In
this month's issue:
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Also in this issue:
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contact waterlines, write to:
Waterlines
PO Box 124
Eastbourne
BN24 9AW
Or, e-mail
Waterlines
At the 19th September meeting of Eastbourne Borough Council, the following
motion was put to the council, jointly, by the council leader, Ian Lucas,
and the leader of the opposition, David Tutt, and unanimously supported
by all members eligible to vote.
"Following
the refusal of the recent applications for the remaining five development
sites in Sovereign Harbour, this council recognises that the Humberts
report has now been superseded. The Council therefore requests a high
level meeting with the landowner, council members, planning officers,
and representatives of local residents, to develop a strategy for the
remaining development sites.
Such a strategy should acknowledge Sovereign Harbour Ltd's commercial
demands, but shouldn't include further residential development. The strategy
should address much needed community facilities, such as open space, play
areas, a community centre, a medical centre, schools, facilities for the
boating community and potential business opportunities, in keeping with
the area, including a quality hotel.
The council recognises that the available land for development is limited
and should be considered as a whole to effectively provide for a sustainable
community."
Once again, the ludicrous rules laid down by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; prevented members of the planning committee from voicing their support, or adding their weight to the vote.
Members
of the SHRA committee and others urged the council to accept this motion
and stressed that they should now begin an aggressive campaign to persuade
Carillion to take part in discussions with all interested parties.
It should, however, be recognised that passing this motion represents
a huge step forward by our elected representatives, in that they now publicly
accept that mistakes have been made in the past. It also recognised that
action must be taken to ensure that the final stages of the harbour development
provide the infrastructure and facilities that are necessary to deliver
the 'Marina Village' that was the goal of the original planning consent.
In so doing, they will also create a truly sustainable community, and
a leisure facility that will expand Eastbourne's attraction to tourists
and be a magnet to much needed high-quality employment.
We accept that, considering the past intransigence of the land owners, it will not be an easy task, but the members of the Borough Council, both elected and non-elected, have a moral obligation to the residents of Sovereign Harbour to put these issues very high on their agenda, whatever the difficulties. In so doing, they can be assured that they will have the full cooperation and active support of the SHRA committee.
The
coming months are vital to the future of the harbour. It is also, unfortunately,
the start of the run-up to the May elections, and the newspaper letter
pages seem to indicate that the 'silly season' has already begun. We therefore
urge representatives of all political parties to unite on these issues,
and to refrain from trying to use the situation in Sovereign Harbour to
their own political advantage.
Comments from the party leaders
Ian Lucas, leader of the Council
"When
the developers have gone, we will still be here!' This was the sentiment
expressed when the council were debating the recent motion.
It's now vital that we all work together to do the right thing for Sovereign
Harbour. Residents, Developers and the
Council need to take a strategic approach to ensure the remaining sites comprise of the much needed facilities the Harbour wants, needs and deserves.
But this can only happen if some serious work and thought goes into how the remaining sites are eventually developed. The Council's position is now very clear, and we will do what we can to ensure shops, restaurants, schools, a medical centre, a hotel, play areas for young people - and more besides, are incorporated into future plans."
David Tutt, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group
"I am delighted that the September meeting of the Borough Council unanimously approved a motion submitted jointly by Cllr Lucas and myself seeking to support the wishes of the residents of Sovereign Harbour and calling for a high level meeting of all interested parties to develop a fresh strategy for the remaining sites.
I believe that this strategy must include vitally needed local amenities such as: open space, play areas, community and medical facilities, a school and improved facilities for the boating community. I am also firmly of the view that any further commercial facilities must be in keeping with the area.
In
moving this agenda forward the SHRA will have the support of both political
parties on the Council in seeking improvements for the Harbour community."
Sovereign
Harbour is a lovely place to live and, given there are now over 3500 homes,
8000 residents and very limited community facilities, we are fortunate
not to have many social problems. But, every so often something horrible
happens, and a small and nasty minority spoil things for the rest of us.
We have seen graffiti appearing around the harbour, and a number of residents have experienced nuisance behaviour with door-bell ringing, or loud and offensive shouting.
Sadly, that's not enough for some nasty people, and at least one swan has been stoned and badly injured. The perpetrators are usually young kids, and we believe at least some of them live at the harbour. We must nip this in the bud and ensure the harbour remains a clean, safe and pleasant place to live. We now have a dedicated Police Community Support Officer, PCSO Martin Hylands. He is a limited resource, but he does want to hear about every occurrence of nuisance behaviour so he can target his patrols, build the full picture, and maybe even get additional support.
We don't want any vigilantes at the harbour, but if you do know who is causing the problems and where they live, please let the police know. They will treat this information in strictest confidence, but they do need our help to target the trouble makers.
If
you see or hear of any problems, please call the Sussex Police Non-emergency
Helpline on 0845 60 70 999.
Until the Council adopt the harbour, the walls and walkways remain the
responsibility of individual developers and their management companies.
These companies are not based at the harbour and they need residents'
help to report any mess so they can get it cleaned up.
If you see any graffiti or vandalism, let your management company know. Demand their action - remember, you are paying for this service!
And
finally, SHRA would like to know about these problems too, as we have
frequent discussions with the police and councillors, and it's very helpful
to have the full facts.
If you have any information to share with us, please email: waterlines@shra.co.uk,
or phone: 07770-621368
Doesn't time fly, only 70 days to Christmas. The burning question is, will it be long enough to organise carol singing around the harbour?
We tried to get this organised last year but, unfortunately, we left it too late. However, several of you said you would have been interested had we informed you earlier.
We have already had some interest, so, if you can sing, play something, or just hold a candle, and are prepared to do your bit, contact Carol Teasdale on 470733, or Marj Pratt on 479510.
Alternatively,
e-mail
Waterlines
'Marina
Mums' is a group, set-up by harbour resident, Sam Skull, to provide a
social network for mums and 'mums to be' and their babies, toddlers and
children. Meetings are held on a monthly basis, to create a social network,
and provide an opportunity to get together, to chat, provide mutual support
and to discuss local issues and concerns.
The next meeting will be in Simply Italian on the Waterfront, on Tuesday 24th October, from 11:00am
If
you would like to go along, or would be interested in future events, please
contact Sam.
Phone or text: 07949-687996
or, e-mail
Sam
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Harbour Friends is for all you living on the Harbour that want to make new friends, young, old, single and couples. We will be at The Yacht Club, upstairs in the Bar on Sunday 29th October anytime from 7pm. Come and join us and see what a friendly bunch we are. We have around 60 people now and everyone has made new friends.
In
November we will be meeting at the new Garden Bar upstairs at the Waterfront
above Pablo's. Date yet to be confirmed, so please, those of you who aren't
on the Harbour Friends email list, watch out for next months Waterlines
or call Bev.
If you would like more info about Harbour Friends please call Bev on 01323 479797 or e-mail Bev
Anyone
still wanting to go to the Polegate Theatre to see Hobsons Choice on 27th
October, last chance
please e-mail
Alison Attwood or phone her on 01323 479429.
Harbour resident Frank Milmoe, has started up a Sovereign Harbour 'veterans'
(35 plus) football team to play friendly matches.
The group meets every Sunday morning on the fields opposite the Sovereign Centre for a 'kick-about' and informal five-a-side matches between themselves.
This growing 'group of lads' is very informal, and members are not expected to give a commitment to turning up every week; you can just play as much or as little as suits you. The main objective is to have fun, whilst enjoying the exercise in a social gathering of like minded people.
A team is being entered in the Kingsmere six-a-side tournament on 22nd October. We will report their performance in the November issue of Waterlines. (For more details, see the 'Social Events' page on this website)
New players are always welcome and anybody interested should contact Frank at frankmilmoe@btinternet.com or, if you don't have e-mail, drop a note to Frank at 17 Madeira Way, BN23 5UL.
You
can also call Frank on 07771-610158.
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Our
victory over Sovereign Harbour Ltd in getting the applications for residential
development on four of the 'Five Sites' refused was just one battle in
the war over the future of the harbour.
The B&Q appeal is still live, despite B&Q's withdrawal from it. Also, SHL will almost inevitably appeal against the refusal of their 'Five Sites' applications, so there is still a huge amount of work ahead.
Don't be fooled by the lack of activity; SHL will even now be planning their next attack, and we will be trying to anticipate their strategy and preparing to counter it. As always, the planning laws are stacked in their favour, so it is very important that we have the full , all party, support of the Borough Council.
So,
please be ready to respond when we need your support. If you have internet
access, please visit the website frequently to see if the news page has
been updated. Share you views with other residents through the letters
page, let us know how you think we can be even more effective. If you
agree with us, join us. The greater our membership, the louder our voice.
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Over
the course of the past several months, the SHRA committee have been asking
Sovereign Harbour Trust trustees to provide more detailed information
on the running and finances of the trust. As usual, our requests are met
with refusal and prevarication.
SHRA Committee members have also had discussions with officers of the Environment Agency, at which the EA was urged to take up the three vacant places on the board of trustees which were allocated to them. It was requested that one of these places should be given to a representative of harbour residents.
In the event, after a long delay, the EA has finally appointed its three trustees. They are Roger Thomas, an East Sussex County Councillor, Peter Doran, a member of the Southern Regional Flood Defence Committee and Carole Clark, Chairman of Pevensey Bay Parish Council and an Eastbourne magistrate.
We
are very disappointed that, once again, those in control of the Trust
have ignored the wishes and interests of those who provide 100% of their
income. However, we hope that the new trustees will be more open and available
than has been the case with the existing Carillion appointed trustees.
We hope to meet them in the near future to discuss residents' concerns
and to express the anger and frustration that we all feel at the Trust's
lack of transparency.
The SHRA website, http://www.shra.co.uk, is growing in popularity. So
far this year, there have been about 11,500 unique visits to the site,
and those visitors have viewed 44,000 pages. After a slow start to the
year, the average monthly visits have settled at about 1,600, that's over
fifty a day.
The most frequently visited pages, not surprisingly, are the 'News' and 'Waterlines pages and closely behind come the 'Letters' page and the 'For Sale/Wanted' page. What is surprising is that, considering the frequency with which the 'Letters' page is visited, there are so few contributions to it. Please don't be shy, share your opinions with other residents and let us have your comments on the letters that are published.
Also, considering how many of you view the 'For Sale/ Wanted' page', and considering that this is a free service, we receive surprisingly few advertisements.
The website is a very cost-effective way of getting information to you in the shortest possible time, please take advantage of it. Why not make it your 'Home Page'? That way you will get updates as soon as they are posted on the site.
If
you are not yet on our mailing list, and would like to be included, e-mail
Waterlines
As we said on the front page, all out elections are due in May, and the 'silly season' already seems to be underway. As always, we can expect people who have been conspicuous by their absence, to reappear from the woodwork, claiming to have been responsible for any successes in the harbour, pledging unswerving loyalty to the residents, and promising to solve all of our problems if elected. Unfortunately, they will probably be the same people who appear at every election, and disappear back into the woodwork as soon as the count is over. Don't be surprised when they come knocking at your door if you have never seen or heard of them before.
The fact is that all of the progress that has been made over the past 18 months has been as a result of the dedication and hard work of those few individuals who form the committee of the SHRA, and the growing band of committed supporters who help them. And, if that sounds as if we're blowing our own trumpet, then we make no apologies. Ask yourself:
Who
was responsible for mobilising almost 400 people to attend the 'B&Q'
planning application at the Winter Gardens, and providing their transport?
Who was responsible for getting the B&Q application refused?
Mainly, the SHRA, our friends in 'No to B&Q' and the residents who
supported us.
Who has been given equal status with the Borough Council and Sovereign Harbour Ltd at the B&Q appeal Public Enquiry? The SHRA, and nobody else.
Who was responsible for mobilising almost 300 people to attend the 'Five Sites' planning application at the Town Hall, and providing their transport? Who was responsible for getting the 'Five Sites' applications refused? Mainly, the SHRA, and the residents who supported us.
Who has been challenging the Sovereign Harbour Trust and pressing them to make their finances and operation more transparent? Who has been pressing the Environment Agency to take up their places on the Trust? The SHRA, and the residents who supported us. Nobody else.
Why did the Borough Council unite to pass the motion on page one? Because of the work done by the SHRA to engage our elected representatives and convince them of the justice of our case.
And
don't forget all the other issues still in progress: adoption, dog fouling,
weeds, graffiti, anti-social behaviour, the list goes on.
Members'
surgeries.
Don't forget the monthly members' surgeries at Simply Italian on the
Waterfront.
Future Surgeries from 10:30 to 11:30 on Saturday
-
4th November
-
2nd December
The
tradesmen on the list below have been recommended by our members. Although
we are happy to publish the names, the SHRA is unable to endorse the
recommendations and would urge members to make their own checks.
We would appreciate your comments, good or bad, on the service you receive
or, if you feel you would like to add a service to the list, please
write to us at:
Waterlines
PO Box 124
Eastbourne
BN24 9AW
Or, e-mail
Waterlines
For
a complete list, go to the 'Tradesmen' page on this website
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As reported in the July issue of Waterlines, the SHRA has launched a 'Fighting Fund' to help finance any possible legal assistance that might be required.
As yet, the amount of effort required to prepare for the B&Q appeal and the 'Five Sites' planning applications has prevented any serious fund raising efforts, but that will change.
The
holiday season is almost over and September should provide some relief,
provided that the Planning Inspectorate don't bring the B&Q appeal
too far forward. We will be looking to stage some events which, we hope,
will also be an opportunity to have some fun for a change. Look out
for announcements in future issues of Waterlines, and on the website.
If you have any fund-raising ideas, or would like to help with the events,
please get in touch.
Of course, you don't have to wait, any contributions will be gratefully received (cheques only please, made payable to SHRA). In fact, the fund has already got off to a flying start thanks to some very generous donations.
All money collected will be 'ring-fenced' and all contributions will be logged.
Send your donations and ideas to:
SHRA
PO Box 124
Eastbourne BN24 9AW
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Our thanks to our sponsors, who's generosity has again allowed us to produced this newsletter at almost no cost to our members.
To our regular sponsors,
Temple
Bird,
Waterfront Solicitors
and our repeat sponsor,
RGW
Interiors
Suppliers and fitter of blinds and curtains
and our new Sponsors for Octoberr,
Life
Support
Person centred counselling
Allshipshape
The ultimate spring clean
Waterlines, the newsletter of the Sovereign Harbour Residents Association, is delivered free to every residential property on Sovereign Harbour. We are only able to do this because we have a dedicated group of people who give up their time to distribute the newsletters and a number of sponsors who contribute cash to help us with the cost of production.
Over the past year, we have been very fortunate to have had the help of several local businesses, and we are very grateful for this. However, we produce Waterlines on a monthly basis, and we need four sponsors every month in order to avoid serious depletion of our funds, so we are always looking for new sponsors.
Apart from our sincere gratitude, our sponsors get an advertisement, similar to those above, in the current issue, and a permanent listing on the home page of our website, with a link to their website.
To become an SHRA sponsor,
e-mail Waterlines
or call us on: 07770-621368