Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve - new visitor centre

This week, 19^th to 23^rd February, Hastings Borough Council is undertaking preparatory works on the site of the new visitor centre.  The site has been marked out on the ground and a layer of topsoil to a depth of 30 centimetres is being removed from the footprint of the proposed building.

Archaeology

The County Archaeologist has been on site to oversee the excavation.  There have been archaeological finds during the site works by way of a medieval bracelet and stone age flints.  As a result of the underlying archaeology there are localised excavations that are greater than 30 centimetres. The Hastings Area Archaeology Group will undertake further localised excavation on site before any building works commence.

Outstanding Planning Application
http://publicaccess.hastings.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=_HSTBC_DCAPR_114791

You should be aware that there is an outstanding Planning Application (HS/FA/17/01018) to vary the approved drawings of the granted planning permission for the visitor centre (Reference HS/FA/14/01033). These variations are amendments to the roof structure, window openings, ventilation unit and weatherboarding material.

The Chairman of the Friends of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve, Andrew Blackmore, has commented on this outstanding application: “Our committee discussed this application at a recent meeting and we have serious concerns. The changes of design and materials proposed represent a significant downgrade in terms of quality and aesthetics. Metal shutters will give the building a particularly grim aspect in what is a highly sensitive location. It is in everyone's interest, we believe, that any new visitor centre at the Country Park is built to the specification that the location deserves, and that the process of decision making is transparent. Changes of this magnitude need proper scrutiny from public and planners alike, and the rationale behind them should be explained in full.”

In This Year of Emancipation Anniversaries……

Hastings Old Town Carnival Association
Press release. 7.2.18.
This year there are exciting changes to the carnival court. We are really pleased to say that following many months of discussion both within the community and the association it has been decided to change the nature of the carnival court. In this year celebrating women’s suffrage it has been agreed that there should be no upper age, or gender barrier to becoming a member of the carnival court. We thank the community for their continued support and input to this exciting decision.

This is the 50th year of Hastings Old Town carnival and we are intending to celebrate in a big way. We are currently hoping to find grants to include many more events and make a whole carnival day.

This year we will open the selection for the carnival court to anybody who lives, works or studies in the Borough of Hastings and St Leonards who is over the age of sixteen. From the entrants the judges will choose both a Sea Queen and a Sea King along with two attendants. It should be a really enjoyable and also ground breaking evening. They will go to represent the town at other carnivals and at various events in the town throughout the year.

The Sea Queen will also gain the title of Miss Hastings for the year and the Sea King a new title of Mr Hastings.

The selection for the new court will be at 6.00pm on Sunday April 15th at the East Hastings Sea Angling club. Entry forms will soon be available on the carnival website https://www.1066.net/carnival/ or by mailing carnival@1066.net. We ask everybody who would like to become our new Sea King and Queen to come along.

Stade Amusement Park Planning Application

HS/EX/18/00067 | Application for a lawful development certificate for existing use as an Amusement Park

This is an application to make the whole of the Amusement area an enclosed amusement park.  There is no facility on the planning website to make a comment as "This application type is not open to public consultation"

In the past an application for a designated right of way was claimed  but it was found that the public 'of right' owing to the Foreshore Trust did not need a designated RoW order.

Despite reading the application closely there seems to be no specifics as to the nature that the enclosing of the area would take.  The following section 4.51 of the planning statement relating to a previous application seems to be the nearest indication:

"Planning permission granted on 22nd August 2005 under reference HS/FA/05/00400 allowed new railings to increase the height of the boundary enclosure. The approved plans, decision notice, case officer’s report and minutes of the planning board are included in Appendix 7.

The red-line on the approved plans outlines the entirety of the site including the boating lake and land to the west of the lake. The approved plans appear to relate to a gated entrance to the site from East Beach Street. The plans and photographs show an existing brick wall enclosing the site, topped with metal railings. The case officer in her planning report noted that elsewhere on the site the operators can erect fences of any design of up to 2m in height without the need to submit a planning application.

The case officer notes the concerns from objectors that the now approved railings would enclose the whole site allowing extensive permitted development rights under part 28 of schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. The case officer clearly states, ‘The site is however already enclosed by the existing gates and flower beds and the situation would not be altered by the current proposal’, which is now approved and implemented. Therefore, the council accepts that the entire site was enclosed in 2005 and benefited from the above permitted development rights. There are two conditions attached to the decision notice relating to the time-period of implementation and requiring the railings to be painted within one month of their erection. There is no condition removing the permitted development rights on the site.”

There 17 listed constraints; one would think this enough to get it thrown out on Round 1, but don't leave it to chance, write to your councillor now before something we don't want  becomes a fait accompli.

 

Talk - The East Hill & High Wickham

Hastings History House

21 Courthouse Street 

Saturday, 10th February 5.30 pm

Tickets - Members - £4

Non-Members - £5

Refreshments Available

 "High Wickham is surely the literary Mecca Hastings, and. indeed, I doubt whether any other spot England can boast so many celebrities within so small an area." Hastings and St Leonards Observer - Saturday 14 May 1910

Hastings Library - Brassey Building, reopening

Themajor project to refurbish Hastings Library is nearing completion and the library will reopen to the public at 10am on Friday 2 March. 

The interior of the library in Claremont, Hastings, has been completely refurbished with new furniture, more computers, free Wi-Fi and improved toilet facilities.

The improvements will bring the Children's Library, formerly based in nearby Robertson Passage, into the Brassey Institute.  The library will host children’s activities including Code Clubs, Rhymetime and Storytime.

Adults can join IT For You to develop computer skills or ask for help in a Computer Buddy session.  There will be a wide range of books to borrow and reference information available, as well as DVDs, and health, wellbeing and reminiscence resources.

Public computers provide free access to the internet, training courses, online reference materials, research programs for family history, and the Learning Services computer suite has been completely upgraded, providing opportunities to improve literacy, numeracy and computer skills.

The temporary library in Robertson Passage will close at 5pm on Saturday 24 February to enable stock to be moved into the new library.

During the move, from Monday 26 February to Thursday 1 March, library services will be available at Hollington or Ore libraries.

Directory Day

Thursday 1st February, 11 - 4

Drop into the History House at 21 Courthouse Street to browse the Street Directories

Re: A Pier – Film Screening

Saturday January 21 @ 2:00 pm -5:00 pm

Hastings Pier are absolutely delighted to announce that Archie Lauchlan will be hosting a free screening of his extraordinary documentary Re: A Pier on Sunday.

The screening coincides with the 50th anniversary of Syd Barrett’s final gig with Pink Floyd which took place on Hastings Pier. The film is a must for music lovers as a large section of it focuses on the Pier’s unique music and cultural heritage. Doors open at 1.00pm

 …

Protecting Harold from the Weather

There is no easy link for making donations – it appears you have to sign up to the campaign via Facebook

Hastings Storytelling Festival : 6th–12th November

http://hastingsstoryfest.org.uk/

Friends of Hastings Cemetery Update

New Stories

• Hilder, William Roland - Engineer of the Cyril & Lillian Bishop, killed in the Swan Inn Bombing.
• Jempson, Charles - Shipwright, innkeeper, Workouse resident, unmarked grave.
• Lewns, Carleton James - Auctioneer, Bailiff etc. Member of the Fire Brigade; vocalist.

The Story of “RX Boy Billie 61” and those lost with her:

• Joseph David Coussens
• John Edward (Ned) Muggridge – Coxswain, Cyril & Lillian Bishop
• Charles Page

Recent Stories

• Barnes, Janet Keith - amongst other Christian bequests left money to the schools of Christ Church, St Leonards.  Ornamented memorial seems to have a quartet of otters at the top of the upright of the cross.

• Robison, Agnes Rose - Widow of the late William Cowper Robison, Formerly widow of the late James Wren Carlile Napier, New Zealand

• Wilson, Eliza & Charles - Charles late of Sydney NSW, little else known, recorded because of state of memorial.

The brothers behind the Source Park have been shortlisted for a national award celebrating those who rescue historic buildings.

Before the Moore brothers took on the renovation project the building had been vacant and was falling in to a state of disrepair. As a result Hastings Borough Council had begun seeking quotes to fill it with concrete to protect the road above from collapse.

See more at https://historicengland.org.uk/get-involved/angel-awards/best-rescue-of-a-historic-building/source-park/ where you can also cast your vote; scroll down to bottom of article.

Hastings Week–Free Talk

My Hastings

with

Cllr. Peter Chowney

Leader of Hastings Borough Council

Friday 13th October at 5.30

At Hastings History House

Tickets Free – but please book

Hastings Week Exhibition

Bayeux  Tapestry

- and on screen presentation -

from Harold’s point of view

at The Battle of Hastings

on 14th October, 1066

This exhibition will be in place until 19th October, after which

Lost Heritage of Hastings – gone but not forgotten

will return

Hello Albert!

A long-neglected statue of Prince Albert (consort to Queen Victoria) has been installed outside Hastings Town Hall, due to the considerable efforts of a group of local heritage enthusiasts.

The life-size statue of Prince Albert, sculpted in Portland stone by Edwin Stirling (1819–67) at his Liverpool studio, was formerly part of the ‘Albert Memorial Clock Tower’, which was the centrepiece of Hastings Town Centre from when it was erected in 1864 until demolished in 1973. 

The statue was saved for the Town by local resident Miss Edith Skelton, who purchased it from the demolition firm for £50.  When the original intention to ship the statue out to Canada to a former Hastings resident was aborted, the statue was given a home a greenhouse operating as the ‘mini floral hall’ at Alexandra Park.  This attraction closed in the 1990s, and the statue was left neglected in the unused greenhouse.

There had long been calls from the public to have the statue put back on display.  In a report to the local Museums Association in 2010, Hastings Borough Council agreed that the statue should be remounted in the public domain, and that it was necessary for a community group to come forward to achieve this objective.  A group of local heritage enthusiasts held a public consultation event in July 2014, and there was emphatic support for the proposal to bring the statue back to Hastings’ town centre.  It was then agreed with the Council to put in planning applications for installing the statue alongside the Town Hall, behind the ramped access to the Community Contact Centre.  There was a surprise when the local authority’s planning
committee refused permission in February 2015.  However, the go-ahead for the project came when an appeal to the Government’s planning inspectorate was announced as successful in November 2015.

A new local heritage group, the Albert Statue Group, was formed early in 2016 to raise funds for the project.  Hastings Lions Club came forward with a very generous donation for purchasing and installing the new Portland Stone pedestal on which the statue is now erected.  There have also been donations from members of the public keen to see the local heritage asset back on display.

Roger Wilcock of A. C. Towner Ltd (monumental masons) advised on the project and did some of the preparatory work free of charge, as this is a community project without financial support of the Local Council.  The new Hastings and St. Leonards (Civic) Society has contributed to the project, and
Hastings Local History Group provided £500, which had been bequeathed to the Group by the late Ron Fellows for use in a local heritage project. 

Westoaks Builders Ltd. has done the installation work, with the assistance of a specialist lifting contractor (Coppards). Dean Edgeworth of Westoaks stated that he has been pleased to be associated with this community project, as he has lived all his life in the Borough and is well aware of the great affection long-standing residents have for the lost Albert Memorial.

An information board, giving a concise history of the statue, has also been installed. This has been funded by Kelly Stirling, who lives in California and is the great, great grand-daughter of the statue’s sculptor. Kelly has made a couple of visits to Hastings to view the statue, and will be coming over again to see the new installation alongside the Town Hall before too long.

The Albert Statue Group is endeavouring to raise funds for repair work to the Statue. For information on how to donate e-mail: albertstatue@outlook.com