Walks to be announced : if you would like to arrange a walk see Contact page.
"the grave's a fine and private place…" exploring Hastings Cemetery
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This week, 19th to 23rd 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.”
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.
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.
