island and unless the builders are going to improve access fro m Havant onto the island this project should be rejected. If this land has to used then tuen it into allotments for folks to grow thier own food and reduce the need to shop off the isalnd and reduce the carbon footprint instead of increasing it.
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