Good News - Challenging Times!
HIRA November 2022 Article
Good News but Challenging Times
HIRA’s free public meeting in October was treated to two powerfully relevant presentations. The first was an insightful introduction to Hayling’s newly formed WAVE, We All Value Each Other, by founder Issy Scott and Mia, its Trustee. Starting 2018, Issy searched for a means of how to help Hayling youth deal with the problems they themselves identified such as bullying, drugs, caring responsibilities, cyber safety, isolation. In 2020 WAVE commissioned the charity Y Services, which won a Queen’s Award for voluntary work with young people, to prioritise Hayling youth’s needs so they could be properly addressed. Finally, in 2021, after fundraising support from a Hayling WAVE festival, the National Lottery, Hampshire County Council and various businesses, WAVE acquired the old TSB building lease, refurbishing it to a brilliant standard to meet the varied needs of our teenagers, and it opened September 2022.
The slides of an extraordinary number of purpose designed rooms showed: pool and football tables; cinema/music room; art and drumming rooms; IT areas for homework or gaming; kitchen to teach nutritious cooking; workshops to teach life skills. Opening times are: Monday 3-5pm ‘Wellbeing’ sessions supplied by professional Y Services, funded by WAVE. Tuesday 3-5pm 10-13yrs 6-8pm 14-16yrs. Thursday 3-5pm 10-13 yrs 6-8pm 14-16yrs. Please encourage your youngsters to appreciate the value of this venue so they know they have a safe, supportive haven. Participants’ frank verdict so far: great! Please contact Issy with questions/help/support: issy.wave@hotmail.com
Graham Wright, Transport Team Leader and planner for south Hampshire at Hants. County Council, had the task of delivering the following “difficult” news about national policy’s impact on our regional transport planning. He referenced Government’s 2021 £2 billion planned investment over 5 years to “de-carbonise the UK”; but 61% of problematic greenhouse gas emissions come from cars comprising 59% of transport, while LGVs and HGVs represent about 33%. In Hampshire 37.5% of CO2 emissions are transport-related, 65% of those caused by cars. Surveys showed 68% of car use is for under 5 miles.
The message? To reach net zero emissions by 2050, meeting Climate Change targets, everyone needs, urgently, to reduce car use, but how?
Graham argued for positive incentives as the most effective persuasion, citing “spatial planning, energy and digital networks and co-ordination of services”. A focus on cycling, walking, public transport can “reduce obesity, poor air quality and improve mental well-being”. A failed funding bid to Government for Active Travel funding will be revised, re-submitted. Graham also showed 3 possible pedestrian/cycling options from Hayling to Langstone but their approximate cost: £50 million opening bridge span, £44 million for non-opening, currently prohibitive. Asking what the audience’s priorities would be for improving transport on Hayling, strong arguments were made for all-weather surfaces for pedestrians/cyclists use: on the Billy Trail but with suitable continuation into Havant; on a dedicated route for the more populous east Hayling to travel straight into Havant; on existing east-west ‘cinder’ routes.
Graham wants Islanders’ suggestions, via HIRA, to incentivise walking or cycling on Hayling. I agreed to collate and submit these to him.
