Sinah Lane: Deputation Anne Skennerton
Anne Skennerton on behalf of Hayling Island Residents
Deputation to DMC 29-10-20
Application APP/18/00724 - Land at Sinah Lane, Hayling Island
Note: page numbers refer to those on document’s foot of page not necessarily the online page number.
HITA is Hayling Island Transport Assessment
ESCP is Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership
I’m speaking for Hayling residents who feel this Application is premature; our residents are not confident that this site can provide the right homes in the right places at the right time. Out of 550 representations, 456 common sense objections - only 1 in support - are a fraction of those suffering Hayling’s A3023 gridlock forcing many employed to leave the Island.
There is insufficient evidence that this intensive housing development can be economically sustainable (1) for both those who can afford to buy them and those renting the affordable homes whose prices are often driven up by investors. Council Officers (2) cite need for “supporting economy” and “local circumstances should be taken into account...for different areas” (3). But where is the new employment on Hayling for the proposed 195 families with potentially 2 adults needing to drive/commute off-Island for work and, like many, opting to school their children off-Island? In the Council’s Evidence Base neither “A Regeneration Strategy for Havant” nor Hayling Island Feasibility Study (4) provides current, imminent sufficient sustainable employment to avoid off-Island or even out-of-Borough commuting. Please also note that Havant has “the second lowest job density figure in Hampshire” (5) so new residents add to the heavy commuting load on congested A27 and A3. Hayling’s marinas and leisure facilities can’t provide sufficient local work. Our young people travel to mainland colleges and employment.
These are “material considerations” (6) indicating the need not to approve this Planning Application until we have clear evidence for new employment locally plus sustainable, effective transport network in place – at the ‘right time’.
HITA unfortunately fails to provide such fundamental “material considerations” as: what is the actual cost of the proposed traffic ‘mitigation’; is that money available now in order to make the necessary changes before new housing developments add to the Island’s existing infrastructure problems: what is the evidence that known future flooding will not impact on the proposed mitigation strategies? Common sense tells us that roundabouts and traffic lights will not solve even the current sometimes dangerous gridlock caused by accidents or utility problems, affecting our single bridge access, impacting residents’ work, study, hospital appointments and daily emergency vehicle access for half a day or more. This occurs throughout the year, regardless of the additional estimated 5,000 annual visitors. Without substantial road changes in advance, large-scale developments will accelerate A3023 gridlock; why then should visitors continue to spend their £190 million (7) coming to Hayling?
For new housing to be built, there must first be more than a promised ‘interest’ in an autonomous vehicle bridge (8) and this needs to be published with supporting detailed evidence in order to build public confidence. Whilst a new so-called ‘bridge’ sounds attractive, autonomous vehicles are still experimental (9). What factual study of all Hayling’s residents and visitors proves viable uptake, and evidence of exactly how much parking area will be provided – will we lose all or some of the Billy Trail immensely popular for visitors’ and residents’ health and recreation? Wouldn’t this destroy an existing green, environmental area that Government policies require? Exactly how would this link, as claimed, to Havant’s Rail Station through Langstone’s housing and the A3023? If this autonomous link meets the Billy Trail, how does this fit with HITA’s plan for the Trail’s use as “emergency access route”(10) – and the Trail’s Heritage status (11)? Even Council’s “Transport Survey” (12) reveals respondents’ desire to use the Billy Trail for cycling/commuting. The Transport Evidence Base is seriously confused.
Autonomous ‘interest’, inserted into the “Evidence Base” for Hayling’s ‘Regeneration’ is another “material consideration” whose lack of foundation – no supporting evidence, no costing, no time-scale – underlines the real importance of infrastructure before housing developments.
It’s vitally important to understand that rising sea levels and Met. Office predicted tidal surges, all accepted by the Council’s Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership, continue to dramatically reduce Hayling’s coasts. West Beach, designated for Seafront Regeneration’s watersports/leisure jobs (13), has eroded beyond ESCP’s 2019 expectations for the next 20 years. Current, short-term shingle replacement (14), disguises West Beach’s phenomenal erosion: beach huts removed, most of the parking lost, municipal golf club metres away from tidal surges, Inn on the Beach and Hayling Golf responsible for their own sea defences but their positions increasingly tenuous. The Evidence Base planned tourism revenue and new jobs for West Beach, with no planned coastal intervention (15), is without foundation.
Right homes at the right time: please refuse this Application until essential infrastructure is in place.
(Word Count 743)
Footnotes & References:
1. Required by Government: Gov.uk Sustainability Plan Sec.3 Goals; NPPF 2019 Sec.2 Para 7 & 8a p.5
2. Public Reports Pack p.9 Sec.4 paragraph 1
3. Government’s National Planning Policy Framework 2019 Requirement
4. Local Plan Evidence Base Hayling Island Feasibility Study 2019 Sustainability Appraisal Appendix H; A Regeneration Strategy for Havant Borough p.5-7,11, p.17
5. Local Plan Evidence Base Regeneration: “A Regeneration Strategy for Havant Borough ” p25
6. Public Reports Pack Sec.4 paragraph 1
7. Local Plan Evidence Base Hayling Seafront Regeneration Analysis and Feasibility Study Jan 2019 p.4 Sec. 1.2
8. Local Plan Evidence Base Regeneration: “A Regeneration Strategy for Havant Borough” p.17 para. 4
9. MIT Technology Review May 2020; Association of British Insurers and Thatcham Research UK 26-10-20
10. Local Plan Evidence Base Hayling Island Transport Assessment Addendum Jan. 2020 incl. Appendices p. 16 (p.17 online)
11. Visit-Hampshire Hayling Billy Trail; Shipwright’s Way 50 mile cycle walking route Hampshire;
Local Plan Evidence Base Hayling Seafront Regeneration Analysis and Feasibility Study Jan 2019 p. 18 Sec.4.4.2
12. Local Plan Evidence Base Transport, Hayling Island Transport Assessment, Travel Questionnaire Results pp2,4,5,8-11 from 1,368 Hayling responses.
13. Local Plan Evidence Base Hayling Seafront Regeneration Analysis and Feasibility Study made in Jan 2019 pp 24ff Sec 5 Urban Design Opportunities: no beach, no new jobs
14. Online ESCP North Solent Shoreline Management Plan 2020, Frequently Asked Questions, Key Messages & Policy Options; and Final North Solent SMP Document and Policy Statements see Grid 5AH105 for policy for Hayling’s south coast. West Beach has insufficient property to justify any funding & existing shingle is there only to enable shingle replenishment to Eastoke.
15. Online Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership: Hayling Island Coastal Management Strategy 2120 – Preparing for a Resilient Future Story Map depicts a) West Beach no active intervention b) Coastal Flood and Erosion Damages Over Next 100 years £2.1 million Recreation Loss
